Preview

Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age To 18

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
556 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age To 18
A difficult problem that is facing society is should the United States lower the drinking age to 18. The people who argue say that lowering the age to 18 will help youth make healthy choices when consuming alcohol (Wechsler, Nelson, 2010). The other side states that alcohol can lead to death and a higher risk of alcohol disorder under age 21(The Scope of the Problem, 2004). Changing the drinking age to 18 shouldn’t be lower in the United States because it will cause many deathly accidents.
First of all, there were many debates on whether or not to lower the drinking age to 18, which I have research to prove that lowering the age to 18 will have a negative impact on society especially youths. Personally, I believe that the government is pushing
…show more content…

Williams notes that “how easy it is to get a driving licensing . . . and getting a license at a young age can result to car crashes” (Williams, 1997). I agree with his argument, because even when you are not under the influence of drinking alcohol things like this may happen. Like I said before I think the age 18 will have a negative impact on society no matter what the situation is.
Furthermore, the majority of the arguments whether or not to change the age to 18 come with history behind it. I believe that long ago many accidents occurred while drinking was legal in the past at the age of 18. According to some, “5,000 young people under the age of 21 die from drinking and driving” (Underage Drinking, 2006). At that time when the age was 18 drunk driving accidents have increase as you can see. I think that history plays a big part of this argument.
In addition, the reason why the United States shouldn’t change the drinking age to 18, because high school student will be able to drink and students that attend college that’s under the age of 18 will be able drink. Today you can turn on your news station in hear many stories about high school and college students who go to party where alcohol is distribute. Most of stories that make the new always end with a sad ending. According to some, “teens under the age of 21 tend to drink heavier than other” (Young Adult drinking,


You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In 1987 the United States passed a law mandating all states to have a twenty-one year old alcohol purchase age. This means over half of college students are not legal to buy alcohol. College kids are college kids though, and one way or another they are going to get their alcohol. Many people, myself included, believe that the legal drinking age should be changed from twenty-one to eighteen. “An 18-year-old is afforded, among other things, the right to vote, the right to marry, and the ability to serve in the military” (Engs, Heath, Levine, Smith). In the United States an eighteen year old is considered an adult, yet eighteen year olds are not completely treated like adults. They should be able to make their own choices at this age, and buying and consuming alcohol is one of these choices. Even with all the arguments, the legal…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There has been a controversy in the United States of America ever since the legal drinking age was increased from 18 to 21. Many new points of contention have arisen ever since the federal government passed their decision. In my opinion, I think that the drinking age should be lowered again to eighteen for many reasons. Usually every weekend, most teenagers' main thrill is drinking and getting drunk. Research has found that restricting access to alcohol doesn't lower its consumption among young people. It just happens to do the exact opposite. Such a high drinking age makes alcohol the forbidden fruit.…

    • 3097 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is a huge problem with underage drinking in the U.S. Some states have already lowered the drinking age such as Maine, Massachusetts, and Michigan. One main point on why it shouldn’t be lowered is because of a higher chance of depression in teens. Second, it increases health and educational problems in teens also. Lastly, it would increase the amount of alcohol related accidents because of teens brains not being fully developed.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    One national study of laws stated that raising the drinking age to 21 indicated that persons who grew up in United States with a drinking age of 21, compared to those who grew up in United States with lower legal drinking ages, drank less not only when they were under the age of 21 years of age but also when they were between 21 to 25 years of age. 149 I understand why some people would like the drinking age changed from 21 to 19. But when you look at the statistics and the facts about the mortality rate and the negative effects of underage drinking, waiting two more years is definitely worth…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lowering the drinking age to 18 would be a huge risk in today's society.Giving teenagers an easier access to alcohol will only increase drunk driving incidents. If the drinking age was lowered to 18 there will most likely be an increase in binge drinking in college. People that are 21 tend to be more mature and responsible than 18 year olds when it comes to drinking. Lowering the drinking age will cause more harm than good.…

    • 76 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The minimum legal drinking age in the United States is 21. Many have suggested lowering the drinking age to 18. I do not think the legal drinking age should be lowered because of the following reasons. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would have a negative impact on the lives of the youth of the United States. Making it legal for 18 year-olds to buy alcohol would increase the number of teens who drink. It would make it easier for all of the high school students to gain access to alcohol. Drinking at a young age also affects your health more than it would a mature 21 year-olds. Allowing 18 year-olds to drink may increase the number of alcohol related traffic accidents. Most of the American population is against lowering…

    • 1499 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    There has been a question looming for years on whether or not the drinking age should be dropped down from 21 to 18. Many people have views or opinions on what the legal drinking age should or should not be. Right now the legal drinking age is 21, and many people, especially a younger crowd, are working extremely hard to change that to 18. All over the world, different countries have a different standard which leads to a different drinking age. There is a reason why the United States has put the legal drinking age at 21. This was to ensure that there will be no underage drinking, which today has clearly not been the best idea because underage drinking happens more and more frequently.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Drinking Age Set to 18

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages

    If I am old enough to go to war, vote, have an abortion, give consent to have sex, or have a smoke, then I should be able to have a drink. Those are the types of arguments the proponents for the eighteen drinking age will generally give, but there is more to consider when it comes to the topic of alcohol. In an article published in The Los Angeles Times, Shari Roan explains the pros and cons of the drinking age. She states that “… [there are] approximately 1,700 alcohol related deaths in the United States among college students each year” and if the drinking age gets set to eighteen, this number is more than likely to rise. Alcohol is a dangerous, mind altering substance that if used carelessly, can cause an immense amount of damage both physically and mentally to adults and young adults.…

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    More than twenty one thousand lives have been saved with the drinking age being twenty one. For about 10 years in the early 1900’s, our country ratified the 18th amendment which banned the production and consumption of alcohol. This amendment led to extreme crime, violence, and even speakeasies. Our country realized that it wasn’t the best idea for prohibition, and we then ratified the 21st amendment that repealed the 18th amendment. The 21st amendment has helped prevent car related tragedies in the 18-20 age group while they were under the influence. I believe the alcohol age should not change because of it reducing crashes, the fact that your brain is more developed and you understand your limits, and a change in New Zealand’s drinking to age 18 has spiked the percentage of alcohol related crashes.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    10,076 people were killed last year due to drunk driving. Drunk driving is one of the major problems that comes with alcohol, and as the years go on, more and more teens are choosing to drink even though it is in fact illegal. So this brings up the question, should the legal drinking age of alcohal be lowered to 18 years old? Many people around the nation state that teens of 18 years old are developed enough to not get affected by alcohol, that it would decrease binge drinking, and that teens would have to be private about drinking and could do it in more supervised, safe environments. But, after research, it is clear to see these claims are not true or reasonable. The legal drinking age should definitely not be lowered because of the negative medical effects, the lack of responsibility and control of teens, and the more overall teenage drinkers.…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    There is a giant debate on what the legal minimum drinking age should be in the United States. Many people think that it should remain at 21 years old and others believe that it should be lowered to 18. While both have their own various reasons, this has been an important topic in our country for a long time. President Ronald Reagan signed and passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Law in 1984 which obligated states to raise their legal drinking age to 21 or suffer reductions in Federal highway funds. The highway funds and drinking age was linked together by the young lives lost on our highways. Even though this was a satisfactory reason to raise the drinking age there are still more reasons to why it should be 18. Despite what most people…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In their pamphlet and website, the National Youth Rights Association claims that United States should lower the drinking age from 21 to a younger age. They claim that at the age of 18, youth are able vote, serve their country and fly airplane. Therefore, they should be able to drink as well, since it is has less responsibility associated with it.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One of the reasons why the legal drinking age should be lowered is because it would diminish the thrill of breaking the law to get a drink. According to Ruth C. Engs, Pofessor, Applied Health Sciences, “Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority" and a symbol of adulthood." This implies, students and people under the age of 21 will drink in an irresponsible manner because of peer pressure or just wanting to show adults that they don’t have to listen to them anymore. This also shows, if legal drinking age was lowered then most students and people under the age of 21 would learn that they don’t need to rebel to get a drink or break laws and since 18 year olds get a lot of responsibility like voting, this would add to it and show that they can be trusted with not over drinking.…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Boston University, research has proven that the legal drinking age of 21 decreases the rates of drunk driving, crashes and underage drinking."If we choose to decrease the legal drinking age, there will be consequences," says Public Health Professor of Boston University William DeJong. There is no downside to the legal drinking age of 21, the effects will only be positive. In the 1970s, many states in the United States have lowered the drinking age and the deaths increased. Meanwhile, the legal drinking age of 21 has reduced deaths according to CNN. After the drinking age nationwide rose uniformly to 21 (from 18) in 1988, there were 5 to 9 percent fewer deaths among drivers ages 18 to 20 says in Dejong’s report. (Singh 2014, Nelson…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alcohol in the hands of an irresponsible under aged person, can be deadly. Furthermore, for anyone to consider lowering the legal drinking age from 21, to 18, in my opinion is simply ludicrous. John Bowersox reports, “Since Colonial times, drinking alcohol has been part of American culture and its use by young people has been accepted by many as part of growing up. In fact, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, many States lowered the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Following this change, the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities among young people increased. In response to these acute consequences, beginning in the early 1980s individual States increased the drinking age to 21. In 1984, Congress passed legislation that would…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays