The Pros And Cons Of Underage Drinking

Underage drinking occurs daily in America which is controversial topic that has been present since 1984 when all fifty states decided to raise the legal drinking age from eighteen to twenty-one. The stance that people take on this issue varies, normally depending greatly on past personal experience and complex, extensive research. Staring off with a view point that other researchers agree with, is the viewpoint of a retired professor that taught Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University for many years; Dr. Ruth Engs. Her, along with some of her colleagues, did over forty years of research on why the legal drinking age should be lowered to twenty-one in the Unites States of America. Most of her research came from surveys that she would

She and Dr. Hanson believe that the younger people are allowed to drink, the more responsible they will be in terms of consumption of alcohol. Engs states, “The legal drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19 and young adults allowed to drink in controlled environments such as restaurants, taverns, pubs and official school and university functions. In these situations, responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs” (Engs).
The thought of educational programs is also a popular topic with Gabrielle Glaser. She believes, along with Engs, that these programs would allow young adults and even children to learn the harmful effects that alcohol can have on them and also the effects that it may have on everyone around them, too. She also found that twenty two percent of college students that are under the age of twenty-one are binge-drinkers, or have five drinks in one setting at least once a week; this number decreased after the age of twenty-one. Once educational programs are put into place, binge drinking will most likely be controlled to the point that law enforcement will not have to worry extensively about busting underage get togethers, knowing and relying on the fact that those kids will know how much their body can handle and when they need to stop