Preview

Age of Responsibility

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
782 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Age of Responsibility
Sonia Gutierrez
Mrs. Keith
English 2 Honors
18 March 2013
Age Of Responsibility
Responsibility can be defined morally, legally or mentally, but What Is The Age Of Responsibility? Most countries consider 18 to be the legal adult age;however, government laws don’t consist properly. There are many legal age differences between the legal drinking age to the driving age limit. Adolescents rushing to become adult have pushed the government reconsider the age of responsibility. Therefore, 21 is the age of responsibility taking account: decision making, impulse control and maturity.
To begin with, the age of responsibility is defined by a persons decision making. Poor decisions at times lead teenagers to more dangerous/complicated situations. Also, poor decision making such as having unprotected sex lead to pregnancy and which later lead to teen abortions. Although abortion is legal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, some countries requires parental consent or intervention by a judge (“Teen Abortion Statistics”). Study shows that college students drinking decisions contribute to 17,000 deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assaults (“Choose Responsibility”). Teens law breaking rates and binge drinking show teenagers underestimation of dangerous situations that can cause a terrible chain reaction. More than 5 million children living today will die prematurely because of a decision they will make as adolescents (“Statistics on Teens”). Although most teenagers prefer making decisions alone, their decisions are fragmented and with little knowledge. Therefore, in the final analysis, 21 year olds are more capable of committing rational decisions.
Additionally, Impulse control is a significant impact on teenagers socially and physically. Most adolescents act before they think and experience : the thrill factor, peer influence, lack of reasoning and inimal future orientation. Study shows that adults are more capable than teenagers to activate a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The age of responsibility to me is of 25 years of age. I believe this should be considered the age of adulthood because that is when your are fully matured and realize the consequences of your actions. Science shows that the pre-frontal cortex of the brain is not fully developed until this age. The problem with the age of being eighteen is that most teenagers are still in…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vivian Jones, the author of “Underage Drinking”; questions the drinking age limit, but also wants to decrease the drinking age limit from twenty one to eighteen. First,Jones defines underage drinking as a danger to young adults and teenagers that are developing. Second, Jones states raising the age limit for drinking is a controversial topic in society. Third, Jones acknowledges that drinking underage is banned and as a result this makes more alluring to the young adolescents to drink alcohol and rebel. Next, the author also states that more younger Americans are drinking in excess than comparable to the UK. Then, Jones also states that raising the drinking age will not stop the violence and…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Equally important, in a study of a regular teenager's brain, it revealed that teenagers are more likely to follow impulsive tendencies instead of fully…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through evaluation, it is clear the age in which an adolescent can handle responsibility with drinking is 21. This should be considered the ideal age of adulthood because, lower ages are too immature and older ages already have the ability to handle a lot of other responsibilities. It is a common social belief that the age of 18 is the age of adulthood and that you should be given all your responsibilities and rights at once. The problem with the drinking age being 18 is that 18…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Overall, any benefit or joy alcohol can bring is minimal compared to the greater harms alcohol causes. Although alcohol is harmful to everyone, alcohol harms adolescents much more than older adults. One's brain does not complete development until the age of 25. This time marks a critical period for neurodevelopment. The mind has not fully formed its critical and rational thinking abilities. [1] Studies show that alcohol is deterrent to the process [2] Not only does alcohol consumption affect the brain, it also affects female maturation and reproduction abilities during adolescents [3]. Not only that, but because of an adolescents inability to rationally think or make good judgments, they are more likely to binge drink or engage in heavy alcohol consumption than any other group[4], an action that has obvious negative health effects include liver and brain problems. Many suicides, homicides, motor vehicle accidents and accidental falls are alcohol related [5]. Homicide suicide and accidents are the three leading causes of death among teens. [6] It is unnecessary that alcohol causes the deaths and harmful effects of hundreds of thousands of…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Many young people are drinking at an early age which shown it’s a public health problem in this country. Approximately five thousand underage die a year due to drinking. Research shows drinking at an early age can lead into alcoholic. Other research shows younger children drinking are more likely to be engaging in behaviors that harm themselves and others. Research believes, “Increasing the age at which people can legally purchase and drink alcohol has been the most successful intervention to date in reducing drinking and alcohol-related crashes among people under age 21.” The difference between an adult brain and a maturing binge brain who can consume more alcohol then the adult is more likely to experience negative consequence such as a hangover. The health risk is that in the long run it may impact on long term thinking and memory skills. A higher minimum drinking age can help reduce crashes and save lives, especially younger drivers. They’re two individual-focused interventions called; “School-Based Prevention Program-…” and “Family-Based Prevention Programs-…” are programs to show underage shouldn’t be drinking and the effects of it which teaches them not to be drinking. Underage drinking is dangerous to the society.…

    • 3084 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    For many years, there has been the question should the drinking age be lowered to 18? In today's society, most young adults drink behind their guardians back, but do not realize the consequences that come with their choices. With much speculation, this topic has became a very intriguing argument. What does drinking do to the growth of the brain? Can alcohol do just as much harm to someone 18 then someone 21? Will they be just as responsible? Can someone that young make the correct decisions?…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Researchers have found that the teenage brain is still developing, and that the loss of tissue at the brain is the reason why these kids have an errotic behavior. Teenagers’ mentality forms from their surroundings. The things that they watch and see can have a big impact on how they think, and they have no control over that. Teens do not think before they do they act on however they feel until their brain is developed and they can think properly.…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Accidents can have a huge effect on adolescents and it can likewise be lethal. Minors drinking liquor can make them drink and drive which can bring about a car crash. Underage drinking can expand the rate of auto crashes quickly. Then again, auto collisions are by all account not the only mischances that can influence young people. Different mischances that can be brought on by underage drinking are falling or getting run over. The lopsidedness that liquor has among adolescents can bring about these mishaps to be life undermining. The outcomes from underage drinking can have numerous negative impacts among teenagers and our communities.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Lowering the Drinking Age

    • 1567 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Because decision-making abilities are clouded and an adolescent has not reached full maturity, drunk driving accidents are more common. As a drinking teenager who may not want to be reprimanded by their parents or guardians, they may find themselves driving home drunk due to fear of calling for a ride. It can be argued that if alcohol consumption was legalized at a younger age there would be less drunk driving due to less fear of becoming…

    • 1567 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    For example, The brain damage sustained when a nine year old drinks alcohol regularly is indisputable and causes irreparable damage. The age is very particular, and the drinking age should not be too low or the brain damage could harm future generations. From around 16 or 17 years old and younger, both the cognitive restraint and physical brain are not developed enough to allow for proper judgment when it comes to when or when not to drink. Furthermore, the views on brain damage are true when it comes to excessive drinking everyday, which leads to alcoholism. Studies show that young teenagers and children are much more susceptible to alcoholism than young adults. Lastly, the fact that restraint is not a trait many young teenagers are known for is true. Thirteen and fourteen year olds cannot be trusted to drink responsibly, and the argument can be made that even 17 year olds can be irresponsible when it come to their…

    • 1744 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Consequently, there’s increasingly amounts of young people that binge drink. Furthermore, binge drinking is also lethal, insomuch as, it can cause health related deaths. Gabrielle Glaser states, “A 2009 study published in The Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs found that between 1998 and 2005, the number of cases of alcohol poisoning deaths among 18- to 24-year-olds nearly tripled, jumping from 779 cases to 2,290. The study also tracks a rise in fatalities from hypothermia and falls. Some reports link excess drinking to sexual assault.” It was amazing to discover that many argue quite differently and their assumptions were actually quite comical. In contrast in my research I discovered that many feel lowering the drinking age keeps the dialogue open, and promotes a safe environment. Additionally, I even read that many feel lowering the drinking age may provide a safer environment for women. However, I have personally witnessed men becoming overly aggressive toward women who have consumed too much alcohol making themselves vulnerable to unscrupulous men. Furthermore, Therefore, I stand behind my argument that alcohol can be lethal in the hands of under aged…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drinking Age

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Drinking age has become one of the most debated issues among adults and teenagers in the United States. Majority of teenagers would say that there are many cons to the drinking age being set at 21 but for every con there is a pro.…

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) has been a popular debate for many years, and as reported by Toomey, Rosenfeld, and Wagenaar in “The Minimum Legal Drinking Age”, it is imperative to keep the age of 21. Alcohol is the main source of numerous problems for teenagers, which would escalate if the MLDA was decreased. The MLDA was lowered between 1970 and 1975 by 29 states, resulting in an increase in dilemmas such as “traffic crashes, drownings, vandalism, assaults, homicides, suicides, teenage pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases” (Toomey, Rosenfeld, and Wagenaar 213). When it was raised back to 21, the number of alcohol induced traffic deaths was reduced significantly. Some may argue that introducing alcohol to children at a younger age will help it become less of a toy for teenagers, which is false and subsequently leads to more health problems and dangers for everyone. If the MLDA was to be lowered again, it would make alcohol more accessible to high school and college…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lowering The Drinking Age

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The drinking age of 21 seems to still cause problems, and many experts and opinionated citizens believe lowering the drinking age is a viable solution. Barrett Seaman, the current president of Choose Responsibility, often discusses and debates the pros and cons of lowering the legal drinking age in the United States. Seaman believes lowering the drinking age may be a solution to the problems often found across the country, especially on college campuses. Seaman states in a Boston University article, “I look to Canada and to the rest of the world and I see that people can drink at a younger age and be civilized about it” (Daniloff). This may be true, but many adolescents are also irresponsible and senseless. Thousands of adolescents, young adults, and community members get killed each year due to alcohol related causes. In 2013 alone, 16.6 million adults had an AUD, and only 1.3 million of those ill people received proper treatment at a specialized facility. Alcohol isn’t just a liquid depressant used for entertainment at a party, or to cope with a broken relationship, it is a serious problem in the United States, and throughout the world. When the drinking age was raised to 21, the number of deaths caused by alcohol decreased. Lowering the drinking age will only cause more adolescents to drink irresponsibly resulting in an added number of…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics