O.K. So you’re finally eighteen. You’re a legal adult! Suddenly you can smoke, vote, join the army, fornicate, or even die for your country.{Increasing legal drinking age} But wait! STOP! Put down that beer! You are still not old enough to buy or consume alcoholic beverages. No, you will have to wait three more years for that, until your twenty-one. Well I for one believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen.
If we are considered an adult and expected to act like one at age 18 it isn’t right to restrict us to a drinking age of 21. At eighteen you can drive cars, fly planes, marry, vote, pay taxes, take out loans and risk our lives as members of the U.S. armed forces.(crossfire) But laws in all 50 states say that no alcoholic beverages may be sold to anyone until that magic “21” birthday. Who says that twenty-one is the magical age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol? [CrossFire] Surely some adults abuse alcohol and some teenagers would be perfectly able to drink responsibly. While 21 may be the legal drinking age in the U.S., no scientific evidence exists proving this is the age at which young people can safely begin drinking alcohol. (Bryan Knowles) At 18, they’re considered adults. Yet when they want to enjoy a drink like other adults, they are, as they put it, “disenfranchised.”(Rally)
The Essay on Under Age Drinking
Why would people who are under age want to drink? Well under age drinking isn't to uncommon. (1) Studies say that approximately 6% of 10-11 year old children use alcohol. 25% by the age of 14 and 55% by the age of 17. Approximately 92 percent of high school kids have used alcohol, of the 92 percent 64 percent use alcohol on a regular basis. Sometimes teenage kids drink under stress. Stress can be ...
By lowering the drinking age it would take away some of the temptation. Its not as much fun when its allowed! The most common reason for underage drinking is because alcohol is seen as “the forbidden fruit” or” a badge of rebellion against Authority” and as a symbol of “adulthood”.[Dr. Engs] In a study by Dr. Ruth Engs, Professor of applied health and science, found that by increasing the legal drinking age, young people tend to abuse alcohol more. In actuality raising the drinking age was much worse than doing nothing.{Dr. Engs, B} Drinking is more exciting when it is illegal. So many people go out and get more drunk simply because they know they should not be drinking at all.
Leaving prohibitions on alcohol largely to the family is the best tactic if the aim is to reduce binge drinking by minors. We should also focus on safe drinking instead of age restrictions. Other countries like France, Spain, and Portugal have a much lower rate of alcohol abuse. This comes from educated and gradual drinking. American teens have not learned to drink gradually or in moderation.{Crossfire} We need to focus on educating our young people on safe drinking and as a social activity, instead of a type of liberation. Why is there still a problem if alcohol education currently exists? Simple, current alcohol education in high school and college is set up like this: Here is how you drink responsibly, now don’t do this because you are too young. How does anyone expect people to listen to education like this? First you need to educate young adults, then you need to trust them. If you treat young adults like children they will act like children. If you treat young adults as responsible adults they will act maturely. (Rally) While most parents agree that serving alcohol to groups of minors should be prohibited, many also reserve the right to introduce their teenage children to alcohol. Supervised, moderate exposure to alcohol in the home with family lays the foundation for a healthy respect for alcohol and its associated responsibilities. (Bryan Knowles)
The Essay on Underage Drinking Alcohol Study Age
... DRINK AND DRIVE, GET IN ALCOHOL-RELATED CRASHES AS ADULTS Boston, MA - The younger people are when they start drinking alcohol, the more likely they are ... step up enforcement of the legal drinking age.' The BU School of Public Health's research on age of drinking onset spurred Mothers Against Drunk ...
So is 21 really the magical age of “I am mature enough to drink”? Our state seems to think so! Well when I turn 18 … please just wish me a happy birthday! If you need me to pay taxes, vote, serve on a jury, or fight for my country.
