Essay On Minimum Legal Drinking Age
Drinking Age
Setting the minimum legal drinking age is important for every country because of the burden of responsibility that comes with alcoholic beverages. Worldwide, the minimum drinking age varies but most are between 18 and 21 years. In Canada, this age varies with the region. Alberta, Québec, and Manitoba have set the minimum age to 18 years whereas in Yukon, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland and Labrador have all set the minimum age limit at 19 years. The minimum drinking age debate has been going on for a long time as different jurisdictions ponder whether to increase the age or not to increase.
Drinking Laws
The Canadian constitution gives the …show more content…
The number of drinkers has been on the increase over the past two decades and continues to rise. Consumption of alcohol is common among the underage population with at least 30% of underage drinkers engaging in risky behavior during and after drinking. This behavior reaches its peak between ages 18/19-24 in what can be attributed to the abuse of drinking when a person reaches the legal drinking age and doesn’t have to be accountable to anymore but self. These risky drinking habits reduce from the age of 25 years onwards because of the level of responsibility and maturity that comes with this age. Additionally, young people in this age group tend to drink more than five bottles of alcohol in one sitting during events like parties and when adults are absent. Peer pressure and the need for a person to feel “cool” pushes this group into risky behaviors that predisposes them to a number of harms. Risks include alcohol poisoning, injury, violence, and unprotected sex among others. If, at this age, they prolong drinking, long term risks like cancer, liver, and heart diseases become realities later on in life. Though preventable, alcohol related trauma causes significant number of deaths among the
Setting the minimum legal drinking age is important for every country because of the burden of responsibility that comes with alcoholic beverages. Worldwide, the minimum drinking age varies but most are between 18 and 21 years. In Canada, this age varies with the region. Alberta, Québec, and Manitoba have set the minimum age to 18 years whereas in Yukon, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland and Labrador have all set the minimum age limit at 19 years. The minimum drinking age debate has been going on for a long time as different jurisdictions ponder whether to increase the age or not to increase.
Drinking Laws
The Canadian constitution gives the …show more content…
The number of drinkers has been on the increase over the past two decades and continues to rise. Consumption of alcohol is common among the underage population with at least 30% of underage drinkers engaging in risky behavior during and after drinking. This behavior reaches its peak between ages 18/19-24 in what can be attributed to the abuse of drinking when a person reaches the legal drinking age and doesn’t have to be accountable to anymore but self. These risky drinking habits reduce from the age of 25 years onwards because of the level of responsibility and maturity that comes with this age. Additionally, young people in this age group tend to drink more than five bottles of alcohol in one sitting during events like parties and when adults are absent. Peer pressure and the need for a person to feel “cool” pushes this group into risky behaviors that predisposes them to a number of harms. Risks include alcohol poisoning, injury, violence, and unprotected sex among others. If, at this age, they prolong drinking, long term risks like cancer, liver, and heart diseases become realities later on in life. Though preventable, alcohol related trauma causes significant number of deaths among the