Essay Against Lowering The Drinking Age
The legal drinking age has been a controversial topic for the past few decades. Many may argue that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 since you are already treated and considered like an adult by that age. Others may argue to raise the drinking age to 25 to prevent more accidents that are harming innocent citizens. Thinking that the older you get the more mature you are. And others just say to keep the legal drinking age at 21 since this system has been working fine for the time being. What exactly is the perfect age? The perfect age may never be found but I have some valid points on why the drinking age should not be lowered with anything under the age of 21. We can all recognize that under age drinking has caused many problems in
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our society. The twenty-first birthday is one many people look forward to the most. It may have the most social significance in the United States because at this age nothing is illegal due to age limits anymore. By the age of 21 you have no more age restrictions and are free to do what you want, that being said there comes a lot of consequences to that. Although people under the age of twenty-one are not allowed to drink, they are still allowed to smoke cigarettes, have a license without taking any driver education courses, and even serve in the military by the age of 18. So that is where the controversy comes in. Many argue that if they are able to do all that why not allow them to purchase their own alcohol? When compared to other countries the United States has a fairly high drinking age. And that has caused an improvement on the roads. In the United States, the legal drinking age for all 50 States and the District of Columbia is 21 years of age. The drinking age is 21 because the leaders that control our government decided that when one becomes 21, one is automatically transforms into a responsible person capable of handling the responsibility that comes with the right to consume alcohol. There are many under age drinkers who are not responsible enough to handle consuming alcohol and are put in danger or put others in danger. You will be shocked to find, that statistics by the British Medicine Association show that “the number of drink-driving accidents caused an estimated 560 deaths in 2010.” How could anyone argue that we should not raise the drinking age or remain what the legal drinking age is, if we are able to save lives? Of course saving at least a few lives is better than none?
Since the minimum legal drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 in 1984 there has been a twenty percent decrease in fatal accidents amongst younger people. On July 17, 1984 President Ronald Reagan under pressure from groups such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and others, signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. MADD is a big reason for this change. This organization, Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving, drugged driving and underage drinking. Signing this document effectively set the national drinking age at 21 years old. In my opinion, this was the right decision to help prevent young alcoholics and other problems in young people's lives. Alcohol can be really dangerous when having no limits. Researchers say that drinking alcohol with moderation is fine but there are many other ways to have fun some think that by getting drunk they are somehow “cool” and “fit in” but that is not right. Also, people tend to drink to reduce stress or forget about problems in life. People shouldn't result to drinking alcohol because they are killing brain cells and damaging their bodies. The brain is a sensitive organ that should be taken care of.
The states that have the strictest laws against using fake identification to purchase alcohol show a direct correlation to reduced alcohol related fatalities among people 21 and under. An estimate by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that increasing the minimum legal drinking age to 21 “has saved the lives of about 27,000 young adults age 18-20. Approximately 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year because of alcohol related accidents; of those 5,000 kids 1,700 of them are college students. 1,600 of those killed annually are from alcohol related homicides, and 300 suicides. About 190,000 people under the age of 21 visited the emergency room for alcohol related incidents in 2013 alone.” Seeing these statistics was a huge eye opener. Realizing that young people can lose their lives in a blink of an eye just because of a wrong decision made at the wrong time. Young people are the new generations and we have a long life to live and learn new things. Alcohol is toxic drink and is hurting our generation day by day.
The negative effects of consuming alcohol before the age of 21 are proven and well documented. “Binge drinking” is a major problem with younger people in general but more specifically on college campuses. Going to colleges exposes people to a new environment where everyone one is different. Transitioning from high school to college is a big step and everyone just wants to be able to fit in. Drinking in college is a big deal because now the students are older and think they are superior to the incoming freshman. Many sororities or clubs are exposed to these alcohol drinks and games. It is not necessarily that one who starts drinking before the age of 21 will drink more often later in life, but they will drink to excess after having the first drink. The chances of one becoming a binge drinker later in life are higher for those to start drinking before their 21st birthday. The best way to reduce college drinking is to promote prevention programs before entering college.
Another main reason why the drinking age should remain twenty one is that the human brain is not fully developed until a person is in their early to mid twenties, therefore drinking sooner than this can be destructive to the brain. (Hanson, "Drinking Alcohol Damages Teenagers' Brains"). Drinking alcohol directly affects your cerebellum negatively. The cerebellum controls motor skills, balance and other complex motions of the body, and when a young person drinks before this part of the brain is developed these negative effects can be permanent. "Research indicates that the human brain continues to develop into a person's early twenties and that exposure of the developing brain to alcohol may have long-lasting effects on intellectual capabilities." David J Hanson PhD The brain is a powerful human organ that is sensitive and should be taken care of. Exposing your body and brain to alcohol at a young age can be toxic and dangerous.
People who drink before they are 21 years old are also more likely to take part in risky behavior such as having unprotected sex, driving a motor vehicle under the influence, and taking other risks they normally wouldn’t when sober. Many drunk driving incidents have occurred in the past and the only way to reduce that or prevent it is to not have so many young teens out in the streets intoxicated. This also results in a large number of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among young people. The chance of sexual assault taking place when using alcohol increases greatly, whether it is just the victim, the offender or both under the influence of alcohol. Women have a harder time completing complex tasks when they drink at an early age, where as men have a difficult time paying attention.
There are many reasons adolescents choose to consume alcohol before the law permits. For some it is to fit into a group or gang and they feel like there is no other choice but to drink in order to fit in. High school has been a big impact on underage drinkers thinking they are “cool” so they can fit in. Others do it because they want to escape or relax on the weekend or even after school, experimentation and to feel older are also big reasons why they drink. 42 percent of teens say that they feel like drinking is ok because they see it in TV shows and media. Early teenagers 12-17 that view "R" rated movies at least 3 times a month are 7 times more likely to consume alcohol than those who do not. Boredom is another factor in adolescents using alcohol; some kids cannot stand being alone and have a hard time keeping themselves occupied while still craving an adrenaline rush. When drinking alcohol it speeds up the heart rate because you are dehydrated from the body getting rid of the poison that the alcohol has in it. Speeding up the heart rate can be very bad for anyone. A long-term effect that alcohol can have on the heart is that it “has an influence on the risk factors for coronary heart disease” (Whiting). Because the alcohol spreads through all of the blood stream it goes through every organ. The reason that someone’s memory were to blure while using this substance would be because it is affecting the brain which controls all parts of the body. “Alcohol is the oldest and most widely used drug in the world” (Whiting). Once one becomes addicted to it, they use this alcoholic beverage as a substitute for regular drinking beverages. It does not take very long for one to become an alcoholic either. “Many people think alcohol is a stimulant, but actually it is a depressant. It slows down the function of all living cells, especially those in the brain” (Whiting). “Studies show that drinking often begins at very young ages” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). If one is to drink alcohol at a young age this person is put at greater risk of becoming a full on alcoholic very quickly.
The environmental aspect is another reason adolescents may choose to drink before they are legally allowed. For example, parents who view drinking alcohol in a favorable way, having parties and people over for drinks are setting an example for their kids. If a kid is exposed to their parents drinking all the time acting like it is okay they might have the tendency to try alcohol at a younger age because they viewed their parents doing it. As people say ,“kids follow in their parents footsteps” which can have a lot of consequences at an older age. Media and advertising for alcohol is everywhere, and is also to blame for kids drinking so early. A parent cannot take their kid to a football game without being inundated with advertisements for beer and other alcoholic beverages. Even driving down the freeway kids will see billboards for alcoholic beverages, and they are also all over television. Many are convinced alcohol is okay and solves all your problems, but in reality you are just damaging your body. In today’s society almost everyone is exposed to alcohol whether you’re walking down the street or just watching television at home. This type of exposure can be harmful to younger people who aren’t fully developed to think alcohol is fine.
Children of alcoholics are more likely to start drinking at younger age and progress their drinking habits earlier than those who are not born into an alcoholic family. Studies have shown gene predisposition becoming an alcoholic is stronger later in adolescence than early on. Scientists have found specific areas of chromosomes in alcoholic families that correlate with being an alcoholic, but genes do not necessarily tell the whole story on why kids start to drink.
A lot of this underage drinking is also caused by the lack of education teens have on alcohol and drugs. More school should have a class for students to attend educating them in the effects of drugs and alcohol. Parents also have a big impact on influencing their kids. I remember when I was in elementary school they would have the D.A.R.E program come talk to us and educate us on all the bad things drugs and alcohol did to our body. That program is no longer around or provided to schools. More programs like that need to come to school and teach teens the dangers so they won’t be as tempted. Peer pressure is also a big factor in ununder age drinking. Older teens like the pressure younger teens to drink so they can experience getting drunk. Getting drunk is really dangerous because the mind is unconscious and you can do stuff you really regret later on.
Everyone knows the legal drinking age is 21. Some may argue that the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18. Many say that we are treated as adults by the age of 18 why not be able to purchase your own alcoholic beverage by that age? That’s quite simple. By the age of 18 you are not fully mature to handle alcohol or be responsible for consuming it. As stated before lowering the drinking age has dangerous implications. Letting younger people drink is giving immature citizens more of the ability to make bad decisions that are not only harmful to them but may also put other is danger. Lowering the drinking age will give high schoolers and even middle schoolers easier access to alcohol. The majority of high school seniors reach the age of 18 by senior year in high school; lowering the drinking age would pose significant risk to them and to their younger classmates and siblings and transfer an even larger problem to the high school community. Damaging their bodies at a young age can cause side effects such as laziness which leads to lack of exercise and can also lead to obesity. Drinking alcohol is a worldwide problem that many are involved in.
European countries have a far worse problem when it comes to binge drinking or drinking to intoxication.
Europeans typically have their first taste of alcohol at about the average age of 14 years old. I can remember when I was 14 all I wanted to do was go to the park to play sports with friends but that because we are exposed to different cultures and beliefs. Although Europeans are not pressured into drinking at a young age, it is more accessible and acceptable for young Europeans to consume an alcoholic beverage at a young age. 10% of Europeans are linked to early death or bad health because of drinking alcohol. As said before alcohol is a toxic beverage to the human body and can have serious problems such as liver cancer, brain damage, or addiction. The liver is a miraculous organ that works to convert all the nutrients we consume into energy while filtering our body of any harmful substances we ingest.
From my own experience whenever my family and I go out we are almost always exposed to alcoholic beverages. Alcohol in this society is normal. Just walking around in the streets or driving down the freeway you can view alcoholic advertisements. I have witnessed alcoholics and wonder why they like to be drunk. Being drunk just makes you feel sick and toxic. Being an alcoholic can have serious dangers to it such as becoming homeless and living in the streets. But that does not mean life is “over” anyone can seek for help and change their life around to be
sober.
our society. The twenty-first birthday is one many people look forward to the most. It may have the most social significance in the United States because at this age nothing is illegal due to age limits anymore. By the age of 21 you have no more age restrictions and are free to do what you want, that being said there comes a lot of consequences to that. Although people under the age of twenty-one are not allowed to drink, they are still allowed to smoke cigarettes, have a license without taking any driver education courses, and even serve in the military by the age of 18. So that is where the controversy comes in. Many argue that if they are able to do all that why not allow them to purchase their own alcohol? When compared to other countries the United States has a fairly high drinking age. And that has caused an improvement on the roads. In the United States, the legal drinking age for all 50 States and the District of Columbia is 21 years of age. The drinking age is 21 because the leaders that control our government decided that when one becomes 21, one is automatically transforms into a responsible person capable of handling the responsibility that comes with the right to consume alcohol. There are many under age drinkers who are not responsible enough to handle consuming alcohol and are put in danger or put others in danger. You will be shocked to find, that statistics by the British Medicine Association show that “the number of drink-driving accidents caused an estimated 560 deaths in 2010.” How could anyone argue that we should not raise the drinking age or remain what the legal drinking age is, if we are able to save lives? Of course saving at least a few lives is better than none?
Since the minimum legal drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 in 1984 there has been a twenty percent decrease in fatal accidents amongst younger people. On July 17, 1984 President Ronald Reagan under pressure from groups such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and others, signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. MADD is a big reason for this change. This organization, Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving, drugged driving and underage drinking. Signing this document effectively set the national drinking age at 21 years old. In my opinion, this was the right decision to help prevent young alcoholics and other problems in young people's lives. Alcohol can be really dangerous when having no limits. Researchers say that drinking alcohol with moderation is fine but there are many other ways to have fun some think that by getting drunk they are somehow “cool” and “fit in” but that is not right. Also, people tend to drink to reduce stress or forget about problems in life. People shouldn't result to drinking alcohol because they are killing brain cells and damaging their bodies. The brain is a sensitive organ that should be taken care of.
The states that have the strictest laws against using fake identification to purchase alcohol show a direct correlation to reduced alcohol related fatalities among people 21 and under. An estimate by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that increasing the minimum legal drinking age to 21 “has saved the lives of about 27,000 young adults age 18-20. Approximately 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year because of alcohol related accidents; of those 5,000 kids 1,700 of them are college students. 1,600 of those killed annually are from alcohol related homicides, and 300 suicides. About 190,000 people under the age of 21 visited the emergency room for alcohol related incidents in 2013 alone.” Seeing these statistics was a huge eye opener. Realizing that young people can lose their lives in a blink of an eye just because of a wrong decision made at the wrong time. Young people are the new generations and we have a long life to live and learn new things. Alcohol is toxic drink and is hurting our generation day by day.
The negative effects of consuming alcohol before the age of 21 are proven and well documented. “Binge drinking” is a major problem with younger people in general but more specifically on college campuses. Going to colleges exposes people to a new environment where everyone one is different. Transitioning from high school to college is a big step and everyone just wants to be able to fit in. Drinking in college is a big deal because now the students are older and think they are superior to the incoming freshman. Many sororities or clubs are exposed to these alcohol drinks and games. It is not necessarily that one who starts drinking before the age of 21 will drink more often later in life, but they will drink to excess after having the first drink. The chances of one becoming a binge drinker later in life are higher for those to start drinking before their 21st birthday. The best way to reduce college drinking is to promote prevention programs before entering college.
Another main reason why the drinking age should remain twenty one is that the human brain is not fully developed until a person is in their early to mid twenties, therefore drinking sooner than this can be destructive to the brain. (Hanson, "Drinking Alcohol Damages Teenagers' Brains"). Drinking alcohol directly affects your cerebellum negatively. The cerebellum controls motor skills, balance and other complex motions of the body, and when a young person drinks before this part of the brain is developed these negative effects can be permanent. "Research indicates that the human brain continues to develop into a person's early twenties and that exposure of the developing brain to alcohol may have long-lasting effects on intellectual capabilities." David J Hanson PhD The brain is a powerful human organ that is sensitive and should be taken care of. Exposing your body and brain to alcohol at a young age can be toxic and dangerous.
People who drink before they are 21 years old are also more likely to take part in risky behavior such as having unprotected sex, driving a motor vehicle under the influence, and taking other risks they normally wouldn’t when sober. Many drunk driving incidents have occurred in the past and the only way to reduce that or prevent it is to not have so many young teens out in the streets intoxicated. This also results in a large number of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among young people. The chance of sexual assault taking place when using alcohol increases greatly, whether it is just the victim, the offender or both under the influence of alcohol. Women have a harder time completing complex tasks when they drink at an early age, where as men have a difficult time paying attention.
There are many reasons adolescents choose to consume alcohol before the law permits. For some it is to fit into a group or gang and they feel like there is no other choice but to drink in order to fit in. High school has been a big impact on underage drinkers thinking they are “cool” so they can fit in. Others do it because they want to escape or relax on the weekend or even after school, experimentation and to feel older are also big reasons why they drink. 42 percent of teens say that they feel like drinking is ok because they see it in TV shows and media. Early teenagers 12-17 that view "R" rated movies at least 3 times a month are 7 times more likely to consume alcohol than those who do not. Boredom is another factor in adolescents using alcohol; some kids cannot stand being alone and have a hard time keeping themselves occupied while still craving an adrenaline rush. When drinking alcohol it speeds up the heart rate because you are dehydrated from the body getting rid of the poison that the alcohol has in it. Speeding up the heart rate can be very bad for anyone. A long-term effect that alcohol can have on the heart is that it “has an influence on the risk factors for coronary heart disease” (Whiting). Because the alcohol spreads through all of the blood stream it goes through every organ. The reason that someone’s memory were to blure while using this substance would be because it is affecting the brain which controls all parts of the body. “Alcohol is the oldest and most widely used drug in the world” (Whiting). Once one becomes addicted to it, they use this alcoholic beverage as a substitute for regular drinking beverages. It does not take very long for one to become an alcoholic either. “Many people think alcohol is a stimulant, but actually it is a depressant. It slows down the function of all living cells, especially those in the brain” (Whiting). “Studies show that drinking often begins at very young ages” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). If one is to drink alcohol at a young age this person is put at greater risk of becoming a full on alcoholic very quickly.
The environmental aspect is another reason adolescents may choose to drink before they are legally allowed. For example, parents who view drinking alcohol in a favorable way, having parties and people over for drinks are setting an example for their kids. If a kid is exposed to their parents drinking all the time acting like it is okay they might have the tendency to try alcohol at a younger age because they viewed their parents doing it. As people say ,“kids follow in their parents footsteps” which can have a lot of consequences at an older age. Media and advertising for alcohol is everywhere, and is also to blame for kids drinking so early. A parent cannot take their kid to a football game without being inundated with advertisements for beer and other alcoholic beverages. Even driving down the freeway kids will see billboards for alcoholic beverages, and they are also all over television. Many are convinced alcohol is okay and solves all your problems, but in reality you are just damaging your body. In today’s society almost everyone is exposed to alcohol whether you’re walking down the street or just watching television at home. This type of exposure can be harmful to younger people who aren’t fully developed to think alcohol is fine.
Children of alcoholics are more likely to start drinking at younger age and progress their drinking habits earlier than those who are not born into an alcoholic family. Studies have shown gene predisposition becoming an alcoholic is stronger later in adolescence than early on. Scientists have found specific areas of chromosomes in alcoholic families that correlate with being an alcoholic, but genes do not necessarily tell the whole story on why kids start to drink.
A lot of this underage drinking is also caused by the lack of education teens have on alcohol and drugs. More school should have a class for students to attend educating them in the effects of drugs and alcohol. Parents also have a big impact on influencing their kids. I remember when I was in elementary school they would have the D.A.R.E program come talk to us and educate us on all the bad things drugs and alcohol did to our body. That program is no longer around or provided to schools. More programs like that need to come to school and teach teens the dangers so they won’t be as tempted. Peer pressure is also a big factor in ununder age drinking. Older teens like the pressure younger teens to drink so they can experience getting drunk. Getting drunk is really dangerous because the mind is unconscious and you can do stuff you really regret later on.
Everyone knows the legal drinking age is 21. Some may argue that the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18. Many say that we are treated as adults by the age of 18 why not be able to purchase your own alcoholic beverage by that age? That’s quite simple. By the age of 18 you are not fully mature to handle alcohol or be responsible for consuming it. As stated before lowering the drinking age has dangerous implications. Letting younger people drink is giving immature citizens more of the ability to make bad decisions that are not only harmful to them but may also put other is danger. Lowering the drinking age will give high schoolers and even middle schoolers easier access to alcohol. The majority of high school seniors reach the age of 18 by senior year in high school; lowering the drinking age would pose significant risk to them and to their younger classmates and siblings and transfer an even larger problem to the high school community. Damaging their bodies at a young age can cause side effects such as laziness which leads to lack of exercise and can also lead to obesity. Drinking alcohol is a worldwide problem that many are involved in.
European countries have a far worse problem when it comes to binge drinking or drinking to intoxication.
Europeans typically have their first taste of alcohol at about the average age of 14 years old. I can remember when I was 14 all I wanted to do was go to the park to play sports with friends but that because we are exposed to different cultures and beliefs. Although Europeans are not pressured into drinking at a young age, it is more accessible and acceptable for young Europeans to consume an alcoholic beverage at a young age. 10% of Europeans are linked to early death or bad health because of drinking alcohol. As said before alcohol is a toxic beverage to the human body and can have serious problems such as liver cancer, brain damage, or addiction. The liver is a miraculous organ that works to convert all the nutrients we consume into energy while filtering our body of any harmful substances we ingest.
From my own experience whenever my family and I go out we are almost always exposed to alcoholic beverages. Alcohol in this society is normal. Just walking around in the streets or driving down the freeway you can view alcoholic advertisements. I have witnessed alcoholics and wonder why they like to be drunk. Being drunk just makes you feel sick and toxic. Being an alcoholic can have serious dangers to it such as becoming homeless and living in the streets. But that does not mean life is “over” anyone can seek for help and change their life around to be
sober.