ipl-logo

The Pros And Cons Of Drunk Driving

1334 Words6 Pages

The United States is “the land of the free”, however, there are a few regulations on alcohol. The law most widely known is that no one under 21 years of age is able to consume alcohol, however, at 18 years of age one can handle alcohol in places such as restaurants, bars, etc. The percentage of the 310 million individuals that live in this country that have a sort of alcohol dependency falls at about 16.9% (WHO, 2016). This is an alarming rate (one that is larger than Spain and Italy) and serves as a premise for which several characteristics can be attributed. Though the educational system is one of the most advanced in the world, there is little to no education on drinking until high school. This can hinder the youth, as some come from abusive …show more content…

There are programs such as Shattered Dreams where the reality of drunk driving can come to life through simulation and models in front of the students’ eyes on campus. Personally, I know this has had an incredible effect on students and their families and has made it so that bad decisions were not made when they had the possibility of manifesting. In addition, religion has buffered the effect of alcohol in the South, but not so much for America as a whole since the country is shifting from a religious country to a less-denominational unit. Around 1 out of every 10 deaths occurs in adults aged 20 to 65 from alcohol abuse (Hendry et al, 2015) and that statistic grows every year. Religion in America does not hinder the drinking much, but through observation it is clear that some do not drink due to “religious reasons”. Furthermore, the social stigma of drinking is at an all-time high (though, does not seem to effect drinkers much). Shows such as Intervention show the harsh reality of being an alcoholic, but even through the explicit and violent characteristics of alcoholism, it is still more prevalent in the general population than what would be …show more content…

2) – showing that there are large differences in governmental policy, education, religion, and social stigma. The alcoholism in America is much higher than Italy because of the lack of importance of alcohol – the country does not pair wines with food religiously and does not focus on the properties. Rather, drinking is purely pleasurable and sometimes without meaning. Spain is higher than Italy because, perhaps, of the low drinking age. The population is smaller in Spain than it is in Italy, but the proportion between population and alcohol abuse percentage is skewed tremendously. In contrast, Italy is a popular country but has much less of a alcohol abuse percentage, maybe due to the legal age of drinking being the close average of Spain and the United States. The United States has many more programs to reduce the amount of drinking, while Spain and Italy have unshakable religion on their

Show More
Related
576 Words | 3 Pages

Some reasons for this is that the media likes to glorify alcohol; for example, “borgs” have become a very popular social media trend that includes drinking half a gallon of vodka mixed with flavored water in one sitting. According to Elizabeth Shepard, “75 percent of young teens say that alcohol is easy to require.” This is a huge problem because the three leading causes of death in young adults are car crashes, homicides, and suicides- alcohol being the leading factor in all three (Shepard). Therefore, underage drinking trends contribute to the issue of drunk driving in the United

Read More
773 Words | 4 Pages

“The Southern Landscape served as Umbilical cord to the African Americans albeit the hardships in their real or fictionalized life” The journey of the African Americans from their homeland to New World is riddled with hardship, pain and inhumane treatment meted out by their masters. Being treated as slaves; chained and violently treated they landed in the Southern part of US with hopes of building a new life, new future. They continued to struggle in their new land only to be transported from one hell to the other. Yet for the African Americans the South held their hopes and dreams. For them the South itself served as their very own identity, source of wisdom and spirituality.

Read More
2188 Words | 9 Pages

When the government decided to lower their drinking age from 20 to 18 years old in 1999, they correctly predicted that there would not be an increase in alcohol abuse because many teenagers already drank alcohol they obtained illegally from adults (ICAP, 2002.) This supports the philosophy that it is better and healthier to allow young people to drink at a lower age so that their habits can be controlled, and that this can be done without increasing dangerous behavior. Statistics from around the world also suggest that a decreased legal drinking age creates healthier drinkers in the long run. A study on the percentage of people older than 15 years old with an alcohol use disorder reveals that 5.48% of Americans are affected, compared to 1.07% of people in Spain and 0.5% of people in Italy (WHO, 2004). Analyzing this data shows that the rate of alcoholism is significantly lower in countries including Spain and Italy where the drinking age is lower, likely because citizens drink responsibly throughout their entire lives.

Read More
1610 Words | 7 Pages

Since 1984, high school drinking has declined substantially due to the law and penalties (Lessing 3). This is another example of how the 21 drinking law is effective and has been effective for many years. If a state or many states lowered their minimum drinking age to 18, then this would decrease highway funding from congress (Belford 2). Lowering the drinking age law would only put the states’ interests first instead of the thousands of lives that could be negatively affected if the law was changed. Apart from the harmful effects that alcohol can have on the maturing brain of young adults, health risks associated with alcohol are also a

Read More
1533 Words | 7 Pages

Therefore, as a result, school like Dartmouth have banned liquor from campus. The culture on college campuses promotes drinking and heavy drinking more than ever before and some look to blame the drinking age as the reason why. In the case study, Peterson discusses how in Spain the drinking age is eighteen and their culture there varies greatly from the United States. Since, teens can drink with their parents, in their homes at a younger age, they have time to learn to drink responsibly before going off on their own. However, in the United States, many teens must wait until they have freedom from their parents to take part in drinking.

Read More
1025 Words | 5 Pages

That is because in other countries, the way they view alcohol and use it as well as how they introduce it contributes to a successful lower drinking age. In countries like the United Kingdom and Australia the lower drinking age does not work, due to them viewing drinking as a fun activity to do after work that is often done irresponsibly and uses any excuse to drink. However, the lower drinking age in countries like the France and Italy works, causing fewer alcohol-related problems since they view alcohol as part of their normal life and celebrations, not used as an excuse to drink(“Social and Cultural”). In countries with lower drinking ages, they introduce alcohol differently by having it at a younger age in moderation with meals in a controlled environment. This gives them the time and the ability to learn to respect alcohol and not abuse it by seeing it as a normal thing.

Read More
469 Words | 2 Pages

“National alcohol prohibition from 1920 to 1933 failed, which shows that strict regulation of drinking is counterproductive, unenforceable, and can lead to an increase in illegal and underground activities” (Mintz 1). We are sending the wrong message to society as well. Even when you turn age 21 you’re still not educated enough on what excessive drinking does to your body. For instance, when you get your driver license, you don’t just get the keys and let you figure it out for yourself. You learn over time, take tests, and really get a feel of what you’re getting yourself into before you go out and drive on your own.

Read More
979 Words | 4 Pages

The United States has been fighting the war on alcohol since the 1920’s, and today it still remains as a highly debatable topic. Many Americans believe that keeping the drinking age at 21 is acceptable, while others believe that 18 is the year that you should be trusted to make your own life changing decisions. And did you know that there are only seven countries in the world (196 countries in the world total) who have their drinking age as high as 21, and the US is one of those seven? Once you're 18, you are not allowed to buy guns, drink alcohol, go to 21+ bars or clubs, rent a car, or even rent certain hotel rooms.

Read More
2106 Words | 9 Pages

College presidents from more than 120 US universities are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 back down to 18. The group argues that the current laws actually encourage binge drinking on campus (“President 's Campaign”). The rise of the drinking age from 18 to 21 caused far more problems than it has solved in today 's society. Regardless, crimes are going to be committed, alcohol related or not, but controlling and monitoring it would decrease the crime rate, rather than teenagers drinking secretly, with little to no supervision at all. “ The 21 year drinking age has not reduced drinking on campuses, it has actually probably increased it” says Middlebury president John McCardell.

Read More
769 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
770 Words | 4 Pages

They feel that it is “cool” to drink and drive. The one thing that teens don’t realize is how much one drink can do. One drink can change a life or often many lives in a

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

In some countries, like in Europe the drinking age is set at 18. Even though people in the US think this is insane, this set age has more positive effects than people think it would. It is known that binge drinking is a problem in the US since it has the highest rate in the world for binge drinking. In Europe, teenagers get their license at age 18, and some drinking ages are lower than that, they figure out how to control their drinking before the drive. Unlike in the US, kids drink and then drive because they either have to be home by curfew or they are too scared to call their parents for a ride, and admit they had been under the

Read More
1693 Words | 7 Pages

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).

Read More
903 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1560 Words | 7 Pages

The reported issues that accompanied most drinking appeared to be associated with those individuals that were engaging in binge drinking not just ongoing

Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of Drunk Driving

Related Topics

Open Document