Drinking In Religion

Drinking has gone on for thousands of years, dating back to biblical and Roman times. It was seen as a tradition, and even now in other cultures around the world it is too, but in the United States it is not as prevalent. Most Americans do not view drinking as a religious act and abuse alcohol. Even for those who are considered social drinkers do not overindulge and excessively drink. They know what their limit is and tend to stop. Some religions encourage alcohol consumption, while others despise it. Not all drinking in religion is seen as very ceremonial or a tradition. “Buddhism… generally states that nothing should be taken that will alter the natural state of the body. Islam, on the other hand, teaches that the consumption of alcohol is

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism seems like an issue that keeps getting increasingly worse each year in the United States. According to USA Today and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both say that approximately 6 people die from alcohol poisoning, caused from binge drinking, each day, which amounts to roughly 2,200 people each year. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says that “In 2013 an estimated 697,000 adolescents ages 12–17 (2.8 percent of this age group) had an [alcohol use disorder]” (“Alcohol Facts”). Something has to stop and something has to change from preventing this more because 6 people dying each day from binge drinking alone is a lot, not to mention that 12-17 year olds are having alcohol problems at such a young age. Lowering the drinking age will enforce this act even more, promoting more drinking in fact. It would be a more acceptable thing to do and people would be more open about it. Yes, it might be good that underage people are not drinking in private and are open about their drinking habits, but that still doesn’t mean it is healthy physically or

This law changed to 21 because all states would “lose a certain percentage of federal highway dollars” (“Frequently Asked”). Not only that but the rates of excessive drinking went up, along with drunk driving. Driving alone is hard enough, especially if the person is a new driver, but add alcohol and there is a very deadly mix. Being able to legally drink at the age of “21 decreased the number of fatal traffic accidents for 18- to 20-year-olds by 13% and saved approximately 27,052 lives from 1975-2008” (“Should the Drinking Age”). Since there have been less drunk driving accidents when the minimum age for drinking changed to 21, it is a safer environment if the drinking age is left at 21 instead of being