Lowering The Drinking Age Analysis
Danielle Dover
L. Dubuisson
English 1101 Online
14 October 2011
Raise, Lower, or Keep the Drinking Age Limit? When discussing an age limit for alcohol, there are many arguments for or against it. We could lower the drinking age but raise the driving age. We could raise the drinking age for everyday people and lower it for soldiers. We could keep it as is or we could try other things such as, teaching kids how to drink in the correct manor. There are so many opinions on this subject, such as the three we read about in “Back to the Lake”, but not one is necessarily correct or foolproof. I think each author made some very valid points, as do many other arguments in this matter. So, how do we decide what is best for this day and time? Which …show more content…
We could argue that if a man is old enough to fight in a war then he should be old enough to drink, but then we have the possibility of a drunken soldier fighting for our country and his life. Robert Voas makes mention of this in his article “There’s No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age”. He says, “Ask platoon leaders and unit commanders, and they’ll tell you that the last thing they want is young soldiers drinking.” However, we have to consider what our military sees on a daily basis, and that they may need a drink at the end of the day. This is where responsible drinking takes …show more content…
I do not think that the mind of a teenager could handle alcohol, especially if not taught how to drink responsibly. Teens, in my opinion, are not mature enough to be given that open opportunity. I think that it would cause more harm than good. It would be my assumption that if we lowered the drinking age, there would be a higher change of alcoholism and alcohol related deaths among teenagers. That may not be true but it seems as though it would be reasonable to assume so. According to SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) statistics, “during the past month (30 days), 26.4% of underage persons (ages 12-20) used alcohol, and binge drinking among the same age group was 17.4%” and “alcohol use remains extremely widespread among today’s teenagers. Nearly three quarters of students (72%) have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school, and more than a third (37%) have done so by eighth grade.” So given these statistics, I believe it is time we step up, as adults and teach our youth the effects of alcohol, good and bad, and to teach them how to consume responsibly. If we do not do this, I believe the underage binge drinking statistics will continue to
L. Dubuisson
English 1101 Online
14 October 2011
Raise, Lower, or Keep the Drinking Age Limit? When discussing an age limit for alcohol, there are many arguments for or against it. We could lower the drinking age but raise the driving age. We could raise the drinking age for everyday people and lower it for soldiers. We could keep it as is or we could try other things such as, teaching kids how to drink in the correct manor. There are so many opinions on this subject, such as the three we read about in “Back to the Lake”, but not one is necessarily correct or foolproof. I think each author made some very valid points, as do many other arguments in this matter. So, how do we decide what is best for this day and time? Which …show more content…
We could argue that if a man is old enough to fight in a war then he should be old enough to drink, but then we have the possibility of a drunken soldier fighting for our country and his life. Robert Voas makes mention of this in his article “There’s No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age”. He says, “Ask platoon leaders and unit commanders, and they’ll tell you that the last thing they want is young soldiers drinking.” However, we have to consider what our military sees on a daily basis, and that they may need a drink at the end of the day. This is where responsible drinking takes …show more content…
I do not think that the mind of a teenager could handle alcohol, especially if not taught how to drink responsibly. Teens, in my opinion, are not mature enough to be given that open opportunity. I think that it would cause more harm than good. It would be my assumption that if we lowered the drinking age, there would be a higher change of alcoholism and alcohol related deaths among teenagers. That may not be true but it seems as though it would be reasonable to assume so. According to SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) statistics, “during the past month (30 days), 26.4% of underage persons (ages 12-20) used alcohol, and binge drinking among the same age group was 17.4%” and “alcohol use remains extremely widespread among today’s teenagers. Nearly three quarters of students (72%) have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school, and more than a third (37%) have done so by eighth grade.” So given these statistics, I believe it is time we step up, as adults and teach our youth the effects of alcohol, good and bad, and to teach them how to consume responsibly. If we do not do this, I believe the underage binge drinking statistics will continue to