Preview

Should Drinking Age Be 18 Essay

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1237 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Should Drinking Age Be 18 Essay
There is a giant debate on what the legal minimum drinking age should be in the United States. Many people think that it should remain at 21 years old and others believe that it should be lowered to 18. While both have their own various reasons, this has been an important topic in our country for a long time. President Ronald Reagan signed and passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Law in 1984 which obligated states to raise their legal drinking age to 21 or suffer reductions in Federal highway funds. The highway funds and drinking age was linked together by the young lives lost on our highways. Even though this was a satisfactory reason to raise the drinking age there are still more reasons to why it should be 18. Despite what most people …show more content…
In European countries, the consumption of alcohol is more of a normal activity than in the United States. Growing in up in our country today teens want to drink alchohol more because they aren't supposed to have it. They see it as a sign of adulthood or maturity. So in order to gain this sense of adult-hood, they do things such as sneaking into clubs and bars or buying alchohol for their friends with fake ID's. This can lead to many predicaments because these teens have not been raised with any experience with alcohol, and they will not know how to handle it or act responsibly. Research has shown that most teens drink only to become intoxicated. So many of them binge drink; this is the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time. Binge drinking can lead to numerous problems such as alcohol poisoning which can be deadly and require emergency treatment. This could be avoided if teens knew how to be responsible with drinking and were taught by their parents like other countries instead of being banned from it until the age of 21. Per capita the consumption of alcohol in countries such as France, Spain, and Portugal is higher than the United States, the rate of alcohol abuse and alcoholism is lower. This supports how people are more responsible if they are raised with alcohol as a part of every day life instead of hiding it until they believe that people are old enough to finally discover it

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The drinking age law is a law that is greatly debated. There are many pros and con to the drinking age being lowered. At the age of 18 you are considered an adult in the eyes of the public. Many think a young adult is not mature enough to have a sip of beer but somehow is old enough to fight for our country. The drinking age should be lowered because an individual is considered an adult at the age of 18, laws about drinking can be more harmful the good, and if you are able to all these adult things at 18 than you should be able to have a sip of a drink.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lowering the drinking age? Why we should not lower the drinking age? Let me explain some reasons why not to lower the drinking age. One is that if we lower the drinking age we might be contributing to more fatal accidents. Second, lowering the drinking age might influence 18-year-olds to buy alcohol for younger teenagers (age 15-17). And third, 18-year-olds may not be mature enough to know their limitations on drinking.…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people argue that the drinking age should be lowered to 18, just look at our surrounding countries with lower drinking ages. Some argue that the United States has the most careless drinkers with little self-control when it comes to alcohol usage, and some may even say that this is because we were not exposed to alcohol as children like the Germans or French are. Yet, how can you disregard the fact that we have "careless drinkers" and still want the drinking age to lower to 18? I believe the drinking age should remain at 21 for the benefit of our society.…

    • 584 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are many pros and cons to lowering the national drinking age from 21 years of age to 19 years of age. I believe the drinking age should stay at 21 even though many of my peers feel otherwise. People under the age of 21 are drinking whether it is legal or not. They may have a fake identification or have someone purchase alcohol for them, the fact is they are drinking. When I talk with others about this topic, comments are always made such as: when a person turns 12, they can get a hunting license and carry a gun, at 16, they can get a driver’s license and quit school, at 18 they have the right to vote, serve in the military and are considered an adult. They can have a baby and get married but can’t have a glass of champagne to celebrate. I understand these thoughts and sometimes wish it was 19 but when you look at the research, it is better for everyone that every state to set the legal drinking age 21.…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    It was 11 o' clock at night, and I was driving back from a friend's house on a Saturday night. As I was crossing an intersection, bright blue and red lights were flashing on the right side. As I turned to look to satisfy my curiosity, I noticed a car was upside down and another car had crashed into the side of the road. It was devastating to see and of course I wanted to know what had happened. I went home and turned on the local news to see if there was any media coverage about this accident. Unfortunately, a drunk driver had caused the accident. As we mature we are given more freedoms, and have to make choices that are right for us. In my opinion, the legal drinking age should not be lowered to eighteen because there would be accidents on the road. Another thing is that most people persist in believing that they can drink and still be alert drivers, yet not realizing that alcohol is still a major factor in at least half of all fatal highway accidents. Alcoholism can cause rapid poisoning and it is really east for someone to be addicted to alcohol, and become…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Now people say that the drinking age should stay the same but the legal adulthood age is 18 so why can’t the drinking age be lowered to 18? At the age of 18 you have the right to vote, to get married, join the army, and on top of that you could have contracts, so the drinking age should be lowered to 18 as well.(drinking age procon.org) Once you are 18 you should be able to have the rights to make your own decisions to buy a drink you want a drink.(newsweek.com)…

    • 92 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Several Europeans countries that do not fallow a strict law on the drinking age have shown that lowering it can be beneficial. In her article, “Lowering the Legal Drinking Age Will Reduce Alcohol's Allure”, Ruth Daily, a staff writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, notes that a “recent European Union study reveals that the countries where moderate daily drinking is the norm (Italy, Spain and France) have the fewest binge drinkers (2 percent, 2 percent and 8 percent, compared to 34 percent in Ireland and 27 percent in Finland)”. This evidence further adds to the notion that if drinking is allowed, teens can learn to manage their drinking habits and learn how to moderately consume…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the largest reasons for lowering the legal drinking age to 18 years of age is the fact that at the age of 18 you are considered an and take on lots of responsibilities. At 18 years of age you are judged mature enough to…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There has been a question looming for years on whether or not the drinking age should be dropped down from 21 to 18. Many people have views or opinions on what the legal drinking age should or should not be. Right now the legal drinking age is 21, and many people, especially a younger crowd, are working extremely hard to change that to 18. All over the world, different countries have a different standard which leads to a different drinking age. There is a reason why the United States has put the legal drinking age at 21. This was to ensure that there will be no underage drinking, which today has clearly not been the best idea because underage drinking happens more and more frequently.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    More than twenty one thousand lives have been saved with the drinking age being twenty one. For about 10 years in the early 1900’s, our country ratified the 18th amendment which banned the production and consumption of alcohol. This amendment led to extreme crime, violence, and even speakeasies. Our country realized that it wasn’t the best idea for prohibition, and we then ratified the 21st amendment that repealed the 18th amendment. The 21st amendment has helped prevent car related tragedies in the 18-20 age group while they were under the influence. I believe the alcohol age should not change because of it reducing crashes, the fact that your brain is more developed and you understand your limits, and a change in New Zealand’s drinking to age 18 has spiked the percentage of alcohol related crashes.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One of the reasons why the legal drinking age should be lowered is because it would diminish the thrill of breaking the law to get a drink. According to Ruth C. Engs, Pofessor, Applied Health Sciences, “Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority" and a symbol of adulthood." This implies, students and people under the age of 21 will drink in an irresponsible manner because of peer pressure or just wanting to show adults that they don’t have to listen to them anymore. This also shows, if legal drinking age was lowered then most students and people under the age of 21 would learn that they don’t need to rebel to get a drink or break laws and since 18 year olds get a lot of responsibility like voting, this would add to it and show that they can be trusted with not over drinking.…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Europeans typically have their first taste of alcohol at about the average age of 14 years old. I can remember when I was 14 all I wanted to do was go to the park to play sports with friends but that because we are exposed to different cultures and beliefs. Although Europeans are not pressured into drinking at a young age, it is more accessible and acceptable for young Europeans to consume an alcoholic beverage at a young age. 10% of Europeans are linked to early death or bad health because of drinking alcohol. As said before alcohol is a toxic beverage to the human body and can have serious problems such as liver cancer, brain damage, or addiction. The liver is a miraculous organ that works to convert all the nutrients we consume into energy while filtering our body of any harmful substances we ingest.…

    • 2611 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drinking age is a commonly debated topic in the United States. Based on research articles, the minimum age drinking is 21. Many argue the drinking age should lowered to the age of 18. In some parts of the U.S, groups of people are allow to drink, with exception of religious reasoning. Underage drinking can result an increase on teen pregnancy and diseases. Drinking at a premature age can result a brain disorder or even dead. In some college surveys 10 out of 20 students have tried alcohol, however the known detriments don’t prevent drinking any more. Lowering the legal drinking age is due to the fact the government want to be sure the brain is fully matured.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alcohol in the hands of an irresponsible under aged person, can be deadly. Furthermore, for anyone to consider lowering the legal drinking age from 21, to 18, in my opinion is simply ludicrous. John Bowersox reports, “Since Colonial times, drinking alcohol has been part of American culture and its use by young people has been accepted by many as part of growing up. In fact, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, many States lowered the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Following this change, the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities among young people increased. In response to these acute consequences, beginning in the early 1980s individual States increased the drinking age to 21. In 1984, Congress passed legislation that would…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Legal Drinking Age

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There has been a continuous controversy in the United States on whether the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 or kept at 21.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays