ipl-logo

Minimum Legal Lowering Age

888 Words4 Pages

Although some say lowering the minimum legal drinking age, or MLDA, will only cause more underage drinking and harm the adolescent brain, the MLDA should be lowered to 18 because the legal age of adulthood is 18, and lowering the legal drinking age will cut down on underage drinking, increase responsible drinking, and decrease drunk driving accidents. In Illinois, teenagers get a permit one year before they can legally drive a car on their own, this teaches responsibility and accountability while driving, so why do we not learn how to drink responsibly? Why, on our 21st birthdays do we all go out and get so blackout drunk that our friends have to carry us home? The issue here is that teens are not taught how to drink responsibly so there …show more content…

This is true, but if the minimum legal drinking age is lowered to 18 years old and drinking is only allowed under parental supervision the drinking will be more responsible and will not damage the adolescent brain because the drinking is not severe. Preliminary studies suggest that rats exposed to high levels of alcohol during adolescence may be more sensitive to alcohol-induced memory impairments later in life (White et al., 2000).Although the causes of these long-lasting changes are unclear, they may in some cases involve alcohol-induced injury to the nervous system. In rats, exposure to high amounts of alcohol produces more extensive brain damage in adolescents than adults (Crews et al., 2000). To summarize, supporters of a higher minimum legal drinking age believe that alcohol has adverse affects on the adolescent brain. Although some may believe that a higher legal drinking age is the solution to all of our underage drinking problems, it most definitely is not, the MLDA should be 18 and between 18 and 21 consumption of alcohol is only legal under parental supervision, this is because teens will become more responsible drinkers, it will decrease underage drinking, and the legal age of adulthood is …show more content…

18 year olds are allowed to vote, this is something that directly impacts the future of the United States and everyone in it, but they are not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages. An 18 year old can enlist in the military, but he/she is not allowed to drink alcohol? This is a country you can die for before you are allowed to drink alcohol in it. In conclusion, if the legal age of adulthood is 18, then the legal drinking age should be 18, period. In conclusion, lowering the MLDA will promote and teach more responsible drinking, the three year learning period will cut down on underage drinking, and it makes the most sense because the legal age of adulthood is 18. Keeping the legal drinking age the same is doing nothing to help this country or the people in it, more people will die or be seriously injured because of alcohol if we do nothing to promote responsible drinking. This paper might not make a difference in the fight to lower the MLDA, or treat the young adults in this country like true adults, but you

Show More
Related

  • Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 Analysis

    863 Words  | 4 Pages

    On the other hand, the age of 18 is enough to drink alcohol because people who are 18 years old are regarded as legal adults and therefore they are able to get married, smoke cigarette or drink alcohol by their own decision. In this essay, I read and evaluate two essays that are written about different positions for MLDA21 and figure out which essay is more convincing, clear, strong logical and so on by the skills that I have

    Read More

  • Drinking Age At 21 Research Paper

    1632 Words  | 7 Pages

    Since 1984 there has been a federal act that strongly advises states not to allow citizens under the age of 21 from drinking alcoholic beverages. To this day there are still people arguing about this law, both for and against it. Having a minimum drinking age set at 21 is a popular ongoing debate that has many supporters and disputers. To begin, alcohol was a key topic in debates

    Read More

  • Minimum Age Research Paper

    276 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alcohol is proven to cause significant brain damage as well as organ damage. After the age of 21, according to what doctors, organizations and scientific investigations

    Read More

  • Underage Drinking Informative Speech

    950 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today in the United States about 4,358 people under the age of 21 years old die each year from alcohol-related car crashes, homicides, suicides, alcohol poisoning, and other injuries such as falls, burns, and even drowning. More than 190,000 people under the age of 21 visited an emergency room for alcohol related reasons in 2008 alone. Alcohol related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes. That’s a lot of people gone because they wanted to go out and party and not think about the consequences ahead. In this essay I’m gonna give you information to why Underage Drinking is very very bad for you.

    Read More

  • Why The Drinking Age Should Stay At 21

    603 Words  | 3 Pages

    If young adults at the age of 18 are old enough to vote and enlist in the army, then why can they not purchase and consume alcohol? Over the years, the set drinking age has been a controversial topic among society. Some people believe the MLDA (Minimum Legal Drinking Age) should stay at the age of 21 because it is safer for their kids. However, lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 would change the standards of alcohol as it encourages those of legal adulthood to make responsible decisions as adults, learn to control binge drinking and promote less automobile accidents. To further explain, 18 is the age of majority therefore young adults are mature enough to make their own decisions.

    Read More

  • Essay On Why The Drinking Age Should Stay At 21

    733 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Lowering The Drinking Age

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    Should the legal age for alcohol consumption be lowered? In the United States, The legal drinking age is 21, but in my research, I have found that it is actually allowed, under certain circumstances and situations, to people of even lower age. Though all 50 US states have set their minimum drinking age to 21, exceptions do exist on a state-by-state basis for consumption at home, under adult supervision, for medical necessity, and other reasons. In fact, all but 5 states, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and West Virginia, under age drinking is permitted. Parents are allowed to furnish alcohol to minors if they are under proper supervision.

    Read More

  • Drinking Age To 18 Persuasive Speech

    1278 Words  | 6 Pages

    To address this drinking age should not be lowered to 19. Many people in families think that drinking can harm their life. It’s people jobs to take care of your health and live a happy life with families and friends. Many parents take care of their children and evidence is that an average family spent $24,164 for paying for college and kids don’t know that. People of this world it is more important that you can be more efficient that you can be of not drinking.

    Read More

  • Essay On Why The Drinking Age Should Be 18

    827 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Legal Drinking Age

    1693 Words  | 7 Pages

    A poll taken on July 2014 asked the public opinion of US adults for lowering the US legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Approximately 74% of the people opposed the idea, whereas roughly 25% of the people supported the idea ("Public Opinion" 1). The statistics indicate satisfaction among the majority of the people; however, with the current laws many issues arise that must be addressed concerning alcohol use. For starters, studies show an increase of dangerous drinking habits among young adults (Hall 2). In addition, the enforcement of the drinking laws and education on alcohol is insubstantial (Moyse, Fonder 3).

    Read More

  • Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age

    1070 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lowering the drinking age: risky or safe? When teenagers turn 18, they are told that they are adults and are sent into the world. They go to college, get a job, marry or join the military. They do grown-up things like vote, pay taxes and become parents, but they can 't go to the bar for a beer.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Drinking Age

    1387 Words  | 6 Pages

    Over the years, the legal drinking age in the United States has been heavily debated. Some argue that the legal age to drink should be 18 or 19 because people at that age are recognized as adults; others argue that the drinking age should be 21 because people who are able to drink should be more mature and have their lives better planned out. Although people are legally adults at 18, they are not yet mature adults; in fact, according to NRP, “emerging science about brain development suggests that most people don’t reach full maturity until the age 25” (“Brain”). Before earning the right to legally drink, people should allow their bodies to fully develop and gain a better knowledge of how to organize their lives. The drinking age should remain

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: Lowering Drinking Age

    978 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Lowering The Drinking Age Essay

    903 Words  | 4 Pages

    In fact, the law may increase the amount of eighteen to twenty year olds who do drink. It has been shown that, especially in college-age students, there is a tendency to not do what they are told, on the contrary, they will do the exact opposite. The problem with the drinking age being twenty-one is that some students drink purely out of defiance). The number of fatalities is down in all age groups, not just teenagers, and cars driven now are much safer than the cars that were being driven in the early 1980’s, and teenagers are much safer drivers, which can be attributed to the decreased amount of fatalities. Also, in other countries that have lower drinking ages, the number of fatalities has

    Read More

  • Drinking In Religion

    769 Words  | 4 Pages

    Alcohol abuse and alcoholism seems like an issue that keeps getting increasingly worse each year in the United States. According to USA Today and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both say that approximately 6 people die from alcohol poisoning, caused from binge drinking, each day, which amounts to roughly 2,200 people each year. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says that “In 2013 an estimated 697,000 adolescents ages 12–17 (2.8 percent of this age group) had an [alcohol use disorder]” (“Alcohol Facts”). Something has to stop and something has to change from preventing this more because 6 people dying each day from binge drinking alone is a lot, not to mention that 12-17 year olds are having alcohol problems at such a young age. Lowering the drinking age will enforce this act even more, promoting more drinking in fact.

    Read More

More about Minimum Legal Lowering Age

Open Document