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Essay On Why The Drinking Age Should Be Changed

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Should The Legal Drinking Age Be Changed

Alcohol is a very dangerous and addictive substance. Many Americans believe that the legal drinking age should be increased because of irresponsible citizens, while others believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to let teens learn to drink responsibly. Perhaps there is a way to make both sides of the argument agreeable. ¨Every year, there are more than 4,000 alcohol-related deaths in individuals under the age of 21. This includes car accidents, homicides, alcohol poisoning and suicides.¨(Galbicsek) The United States should raise the legal drinking age. If the United States were to raise the legal drinking age it would be healthier for the American mind and body. Raising the drinking …show more content…

Consuming alcohol is not healthy to anyone's brain for this reason we should not allow future adults to be able to drink alcohol. Giving adults under 21 the responsibility of handling is hazardous.Adding to this alcohol harms body. “Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. (NIAA)” If the United States decides to lower the age for drinking it would harm 18 year olds brain more than someone at 25 whose brain is fully developed. Teens may also struggle grasping new information and understanding situations once consuming alcohol due to the impact alcohol causes on the brain. While the United States cannot control individuals actions, citizens' brain intelligence rates will rise. When people consume alcohol it's very important to be mature. “People don't become fully "adult" until they're in their 30s, according to brain scientists.” (BBC news). Deciding to raise the drinking age to 25 would let citizens' brains and bodies mature before consuming alcohol; this would further cause healthier and safer drinking …show more content…

The United States is one of the only countries to have the legal drinking age be 21. Most European countries the legal age to drink is 16. ¨In Germany, the majority were ever-drinkers and one fifth were hazardous drinkers¨ (Garnett, Claire et al) While in the United States ¨6% report heavy drinking.¨(CDC). Roughly one in twelve Americans are considered alcoholics. Germany is a very advanced country although because of their law of lowering the drinking age there are a lot of health problems because of the introduction to alcohol so young. ¨Another layer of Germany’s problem lies in the fact that 21,700 children between the ages of ten and twenty were hospitalized for alcohol poisoning in 2017.¨ (Rachel Ryan) If the United States decided to legalize drinking at age 16 may be the start of legalizing drugs and unsafe substances. This would cause an imbalance of society's structures. Therefore lowering the legal drinking age should be raised to balance society's

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According to Main in ¨Underage Drinking and the Drinking Age” from the Policy Review, lowering the drinking age to eighteen from twenty-one would increase the harsh effects that are currently impacting our society and our military. Main insists that the United States should not get rid of the laws that set 21 as the mandatory minimum age for drinking, known as the ¨21 laws.¨ Although there are laws and severe consequences for those who drink under the age of 21, underage drinking is a huge concern, especially at college. When the undergraduates binge drink, drinking five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion, they not only have the potential to hurt themselves, but also their peers. For example, over 474,000 students have unprotected sex,

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People will oppose to this law, but at the age of 18 an adolescent's brain is not fully developed yet. Underage drinking is a common action in today’s society. What kids do not know is the effect that underage drinking has on their brain. Since the brain is not fully developed at the age of 18, drinking

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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).

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