Persuasive Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age

During the 1970’s and 1980’s older teens were allowed to drink in the U.S. Many other countries around the world still have this lower drinking age, placed at 18. The legal drinking age was set at 21 with the passing of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. According to the PeerJ article the Drinking Age Act was not the only reason the law was set at 21. It was also set to protect young people from adverse drinking situations (Cheng and Anthony 1). Like many of the acts passed in our country, this act greatly upset some of the population, but it seems it has been a success thus far in our country. The U.S was skeptical of raising the drinking age since many other countries were keeping the lower drinking age but decided that it would be best for our youth and the future of this

Historically the minimum drinking age for the country was 21 due to the fact that after the 21rst amendment was ratified, doing away with prohibition, states often chose the drinking age based upon the voting age. The voting age in 1933 was 21, therefore the drinking age was 21, but over the years several states lowered both the purchase age and the drinking ages several times. When President Nixon signed into effect the 26th amendment in 1971, which gave all U.S. citizens above the age of 18 the right to vote, the change in minimum legal drink ages change throughout the state again. “18 was the most commonly chosen age among the states that adopted a lower minimum drinking ages in the 1970’s.” (The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Carpenter & Dobkin, pg 136). Between the years of 1970-1975, 29 different states lowered their minimum legal drinking age, while other simply altered theirs. Such was the case in Wisconsin, where before citizens over the age of 18 had previously been able to buy beer and wine, but were then allowed to buy hard liquor (Issues & Controversies, Infobase

Lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 will delay underage drinking, as well as terrible injuries or deaths that result from such conduct. Keeping the drinking age at 21 is driving to more cases of binge drinking in a short time because it has become a ritual among this age group. However by lowering the drinking age to 18, the binge drinking practice will decline, because it will demystify the drunken experience therefore viewed the moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages becomes a disciplined behavior.

Lowering the drinking age between the ages of eighteen and twenty will increase health risks for these young adults. In this age group, brains are still developing. By consuming alcohol this young, the brain’s frontal lobe is affected because it is still in the developing stages. According to ProCon.org, “emotional regulation, planning,

However, at 18 you are generally inexperienced and can cause reckless behavior while drinking. How will it help colleges having more alcohol around? College students already want to drink and making it legal allows them to get sauced whenever. That wouldn't be good for school. But, lowering the legal drinking age allows parents to teach kids what they can handle and when they have reached their limit. It would help colleges because most universities don't report underage drinking unless someone is bluntly acting a fool. Why they don't report it? There are too many people who participate in the act to enforce the 21 drinking age. The law put in place is what drives people to drink excessively. Making a 18 drinking limit allow them to drink in

“In 2012, nearly ¾ of students (72%) have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school, and more than ⅓ (37%) have done so by the 8th grade.” (dosomething.org) People under the age of 21 are already illegally drinking. Adults don't even listen to the rules about drinking so why should teens.. The legal drinking age should be lowered because by the age of 18 you are legally an adult, therefore the legal drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18.

Alcohol is drinks such as beer and rum. It contains a colorless flammable liquid which affects the thinking in persons and causes them to lose consciousness. Alcohol is a big problem in today's society. During the pass ten years the world's death rate documented is over 20,000 and the amount hospitalized is over 9,000. Alcohol drinking in teens has many side effects which could lead to several problems and risks in the loss of their lives also because of its impact on health,behavior and mind. So after a keen screen of what alcohol is about and it's causes I robustly believe that the drinking age should be raised from the current age of 18.

Alcohol consumption has been shown to interfere with the formation and development of the frontal lobes of young adult brains, which is an essential function for emotion regulation, planning and organization. The consumption at a young age has lead to potential chronic problems such of that as greater vulnerability to addiction, decision-making, memory loss as well as depression and suicidal violence at an increased rate. That in mind, studies have found that those whose being drinking at a younger stage that there suppose too are more likely to being using illicit drugs. Lowering the drinking age below 21 has shown that number to increase not only in those teens that drink but teens that use other illicit drugs. The U.S. district court has found that lowering the drinking age to 18 is “not a right” and it’s shown to state an objective in lowering the rate of subjected car crashes as it withstands to constitutional challenges granting that right to people. The U.S. district court has stated that the drinking age at where it stands it’s not meant to discriminate anyone on the criteria of age but prevent future highway crashes, as it’s obtainable in scientific

Another idea comes from Ruth C. Engs, from Indiana University. In this article, Ruth is trying to point out that with lowering the drinking age responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs. A majority of college students under twenty-one consume alcohol but all in an irresponsible manner. Drinking is seen as an enticing “forbidden fruit.” Prohibition did not work in 1920 and for young adults under twenty-one it is not working now. Those under the age of twenty-one are more likely to be heavy drinkers, which averages 5 drinks a week. Twenty-two percent of students under twenty-one, compared to eighteen percent over twenty-one, are heavy drinkers. Thirty-two percent of people are underage drinkers. Only twenty-four percent of drinkers are legal. In conclusion, this source says that with lowering the drinking age there will be more responsible young adults than irresponsible ones (Engs).

In United States history, a major conflict in the 1900s started with the introduction of the 18th Amendment stating the prohibition of alcohol. “The legal drinking age in the United States is 21. However, this was not the case until 1984, when the National Minimum Drinking Age Act required the 50 states to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose 10 percent of their federal highway money. While this was expected to prevent the dangerous behavior, it actually has made young Americans more likely to binge-drink” (Warvin and Hall 1). Thus, causing a problem with underage drinking. Banning the sale of alcohol to anyone under twenty-one causes a want to binge drink and that can lead to more teen deaths in the United States because of drunk

Research indicates that alcohol use during the teenage years could interfere with normal adolescent brain development and increase the risk of developing AUD. In addition, underage drinking contributes to a range of acute consequences, including injuries, sexual assaults and even deaths including those from car crashes. They can start lacking on school work. Lacking motivation and not have goals in mind. Imagine drinking the night before a college exam and wake up with a bad hangover, is that student going to do as good as a college student that had not been drinking very unlikely. Also, what if the student is struggling academically in high school, won’t they just fall on alcohol and partying when they turn 18, and not really care so much for their future. An 18-year-old really might not have his priorities straight yet. For instance, what if the teen was living with their parents and had someone to set them straight. Their parents are very involved with their child’s academic progress. They have house rules and have set boundaries to drinking, which in a way would teach that teen responsibility and the dangerous of too much alcohol. This way the teenager won’t get their alcohol in dangerous settings and won’t do it

Even though the numbers of teenagers who drink are declining, the amount of underage drinking is still high. Underaged drinking is more common “than cigarettes and marijuana combined” (Stevens 1). Those who were drinking by the age of fifteen developed alcohol dependency four times more than those who drank at the legal age. Alcohol can become dependent and have effects on young people's brains since they’re still developing into their twenties. Those who had “heavy and extended alcohol use” had a decrease in size in their hippocampus and prefrontal lobes. These parts of the brain are important because they’re used for things like memory, learning, decision making, and more. In a second article,“To Stop Teen Drinking Parties, Fine The Parents” by Patty Neighmond, it may be hard to avoid alcohol at this age since it is found at many parties and “70 percent said their parents knew kids at the party were drinking” (Neighmond 3). Parents believed when their kids drank around them it would be safer, but kids actually drank more because they felt more comfortable in their parents watch. This can lead to teens building “unhealthy relationships with alcohol”, so states decided to make adults responsible in these situations and fine them if

The controversy on the proper drinking age is one that has been repeatedly discussed and researched over the years. Its common to hear the argument “If someone is old enough to take a bullet for their country, they should be allowed to drink alcohol.” But is that enough justification? Some would say no. “According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) it is estimated that in 2004 there were more than 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 696,000 assaults annually associated with excessive drinking” (Fennell 247). Given these numbers, would lowering the drinking age really be the best thing for America’s youth?

The human brain can accomplish many incredible feats and absorb information like a sponge. However, there are things that can distort and damage the brain, drinking is both a danger to individual’s body and mind. “Research has shown that the harmful effects of alcohol abuse are magnified on a teenager's still-developing brain “Laura Dean Mooney, president of “Mothers Against Drunk Driving”, explains. Further as the brain does not fully develop until early to mid-20s of a person's alcohol has a more drastic effect on the younger person whose brain has not fully developed as explained by the “Mothers Against Drunk Driving”

Underage drinking is a serious health problem in the United States. Alcohol is the most used substance of abuse among America's youth, and drinking by young people is enormous for the health and safety risks. The consequences of underage drinking can affect everyone— regardless of age or drinking status. A young person's body cannot cope with alcohol the same way adults can. Drinking is more harmful to teens than adults because their brains are still developing throughout adolescence and well into young adulthood.