Lowering The Drinking Age Essay

Throughout United States history there has been thousands of traffic accidents associated with general alcohol consumption. While some of these are because people make irresponsible choices, some people think that alcohol is simply a dangerous drug that should be made illegal. However, it is more plausible to acknowledge that alcohol has become a part of our country’s everyday life. Alcohol is present at celebrations, parties, or even lunch at a restaurant. It is seen in grocery stores, convenient stores, and of course, the Alcohol Beverage Control, otherwise known as the ABC store. Because alcohol is here to stay, and it should be drunk responsibly, it is imperative it is legally obtained and consumed. There are groups in place that

An article discussing binge drinking, by Ralph Hingson, a professor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at Boston University, further explains the problem of binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks in one occasion. A drink, from college education courses, is considered to be 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or one standard shot of liquor. The problem with binge drinking, besides the obvious health effects and even deaths that it causes, is that when younger people do it, it imposes more risks. A study found that the rate of binge drinking did not change between those who were under the age of 21, and those who were legally drinking at ages 21-23 (Hingson). This poses a serious threat. The rate at which younger drinkers consume should not be the same as older, legal drinkers. This is especially true because as discussed above, once drinking ensues, the number of alcohol-related highway fatalities is significantly higher for younger drivers. If underage drinkers are already consuming five or more drinks in one sitting just as much as legal drinkers, than lowering the drinking age would most likely increase their binge drinking significantly. This would then act as a chain reaction as the number of alcohol-related highway fatalities would drastically