drinking age argumentative essay

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Argumentative Essay: Lowering The Drinking Age

Since 1984 there has been a federal act that strongly advises states not to allow citizens under the age of 21 from drinking alcoholic beverages. To this day there are still people arguing about this law, both for and against it. Having a minimum drinking age set at 21 is a popular ongoing debate that has many supporters and disputers.

Persuasive Speech: Lowering Drinking Age

But while it has succeeded in that, it is also believed that tougher rules, such as DUI rules and seatbelt safety rules have also played a part in this decrease. However, this higher drinking age hasn’t reduced drinking, its only “driven it underground,” Gabrielle Glaser states in her NY Times article. It has been driven underground to the riskiest settings, high school parties and frat parties that are unsupervised. This age raise segregates the drinking away from adults that can model moderation in drinking. If an 18-year-old high school senior is shown by his/her parent(s) how to drink responsibly and in moderation, I believe that it would greatly help in reducing the chance of making bad decisions by overdoing it, such as driving while drinking. Teaching children to drink safely starting while they’re 18 and living with their parents will help them develop healthy habits which will stick with them, helping them drink

Essay On Why The Drinking Age Should Be 18

When a child turns 18, they open to many more responsibilities than any other teenage birthday. When a child is 18, they are not considered a kid anymore, they are adults. One of the many perks of being 18 is kids can vote and they can enlist in the army. In 1984, President Reagan had signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, and this required all states to set the drinking age to 21. If an 18 year old can enlist in the army, and put their life at risk they should be able to drink alcohol at 18. The drinking age should be lowered, because brains are not fully developed yet, colleges should be able to regulate drinking, and this can solve problems with kids underage drinking. Despite the controversy, the drinking age should decrease for many logical reasons.

Essay On Why The Drinking Age Should Stay At 21

“If the legal age were lowered in the US it would have to come with much more education in this area, not just the shock-value of Every 15 Minutes” said Ulrike Skillman, math teacher at Saugus. Skillman suggests the lowering of the drinking age will have to come with more alcohol education and that is the exact purpose of a “drinking license.” Which would allow 18 year olds to consume alcohol, with strict regulations, then take classes to officially receive a “drinking license” at 21 years old. The license would replicate a driver’s license, but be geared toward consuming alcohol.

Minimum Legal Drinking Age

Alcohol seems to be an important part of daily life for many people. It's a substance associated with having fun amongst friends and family. Fortunately, certain laws help to protect us against the dangers that alcohol potentially brings upon our society. Although a section of the population argues for lowering the drinking age to 18, there have been many benefits with keeping it at 21. The main purpose of setting the Minimum Legal Drinking Age at 21 is to provide safety for the public, which should be the primary responsibility of the government. Despite popular belief, the drinking age was not only set to prevent teens from drinking and making bad decisions. It was set at 21 years because teenagers can develop serious health issues from consuming

Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age

When teenagers turn 18, they are told that they are adults and are sent into the world. They go to college, get a job, marry or join the military. They do grown-up things like vote, pay taxes and become parents, but they can 't go to the bar for a beer. When it comes to alcohol they are still just kids. Where’s the fairness in the age being 21 and not 18? Why is 21 the "magical" age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol? Surely, some adults abuse alcohol and some teenagers would be perfectly able to drink responsibly. Accidents will happen no matter what age you start drinking it. That 's why the drinking age should be lowered to 18 instead of remaining at 21.

Persuasive Essay On The Legal Drinking Age

In the United States, turning 18 is a huge step for people as it marks individuals entering the adult world. At that age they are considered an adult in society. Open to more liberties, these young adults can drive, vote, join the military, and die for their country; however, they cannot possess or purchase alcohol. The current minimum legal drinking age, also known as MLDA, in America is 21. Numerous debates still occur today about the minimum drinking age. A poll taken on July 2014 asked the public opinion of US adults for lowering the US legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Approximately 74% of the people opposed the idea, whereas roughly 25% of the people supported the idea ("Public Opinion" 1). The statistics indicate satisfaction among the majority of the people; however, with the current laws many issues arise that must be addressed concerning alcohol use. For starters, studies show an increase of dangerous drinking habits among young adults (Hall 2). In addition, the enforcement of the drinking laws and education on alcohol is insubstantial (Moyse, Fonder 3). Society places laws to protect individuals. The rise of alcohol abuse raises the question if the minimum legal drinking age of 21 secures protection of the people. With proper enforcement of drinking laws in addition to education about alcohol, the minimum legal drinking age of 18 provides a safer drinking culture.

Argumentative Essay On The Drinking Age

Over the years, the legal drinking age in the United States has been heavily debated. Some argue that the legal age to drink should be 18 or 19 because people at that age are recognized as adults; others argue that the drinking age should be 21 because people who are able to drink should be more mature and have their lives better planned out. Although people are legally adults at 18, they are not yet mature adults; in fact, according to NRP, “emerging science about brain development suggests that most people don’t reach full maturity until the age 25” (“Brain”). Before earning the right to legally drink, people should allow their bodies to fully develop and gain a better knowledge of how to organize their lives. The drinking age should remain

Essay On The Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age

A lot people question whether the legal drinking age should be lowered, or remain at 21. Some may think it isn’t such a good idea, because of the lack of maturity, and others may think it a good idea, because some people are going to do it anyway. However there are many pros and cons of lowering the legal drinking age.

The Dangers Of Lowering The Drinking Age

The drinking age is at 21 but, some are voting to bring down to 18. The drinking age starts at 21 for a reason and needs to stay where it is. Alcohol is poisonous at any age but, it can be more harmful to a developing brain and a teenager finding a new life. It’s extremely easy to numb the annoyance of life with alcohol and many people have become addicted to the escape. In this country our children are not ready to drink at 18, we have a different system and different children.

Arguments Against Lowering The Drinking Age

Should the legal age for alcohol consumption be lowered? In the United States, The legal drinking age is 21, but in my research, I have found that it is actually allowed, under certain circumstances and situations, to people of even lower age. Though all 50 US states have set their minimum drinking age to 21, exceptions do exist on a state-by-state basis for consumption at home, under adult supervision, for medical necessity, and other reasons. In fact, all but 5 states, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and West Virginia, under age drinking is permitted. Parents are allowed to furnish alcohol to minors if they are under proper supervision. Also bartenders are allowed to drink at 20 years old, which is the lowest legal bartending age.

Drinking Age To 18 Persuasive Speech

To address this drinking age should not be lowered to 19. Many people in families think that drinking can harm their life. It’s people jobs to take care of your health and live a happy life with families and friends. Many parents take care of their children and evidence is that an average family spent $24,164 for paying for college and kids don’t know that. People of this world it is more important that you can be more efficient that you can be of not drinking. High school and college people is getting into trouble and can be tricked by others to have a drink with them. Do not go with someone if you know them. Follow these rules and do not drink anywhere because it can affect you or your family. DO NOT

Why We Should Change The Drinking Age To 18

There has been many discussions all over the United States is whether they should change the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen. Most teens will argue that they should change the age because they can go to a store or a gas station and they can buy a pack of cigarettes, a black n mild, play the lottery at the age of eighteen so they will ask so why can they not buy a beer or alcohol at the age of eighteen. Underage drinking has been out of control in the United States because teenager use fake identification cards and they will also try to go to the club with their identification card. As a teenager when I was in high school I have proof that these things happen not only in college but high school it happens more often than college students.

Essay On The Effects Of Lowering The Drinking Age On Young Adults

Accustomed to such inconsistent treatment. ……young people are bombarded with mixed signals about the scope of their rights and the depth of their responsibilities. And most of those mixed signals come from the laws of state and local government.” (Governing.com Page 1) These confusing laws make nothing easier and in fact they make young people’s lives more difficult. My opinion on the whole situation is that the drinking age should be lowered because of binge drinking. Since the drinking age has been twenty-one it has not stopped underage teens for drinking and has actually caused more problems. Binge drinking has especially been caught in college. With the mix of ages ranging anywhere from around 17-24 years old it’s easy for teens to fall under peer pressure. The opposing side to this argument says however that lowering the drinking age would be...”Pushing the drinking problem further down to 16-and 17-year olds.” However there is another problem with the law of the drinking age being

Lowering The Drinking Age Essay

Why drinking age should be lowered? If one is considered an adult at age eighteen in most of the country, are they not allowed to purchase and legally consume alcohol? The minimum legal drinking age needs to be lowered, and not just for that reason. The amount of teenagers with drinking problems and alcoholism is far greater than in Europe, where drinking ages are far lower. Also, studies show that the current minimum age drinking laws have been ineffective to a high degree. By the time they are high school seniors, seventy-two percent teenagers say they have already consumed alcohol. Proper education at younger ages is needed for our country’s youth to learn the proper use of alcohol through experimentation with their own limits in safe environments.

More about Argumentative Essay: Lowering The Drinking Age

Lower the Drinking Age Essay examples

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The Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered

Lowering the drinking age to 18 would be medically irresponsible. Drinking under the age of 21 has been linked to several physical issues among young people ("Fact Sheets - Age 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age"). The underage consumption of alcohol can impede the development of the frontal lobes of a young adult’s brain. These lobes are responsible for the regulation of emotions, organizing, and planning. Any damage sustained to this area of the brain can cause problems that last a lifetime, and can even lead to depression and suicide ("Drinking Age ProCon.org"). Although these are very serious dilemmas, there are those who would argue that if the brain were mature enough to make the important decisions, such as voting, fighting and dying for the country, and serving in a jury, it is mature enough to make the decision and handle drinking.

Drinking Age Annotated Bibliography Essay

The legal drinking age in the United States is the only age that is above 19 years of age. Everywhere else in the world the age is 19 and under and some countries don’t even have a drinking age. The drinking age should be lowered to 18 because it will help all the problems that come with underage drinking. There is a numerous amount of reasons to change the drinking age to 18 and there are also many opposing thoughts on it as well. Three reasons to lower the drinking age in the US is to stop all of the illegal issues involved with underage drinking, Stop or cut down on the overuse of alcohol and drugs and the changing of adulthood when you turn the age

The Benefits Of Lowering Drinking Age

The legal drinking age has been 21 for more than 30 years. However, it is still frequently debated whether 21 should remain the legal age to consume alcohol, or whether it should be changed to 18. The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 for many reasons. One of these reasons is that even though it is widely argued that alcohol consumption damages development of the frontal lobe at age 18, this part of the brain can be still be damaged at age 21 just as easily. Another reason is that legalization of alcohol at age 18 would cause drinking to have less of a thrilling appeal to teens. Lastly, it is absurd that 18 year old adults can make life changing decisions, but cannot drink alcohol. I am not advocating a lowered drinking age for own personal enjoyment. It just seems logical.

Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age To 18

To first understand why the drinking age should be lowered you must first understand some history of how it got to what it was. First I will start out in 1920 when the 18th amendment was past declaring all sales of alcohol illegal. It wasn’t until 1933 that the 21st amendment was passed to abolish this law making alcohol legal again. At this point each state was to determine an (MLDA)

Lowering The Drinking Age Essay

5 Works Cited

There always has been controversy as to should the united states lower the drinking age to 18. Eighteen year olds should have the right to drink. By lowering the drinking age to eighteen it will give people supervision, teach responsibilities, and eighteen years olds are already considered adults; however, it may cause binge drinking, it will lead to more deaths, and drinking damages brains cells and especially the body itself.

Essay about Why the Drinking Age Should Be Lowered to 18

Lowering the drinking age to 18 would make a lot of sense in the world. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would make more sense. It would be better for the teens that drink on college campus. The drinking age should be lowered to 18 because you can vote at eighteen, buy tobacco, it’ll reduce the thrill of breaking the law, evidence supports that early introduction of drinking is the safest way to reduce juvenile alcohol abuse, and college people that are not 21 drink also.

Essay on Lower the Drinking Age To 18

drinking age of 21. The drinking age should be lowered to the age of 18 for the following

Lowering The Legal Drinking Age

"Adults under 21 are able to vote, sign contracts, serve on juries, and enlist in the military, but are told that they are not mature enough to have a beer?," said Ruth C. Engs, a professor of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University (Engs). No matter what is done, teenagers and young adults all over America are going to drink if they want to. The question is, why can 't they start legally drinking when they enter adulthood? An alternative to simply lowering the minimum legal drinking age could be thought of, such as, having a learner 's permit for responsible drinking for people between the ages of 18-21. In other cultures where the minimum legal drinking age is lower, there is not as large of a problem with drinking. Lowering the minimum legal drinking age would stop criminalizing a large amount of people for the minor crime of underage drinking, which on your record makes it hard for young people to apply for jobs or apply to colleges.

The Legal Drinking Age Of The United States

The legal drinking age in the United States is 21, while in other countries the legal age ranges from 16-18. The argument in the United States is “Should the United States lower its drinking age?” There are many sides to this argument but research has given many good points to back up both sides of the question. First thing is the difference between a teen’s brain with alcohol and an adult’s brain with alcohol. Another thing is drinking at a younger age can help teach culture. Lastly the more alcohol exposed the increase in death rate. I believe that it is a good idea to keep the legal drinking age at age 21 because in our past we have had many problems with death increases due to the drinking age being at different ages and the research used uses pathos, logos, ethos and Kairos to help persuade the reader support that 21 should stay the legal drinking age.

Lowering Legal Drinking Age Essay

Half the United States population starts drinking at the age of 14.When you are 18 you have privileges like joining the army. (Mitch Adams Lowering the drinking age page 1) You can go to war and die for your country but you still can not enjoy an ice cold beer. (Mitch Adams Lowering the drinking age page 1) How is being 21 different from being 18? How does three more years of not drinking make you mature enough to drink? The longer you drink the more you start to drink responsibly. (Katherine Reilly Why 21? Page 1) The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 because most teens under 21 drink, when you turn 18 you get tons of privileges, at you 18 are considered an adult and what is so special about the

Why Lower the Legal Drinking Age?

appropriations (Haevens). This is the main reason the legal drinking age has not been lower below 21 years of age.a large number of the general population desires a lower drinking age. In the 25 years since the legal drinking age was set at 21, seven states have tried to lower it. (Wechsier ).It is unfair for the federal government to withhold money from states if they exercise their rights to set the legal drinking age to what they think is right. Twenty-six states do allow underage drinking of wine at religious ceremonies ( "Drinking Age" 1). The legal age to drink alcohol should be lowered to 18 to allow for parental guidance, to help prevent binge drinking, and to help reduce the amount of drinking and driving.

Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered?

The legal drinking age should not be lowered to 18, but stay at 21 because It leads to irresponsible behavior and decisions. Young adults who drink tend not to care about their actions. Robert Voas who has worked for the National Highway Administration Office, claims that it would not be a good idea to lower the drinking age to 18. According to Voas, (Believe me when I say that lowering the drinking age would be very dangerous; it would benefit no one except those who profit from alcohol sales.) Young adults who are not 21 years of age tend to make irresponsible decisions like getting behind the wheel drunk. Being a young adult and driving under the influence of alcohol can lead one to a major accident or even death. Lowering the requirement of drinking may benefit underage adults but the death rate of drunk driving will increase rapidly. Robert Voas has studied drunk driving for 40 years and he has seen numerous accidents and deaths of immature young adults drinking under the influence.

The Drinking Age Should Be Lowered Essay

8 Works Cited

There are numerous problems involving alcohol in the world today, including alcoholism, drunk driving, and alcohol poisoning leading to death. Many of these problems involve minors and are linked to drinking underage. The legal drinking age in many states is twenty-one years old. The purpose of this law is to keep minors out of danger: away from drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, and injuring the brain before it is fully developed. The government supports the belief that people are not ready or responsible enough for alcohol until this age. However, various professors and researchers are discovering ways to disprove this belief. These people think that reducing the drinking age to eighteen would influence our country in a positive

Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Legal Drinking Age To 18

There have been arguments, more so now than before, about lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18 years of age. Realistically, to do so would be unideal. From 1609 when the first colonist arrived in Jamestown in 1919, in the United States of America there were no age restrictions on alcohol consumption or purchase. Prior to Prohibition drinking laws varied by state, and there was no national law in concerns to a drinking age. Most states had no laws establishing a legal drinking age. In 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, making the sale and consumption of alcohol in the United States illegal. When Prohibition ended in 1930 the legal drinking age was 18 until 1984, when Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, it forced states to alter their age requirements to legally buy and possess alcohol. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act raised the age limit from 18 to 21 by October of 1986. If states failed to do so, they would lose 10% of their federal highway funding. The goal of the act was achieved by October 1986, which still stand until today. Yet, there are arguments over lowering the drinking age back to 18. To lower the drinking age to 18 would be a defective idea for numerous reasons. The age limit should remain at 21 because all things that can kill you must have restrictions, 18, 19, and 20 year old’s brains are not fully developed, and because it would be in the best for the public interest.

Minimum Drinking Age

In the U.S. the minimum drinking age is at 21 and I believe it should be lowered to 18. People 18 years and older are considered adults and should be treated as such by being allowed to legally purchase and consume alcohol. Lowering the drinking age will not only give 18-year-olds the rights and recognition they deserve as adults, but will also obliterate a largely ineffective law that only serves to create more red tape. At the age of 18, a U.S. citizen can vote in an election, defend and possibly die for their country and make all kinds of decisions regarding their life and body. If I want to vote democrat, I can. If I want ink up my body, I can. If I want to fill my lungs with smoke, I can do that too. Going wine tasting with some friends,

The Reasons Why The Drinking Age Should Stay at 21

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Lowering The Drinking Age Essays

Why the legal drinking age should be lowered.

One of the biggest arguments in the country today is the legal age of consuming alcohol. All across the world, there are different drinking ages which differ from country to country. Each country with their own reasoning’s behind the age restrict. In the United States we know, the legal drinking age is 21. In England and Australia, the drinking age is 18. Spain and Austria, have the drinking age at 16. I believe the legal drinking age for the United […]

Underage Binge Drinking the New Cool

If everybody jumped off a bridge, would you? This famous question is one that also applies to underage binge drinking, with a sobering answer. The fact is, most teens indulged in binge drinking because “everyone else was”. The choice to binge drink cost South Carolina nearly $297 million in 2016 alone. Teens between the ages of 12 to 21 also made up 119,000 ER visits in 2013, with all those visits involving alcohol. So where are we failing our children? […]

Under Age Drinking

$1000. What could you get for $1000? For this much money you could buy 235 pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks or Spend 9 days at Disney land. But now you can’t. You just had to take that drink, that one sip of beer costs you $1000. In Idaho it is illegal for anyone under 21, to possess, purchase, attempt to purchase or serve alcoholic beverages. Your first conviction will be no more than $1000, Next time you will be fined […]

Underaged Drinking

Studies show that nearly 5,000 adolescents die a year from consuming alcohol at such a young age. Car accidents, homicides, suicide, and other injuries contribute to this statistic. Our youth have been exposed to alcohol as early as 8th grade. The reasoning behind the consumption of alcohol at such young ages result from factors such as: risk-taking, heredity, or environmental aspects. Underaged drinking comes with health effects as well like: brain damage, liver damage, or growth and endocrine damage. As […]

Alcohol Age Drinking

One topic that has a lot of notoriety all throughout the United States is the legal drinking age. Some argue that it should remain at twenty-one years old while others push for reducing it to eighteen and this has even caused some controversy. Many countries have the age at eighteen and this is influencing others vouch for lowering it by three years; however, this idea is not beneficial for the young individuals of society. Lowering the legal age of alcohol […]

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Lowering the Legal Drinking Age

The minimum legal drinking age in America is twenty-one years old, and when this law is violated heavy penalties are given to those who have broken it. This was a hard lesson I learned about thirty years ago after drinking at a friend’s party during the summer of 1989. After the party, my friend Peter and I decided to walk home to the dormitory, which was a short twenty minutes. On our way through the gate, Peter and I were […]

About Lower Drinking Age

Currently, there is a great debate happening about lowering the drinking age. While some people believe drinking age is fine at the age of 21, others believe that drinking age should be lowered. Teens should be able to drink alcohol at 18 or 19 without getting in trouble. The legal drinking age should be lowered because it would result in fewer drunk driving accidents, reduce underage alcohol arrests, and it would decrease unsafe drinking activity of younger adults. Lowering the […]

Drinking Age Analysis

Unarguably, the improvement in people’s living standard owes much to the scientific breakthroughs of technical advances as well as social aspects. So significant is keeping the drinking age of 21, which has been supporting effectively on young people. There is ongoing debate on whether keeping the drinking age of 21 has the positive or negative impacts. As far as I am concerned, lowering the drinking will lead to damage brain development, increase car accidents, give high school students greater access […]

Keeping the Drinking Age

At 21In the United States of America there have been many deaths due to alcohol consumption. if it wasn’t lack for knowledge obtained about alcohol abuse, numerous accidents would/could have been prevented. One of today’s biggest problems that leads in society is drinking under the legal age.In the United States the minimum age required to drink is 21, this policy alone shows how unrealistic expectations and serious unintended consequences evolve. The government is basically stating that reaching twenty-one years of […]

Why the Drinking Age should not be Lowered

One of the most controversial question and argument in the restaurant and grocery store industry is should the legal drinking age be changed? There are few people that believe it should be changed to something lower than 21; but most of society thinks it should stay 21 and it should not be changed. Below are a few reasons as to why the drinking age should not be lowered to any number less than the age of 21. When we think […]

The Minimum Legal Drinking Age

Police are prone to ignore or under-enforce the minimum legal drinking age at 21 law due to limited resources, and perceptions that punishment is inadequate including the time and effort required for processing and paperwork, an estimated two out of every 1,000 instances of illegal underage drinking result in arrest. The drinking age should be lowered to 18 due to the fact that regulating drinking between the ages of 18 and 20 in environments with supervision will diminish unsafe drinking […]

Lowering Minimum Legal Drinking Age

Alcohol is essentially society’s principal recreational drug; it is the biggest threat to American youth, and there are over six times the amount of alcohol related deaths than deaths caused by all illegal drugs combined (Rorabaugh, Bernstein). Alcohol can influence people to participate in dangerous or illegal activities. Even though alcohol is recognized to be dangerous, some people argue that the minimum legal drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18. For many reasons such as health, traffic accidents, […]

Minimum Legal Drinking Age

When thinking about college, most people envision a life of partying, drinking with friends until the early hours, and being hungover during classes, as this is what is portrayed through media. Is this really the life the young adults in America should be striving for or should the students be envisioning a positive education environment with a previously established, healthy relationship with alcohol? Most adults in America ages 18-20 are already drinking, even though the U.S. legal drinking age is […]

Controversy Concerning Adult Drinking Age

Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States (Alcohol and Public Health). Researchers have argued that drinking alcoholic beverages has not stopped teens, except it caused them to spree drink in secret and less guarded environments, resulting in beside health problems and life-threatening behavior. As teens grow into adolescence they are becoming more independent. Teens that binge drink are experimenting with […]

Underage Drinking for Americans

Since the Colonial era, consumption of alcoholic beverages has been a piece of American culture, its use by the youth has been acknowledged by adults as a major aspect of progression towards maturity (NIH, n.d.). This research paper will examine if underage drinking decrease or increase due to the age limit law, and also what theories explain why Juvenile participated in this kind of status offense. After gathering information from scholarly articles and reliable organizational sources, I was able to […]

Argumentative Essay: The Legal Drinking Age

Show More The legal drinking age is currently set at twenty-one. In history alcohol has been very present, yet even then they warned of the dangers. When the legal drinking age was set at twenty-one in 1984 it dropped many teen accidents. Mentally teens brains are not fully developed until age twenty-five, and alcohol can pause the brains growth. When teens drink as well they have a tendency to binge drink which then leads to alcohol dependency later on in life. Although, many will fight these points saying that we live in a country based on freedom, and teens should take responsibility for their own mistakes. They also point out that when eighteen one is considered an adult so they should be allowed to make an adult decision. However, through the Bible …show more content… For example, research shows that alcohol-related damage to the brain may be greater in the developing brains of teens, and some of the areas majorly affected are the learning and memory area (Degutis, 2008). However, many teens are still in high school at the age of eighteen and are supposed to be learning constantly. With the effects and damage alcohol can inflict on the body, it is more logical to have the drinking age higher than eighteen because teens still have much to learn in common sense at that time as well. It is proven that the human brain does not stop developing until age twenty-five (“Raising the drinking”, 2015). Drinking slows, stops, and hinders cognitive development of the teen’s brain they may later in life lack what others have due to alcohol. The brain experiences rapid change in teen years of the prefrontal cortex creating lapses in judgment (Tietjen, 2014). This fact alone can create major problems in that mixed with alcohol a teen may think it is logical to drive under the influence. Teens are still learning and are more vulnerable to many things however, adding alcohol into the mixture makes the mistakes more often and

Essay On Drinking Age Drinking

Alcohol causes the brain to gradually lose control of the body, meaning that one’s ability to move, think, and see becomes increasingly impaired as one drinks” (Teen Health and Alcohol). This part of the body manages the body’s movements. People do not have control over their body when their nervous system is slowed; consequently they oftentimes make choices they wish they had not made. Sadly, the slowing down of the nervous system can become permanent if alcohol is abused. In addition, drinking at an earlier age obstructs the brain development.…

The Importance Of Drinking Age

According to a National Public Radio article written by Neuroscientist Susan Tapert (2010) “...the adolescent brain is still undergoing several maturational processes that render it more vulnerable to some of the effects of substance.” Using a non-matured brain to consume alcohol while also trying to maintain memory formation during school is a struggle that is bound to happen while drinking underage. By lowering the drinking age to 18, America would be promoting bad decisions that…

Negative Effects Of Teenage Drinking

Teens who drink have a higher chance of kidney and liver failure, as well as increased blood pressure in their 20’s. As the aftermath of peer pressure begins affecting the lives of some young citizens, many more are beginning this lifestyle at an even younger age. Along with those, adolescents who use alcohol are more susceptible to addiction and substance abuse. It is hard for many adults to get help when they have an addiction or a problem, and this same issue occurs in teens. Many Americans don’t know that 23 million people over the age of 12 are addicted to alcohol and other drugs (National Council).…

Teenage Drinking Solutions

Overuse of alcohol is becoming a serious problem across the United States of America. Drinking is typically considered a problem if it is not being done responsibly or in moderation. Teenagers that choose to drink illegally often drink as much as they can hold, which can result in alcohol poisoning and memory deterioration. Teenagers do not drink in moderation; as a result, they drink much more than they can handle just to be “cool” in front of their friends. Drinking can be a problem in all age groups, but the worst problems arise in the younger generation.…

When Should The Drinking Age Be Twenty-21?

It is shocking that people are able to drive before learning your tolerance too. It should not be an age factor either, alcohol makes you feel different, older or not, and even when the age is twenty-one people still make mistakes, learning the content younger gives you a more understanding feel and look on it. Now a common mental disorder is alcoholism, it means when someone is dependent on…

Minimum Legal Drinking Age

Studies have shown that by having the minimum legal drinking age set at twenty-one years old a numerous amount of lives have been saved in the past few years. More than 25,000 lives have been saved from this law. This law continues to prevent tragedies such as car crashes and many other risks young people may encounter while drinking alcoholic beverages. The age limit was based on previous research which shows that younger people react differently to alcohol than the way older people do. Young adults, or even teenagers, get drunk twice as fast as older adults do, but have more trouble knowing when they should stop consuming alcohol.…

The Negative Effects Of Drinking

When people drink their behavior may change, behavior can cause chaos at times and even become rebellious. In minors, drinking can not only affect them but can also affect the family members, may times drinking can make them get crazy and act differently especially towards parents. “Not early alcohol initiation but early drunkenness was a risk factor for various adolescent problem behaviors at the age of 15, that is, there was not consistent relationship for the time before the first drunkenness.” Drunkenness causes people to become hard headed at the time and act certain ways, it does not belong to one or the other but to any person who has been drinking and is now drunk. Most of the behaviors that come with drinking can also be “bad thoughts,” bad thoughts as in suicide attempts and many more death related behaviors. As mentioned, in the U.S. the rates of death attempts while drunk happen to be high.…

Lowering The Drinking Age Essay

Letting teens drink is giving immature citizens the ability to make bad decisions that not only affect themselves, but also people around. Nineteen year olds becoming alcoholics and drunk drivers, because of not understanding the responsibility that they are taking while they are drinking. As a result of Reagan’s age 21 to drink law, statistics show “the laws have saved an estimated 20,000 lives since states began implementing them in 1975, and they’ve decreased the number of alcohol-related youth fatalities among drivers by 63 percent since 1982”…

Drinking Age Should Remain At The Age Of Twenty-One

Young adults consume more alcohol than their body can handle. When college students binge drink they make poor decisions and do not realize it until the act has already been made. Of course everyone is trying to find a solution to stop binge and underage drinking, but by passing a law saying an eighteen year old can buy alcohol will only make the problem worse. Allowing an eighteen year old to buy alcohol would also lead them into a higher risk of becoming an alcoholic at such a young age. Teenage years are always the toughest and most confusing years for a young adult.…

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Argumentative Essay- Drinking Age should be increased to 25

The debate about increasing the legal age for drinking is increasingly getting vicious especially in the United States of America. The excessive drinking among young adults especially in college results in negative externalities, and there are legal procedures that can reduce or prevent these problems maybe until a later age when they are mature enough and responsible. Most economies have implemented the requirement of the drinking age as twenty-one instead of the conventional legal age of eighteen or sixteen in some countries (Elements Behavioral Health, 2016). The notion of raised drinking age is greatly gaining traction over the past few years, and the primary purpose is to prevent alcohol-related harm by young people. This paper will support my claim that the drinking age should be raised to twenty-five years because it is the age when the brain and the nervous systems have developed to physical maturity.

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Orlando Scoppetta

________ The opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Addiction Research Foundation or of the Addiction and Mental Health Services Corporation. Special thanks are due to Andrea Stevens-Lavigne and other members of ARF Youth Team for their helpful comments on earlier drafts.

Preventive Medicine

Donald Zeigler , Richard Yoast

Background. Adolescents and college students are at high risk for initiating alcohol use and high-risk (or binge) drinking. There is a growing body of literature on neurotoxic and harmful cognitive effects of drinking by young people. On average, youths take their first drink at age 12 years.Methods. MEDLINE search on neurologic and cognitive effects of underage drinking.Results. Problematic alcohol consumption is not a benign condition that resolves with age. Individuals who first use alcohol before age 14 years are at increased risk of developing alcohol use disorders. Underage drinkers are susceptible to immediate consequences of alcohol use, including blackouts, hangovers, and alcohol poisoning and are at elevated risk of neurodegeneration (particularly in regions of the brain responsible for learning and memory), impairments in functional brain activity, and the appearance of neurocognitive deficits. Heavy episodic or binge drinking impairs study habits and erodes the development of transitional skills to adulthood.Conclusions. Underage alcohol use is associated with brain damage and neurocognitive deficits, with implications for learning and intellectual development. Impaired intellectual development may continue to affect individuals into adulthood. It is imperative for policymakers and organized medicine to address the problem of underage drinking.

Susan Tapert

Traffic Injury Prevention

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has arguably been one of the most successful public-health grassroots citizen advocacy organizations in the United States in the past century. In 2005, MADD celebrated the 25th anniversary of its founding. Based on a national poll by the Gallup Organization in 2005, MADD is recognized by 94% of citizens. It is generally given credit for changing American attitudes toward drinking and driving. Since MADD's founding in 1980, alcohol-related traffic deaths in the United States have decreased from an estimated 30,000 to 16,694 in 2004, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This article examines the growth of MADD since its founding and attempts to gauge its contribution to the public's understanding of the impaired-driving problem and to the reductions in alcohol-related highway deaths and injuries that have occurred in the first 25 years of its existence.

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Laurence Chassin

… of addictive behaviors

This study prospectively examines the influence of alcohol on neuropsychological functioning in a sample of boys and girls who were characterized prior to initiating drinking (N=76, ages 12–14). Adolescents who transitioned into heavy (n= 25; 11 female, 14 male) or moderate (n=11; 2 female, 9 male) drinking were compared to demographically-matched controls who remained non-users throughout the approximately 3-year follow-up period (n=40; 16 female, 24 male). For girls, more drinking days in the past year predicted a greater reduction in performance on visuospatial tasks from baseline to follow-up, above and beyond performance on equivalent measures at baseline (R2Δ = 10%, p <. 05), particularly on tests of visuospatial memory (R2Δ = 8%, p < .05). For boys, a tendency was seen for more hangover symptoms in the year before follow-up testing to predict a relative worsening of sustained attention (R2Δ = 7%, p < .05). These preliminary longitudinal findings suggest that initiating moderately heavy alcohol use and incurring hangover during adolescence may adversely influence neurocognitive functioning. Neurocognitive deficits linked to heavy drinking during this critical developmental period may lead to direct and indirect changes in neuromaturational course, with effects that would extend into adulthood.

Flávio Pechansky , Claudia Szobot

Alcohol is the most consumed substance among young people, and the onset of its use is starting at an earlier age, raising the risks of future dependence. The use of alcohol in adolescence is associated with a series of risk behaviors, besides raising the risk of involvement in accidents, sexual violence, and participating in gangs. Alcohol use by adolescents is

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Anders Dale , Terry Jernigan

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Free Drinking Age Essays and Papers

Drinking Age

Drinking Age The consumption of alcoholic beverages is a privilege not a right. The legal drinking age in the United States is twenty-one, and I believe that this is a fair age. There are so many statistics that show drinking to be bad to begin with, but there are many more statistics that show why the drinking age of twenty-one should not be lowered. Teenagers do not show enough responsibility when drinking, and it would do everyone a lot more harm if they could do it legally. There is no

Drinking Age When teen-agers turn 18, they are told that they are adults and are sent into the world. They go to college, get a job, marry or join the military. They do grown-up things like vote, pay taxes and become parents. But they can't go to the pub for a beer because when it comes to liquor, they are still just kids. Where's the fairness in the 21-and-older drinking law? First, it is necessary to question this law. Why is 21 the "magical" age that makes one intelligent and mature enough

Drinking age

Should the Legal Drinking Age be Changed? What is up with all the arbitrary age limits in our society? One must be 18 to marry (without consent) and to vote, 35 to be president, 25 to rent a car, 59 ½ to start collecting on your 401k without tax penalty, 62 ½ to begin collecting on social security, and so on, and of course the subject of this paper, which is 21 years old to legally drink. As one can see there appears to be little cohesion or structure with these random ages. Yes, members of society

Essay On Drinking Age Drinking

The drinking age in America is twenty-one years old. Many people believe that this age is too old and others counter argue that and believe it is an appropriate age. This is a very debatable topic. The United States drinking age has gone up and down, and recently, in 1984, it has gone up to twenty one. This big conflict started when the United States gradually tried to ban alcohol for every person no matter what your age was. They succeeded and this was called National prohibition. It only lasted

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is good or bad, helpful or hurtful. Some debates are simple with no major side effects such as would drinking gatorade or water better maximize the performance of athletes. Other debates involving drinking are not as simple, these debates involve alcohol drinking age. Both arguments can have different viewpoints, the difference is the significance in the argument. What should the legal drinking age in the United States be? Consuming alcohol has been done for many years. Unlike a typical beverage that

Drinking Age To 18

alcohol while you are in high school, but you can when you are in college because once you get into college there is not somebody at hand to stop you from drinking anyway. Laurence Steinberg a professor of psychology at Temple University, says, “In the end, I favor lowering the drinking age to 19, which would help solve the problem of illegal drinking on campus -- although some undergrads are younger than 19, the vast majority are not -- while still making it illegal for high school students to drink

Drinking Age As midnight struck on November 4, 1998, the eve of Brad's 21st birthday, he went with a group of friends to Rick's American Café to celebrate his birthday. He began to play a game of "drink your age." When he had finished 21 shots and knowing that the record among his friends was 23, he drank 3 more for a total of 24 shots of liquor. He drank them in about 1-½ hours. His friends took him home and put him to bed as he passed out. His BAC continued to climb to a lethal level of

Lowering the Drinking Age

9 Works Cited

According to Andrew Herman, “Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders” (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as

Breaking The Drinking Age

The drinking age is most heated and debated topic in The United States. This country is not only one which has the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws. Every country has their MLDA, which is The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Law. However, they do not seem to have lessened the debate that The United States does. In the history, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 made the states pass the minimum drinking age of twenty-one, or they could lose up to ten percent of their federal highway funding. The

Lowering The Drinking Age

the Drinking Age 82.6% of the world’s countries’ legal drinking age is below 19 years old; 73% of those countries’ legal drinking age is between 18 and 19 years old. The U.S. is a small percent of the world that’s drinking age is 21. There is much debate on whether to lower the drinking age or not. Some say at 18 our brains are not developed enough for alcohol and “children” under the influence are more dangerous; however, on the opposition other countries thrive even with the lower drinking age

A Lower Drinking Age

3 Works Cited

On July 17, 1984, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed. Contrary to what most people assume, this act did not technically require states to raise the drinking age. Instead, it threatened to remove a portion of the federal highway aid from any state which failed to raise the drinking age to twenty-one within two years. Of course the act still accomplished what lobbyists intended, that is, a legal drinking age of twenty-one, because although many legislators opposed the new law, states

The Case of the Drinking Age

5 Works Cited

alcohol? Mostly the percentage of the people drinking in America. Can our young ones stop students from drinking? Yes, because we can stop alcohol's effect. This topic isn’t everyone agreed of. The enactment of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 prompted states to raise their legal age. Purchase or public possession of alcohol to 21 or risk losing millions in federal highway funds (GPO Access). We have to stay the age of 21 to drink because younger age of 18 or low cause a medically irresposibility

Drinking Age Debate

that in the middle ages people drank more alcohol than water because it was commonly believed to be safer (Alcohol Facts: 32 Facts). In today's society we know that alcohol is dangerous and that is why there is many arguments over drinking laws. The drinking age is a controversial topic and there are many side fighting for it to change, or for it to stay the same. Before we look at some of the perspectives of this issue, let us look at a little bit of history. The drinking age has fluctuated a lot

questions about when you are old enough to drink alcohol and if the drinking age should be lowered. It is a hard decision saying what the appropriate drinking age is, because many people fight for it to be lowered but there are many fighting right back. The minimum legal drinking age of 21 has proven to save lives and reduce negative effects in people who consume alcohol legally. Compared to other countries it has proven to be a safe drinking age. In addition to all of the positive effects of having this

Minimum Drinking Age

On July 17, 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which withheld a percentage of highway funds from any state that did not raise the minimum drinking age to twenty-one (APIS - The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act ).The legal age to consume alcohol has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now. Should we lower it or keep it at age twenty-one? Many people believe that once they turn eighteen, they are an adult and should be able to drink

National Drinking Age

7 Works Cited

Have you ever been discriminated against for your own good? Well I and millions of Americans adults that are under the age of 21 have been. There was a bill that was passed by congress called The National Drinking Age Act of 1984. This bullied any state that does not prohibit and single out adults under the age of 21 from buying or possessing alcoholic beverages. In spite of this, many people believe that it is justified because “child’s brain is very sensitive to alcohol” In other words, it is ok

Thi Cesi uf thi Dronkong Agi Du yua thonk yuang unis shuald dronk elcuhul? Mustly thi pircintegi thi piupli dronkong on Amiroce. Cen wi stup yuang piupli frum dronkong? Yis, biceasi ot’s olligel fur yuang egi tu dronk. Thos tupoc osn’t iviryuni egriid uf. Thi inectmint uf thi Netounel Monomam Dronkong Agi Act uf 1984 prumptid stetis tu reosi thior ligel egi. Parchesi ur pabloc pussissoun uf elcuhul tu 21 ur rosk lusong mollouns on fidirel hoghwey fands (GPO Acciss). Wi shuald stey thi hogh egi tu

Essay On The Drinking Age

The drinking age in America should be changed and it is because the tax revenue caused by the increased population of drinkers will be paying more taxes for the alcohol produced. The maturity of the adult population changes through the span of three years, but adults can drink in other countries while fighting for it. In the year of 1919 prohibition for alcohol was introduced into America. The tax revenue from alcohol would increase due to the population of people buying alcohol would increase. Between

Raising The Drinking Age

Who’s the Adult Here? Recently the state of California has passed a new legislation that raised the age for tobacco purchase from 18 to 21. For many years now, the legal age for an adult to consume alcohol is also 21, however, our government claims that at the age of 18 we are officially legal adults. How is it that we can purchase a one-in-a-million chance at winning the lottery but cannot out of our free will purchase alcohol and even now tobacco, but if convicted of a crime we are tried as adults

Underage Drinking: Enforcing The Drinking Age

8 Works Cited

contemplating on how to go about the issue of underage drinking; people of the government, parents, and other individuals concerned in global affairs. The problem is, the issue of underage drinking and the nationwide ineffectiveness of the drinking age law of twenty-one isn't debated and discussed as much and as aggressively as it should be. And the main components of discussion ought to be the matter of binge drinking among teenagers and college students, drinking issues and statistics in foreign countries

drinking age argumentative essay

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