In working to review the issues associated with underage drinking, the reasons why underage drinking should be prevented, and the growing societal concerns associated with that particular trend, it will be
Robert Voas states teen pregnancy, sexual assaults, and crime rates have increased due to underage drinking. Alcohol consumption at a college age leads to 600,000 physical assaults and 70,000 sexual assaults yearly according to a study (464). Joyce Alcantara claims if the age were lowered back to eighteen then it would put younger teens at risk (468). People tend to have friends around their same age. So, if eighteen year olds were allowed to drink then their friends which are roughly around the age of sixteen or seventeen would likely have an alcoholic drink in their hand as well.
In the Article “Binge drinking Is a Serious Problem for Underage Drinkers” by Emily Listfield there are a series of reasons why underage Binge drinking is against the law and Extremely dangerous. Binge drinking underage has become more common and more deadly. The legal drinking age should be increased because it gives kids/teens more time to mature and more time to think about the consequences of not only underage drinking but binge drinking as well. When kids/teens enter high school or college they are always looking to fit it. In today's society it is not unheard of for a college student to be drinking alcohol, oddly enough high school and middle school students are drinking just as much.
In addition, many people drink illegally because of the age limit 21. After high school, people go to college and they are exposed to alcohol because of others that are age. It should be 18, then it would not be a problem at colleges or anywhere. Many people are exposed
The drinking age in Ontario should clearly be changed and increased to the age of 21 instead of 19. It should change because drunk driving is a major issue, many health organizations have requested upon a change, and finally students react differently when alcohol is consumed. Therefore, the drinking age should clearly be raised, so all of this could happen less frequently. Health organizations are suggesting it to be changed“ The last time Ontario considered a change was in 2008, when a board of health officially requested the province to increase the drinking age to 21” (2013, Pg: ½).
This is understandable as often this is when students have moved away from home and have the freedom to do what they want without their parents present. Some high-risk drinking events tend to be more prevalent in young adulthood. For example, homecoming, athletic events, spring break, pregame partying, and graduations have all been associated with excessive drinking among college students. This goes to show how the younger generation is very willing to drink. In 2002 the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse issed a Call to Action to adress drinking on college campuses, based on findings of an expert panel.
“If the legal age were lowered in the US it would have to come with much more education in this area, not just the shock-value of Every 15 Minutes” said Ulrike Skillman, math teacher at Saugus. Skillman suggests the lowering of the drinking age will have to come with more alcohol education and that is the exact purpose of a “drinking license.” Which would allow 18 year olds to consume alcohol, with strict regulations, then take classes to officially receive a “drinking license” at 21 years old. The license would replicate a driver’s license, but be geared toward consuming alcohol.
This can lead to fights, unsafe sex, and other irrational and sometimes life threatening behaviors that could carry lifetime consequences. A third and very strong point is that there would be easier access to alcohol. Some kids who are 18 aren’t even out of high school yet. Because they would be legally allowed to purchase alcohol, there is likelihood that they would then provide this to their friends who may be underage, therefore increasing underage access to alcohol. In those countries that allow drinking at 18, although the death tolls from drunken driving is lower, there is a high illegal drinking population in those as young as
With all due respect, I truly think that the drinking age should not be lowered to 19. In my perspective drinking is bad for everyone. Drinking is dangerous to everyone. I am going to explain why not to drink through health issues, younger age people and not to drink and drive. The risks of drinking alcohol are health issues, your body wouldn’t stay fit if you are drinking too much.
People will oppose to this law, but at the age of 18 an adolescent's brain is not fully developed yet. Underage drinking is a common action in today’s society. What kids do not know is the effect that underage drinking has on their brain. Since the brain is not fully developed at the age of 18, drinking
When the Minimum Legal Drinking Age changed to 21 years old in 1976, there was a decrease in fatal car accidents which saved approximately 21,887 lives (Alcohol Policy MD). Many lives were saved because there were less young drinkers and less people driving under the influence of alcohol. If it were possible to save lives, why wouldn’t you want to do that? An argument is made that if teenagers are allowed the responsibility to drive when they are 16 years old why can’t they drink at an earlier age? This is simply because Alcohol can put people in danger.
Society places laws to protect individuals. The rise of alcohol abuse raises the question if the minimum legal drinking age of 21 secures protection of the people. With proper enforcement of drinking laws in addition to education about alcohol, the minimum legal drinking age of 18 provides a safer drinking culture. President Ronald Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984. All states in the time
The pure thought to get caught by the police or your parents is frightening to teens or underage drinkers and that 's why people use binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as excessive amounts of alcohol consumed in a short period of time. Teens do this because when your illegally drinking you don 't particularly have a lot of time to drink so you just do it as fast as you can to use the time you have with your friends to get wasted but to be home before curfew. Many accidents and deaths have happened because of binge drinking, and we could lower the chances of binge drinking by lowering the legal drinking age to 18. The effects alcohol takes on the brain is the only “downside” to lowering the drinking age, but if used responsibly it 's not that big of a problem.
Frat parties, for example, serve booze, often, if not always, without the supervision of a responsible adult (aka an adult over the age of 21). Lowering the drinking age to 18 can be beneficial in that responsible drinking can be taught before the student turns 21. My favorite analogy, by Huffington Post writer, Elizabeth Glass Geltman, says, “We don’t have students teach each other how to drive, why is alcohol different?” In her article on Huffington Post, she talks about her college experience in the 70s and early 80s, where the legal drinking age in the US was 18. She talks about how drinking was legal for most students in her senior year of high school and in college, and that beer was commonly served at dances, proms, graduation events, etc.
The more you drink the more health issues can inquire in your body. Alcohol consumption should not be legal until the age of 21.