Preview

The Possible Compromise for the Drinking Age

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
764 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Possible Compromise for the Drinking Age
The possible compromise for the Drinking Age Many debate whether the drinking age is at a reasonable age. It has been a controversial topic that has influenced many people and has been disputed upon numerous times. The drinking age should be lowered to age 19, for many reasons. The majority of teenagers that want to drink, are already drinking before the age of 21. At age 19 students are out of High School, and getting ready to live on their own. They also have the responsibility of making choices because they are adults. A lot of people believe that having the drinking age at 21 helps prevent teenagers from making thoughtless decisions. Teenagers that want to drink, do it anyways before they are of legal age. No matter what the drinking age is, there will always be some people that are going to drink before that specific age. A lot of people start drinking because they know it is illegal and they just want to break the rules. So if the drinking age was lowered, it could possibly lower the amount of people drinking because they won't feel obligated to drink since they can drink whenever they want. Also once teenagers reach a certain age they realize that they have a lot more responsibility and they think that the drinking age is overrated. Since the privilege of drinking is far from any other privileges that one obtains at a much earlier age, they don’t want to wait for just one privilege. By lowering the drinking age some people might wait a few years till they are legal and therefore there would be less teenagers making thoughtless mistakes. Many argue that the drinking age should be lowered to age 18. At this age students are still in High School, where it would be very inappropriate for students to show up with alcohol in their systems or having a hangover from the night before. At age 19, however, students are out of High School and the majority of them are independent, and moved away from home. People of the age 19 are just as responsible at the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Young adults, who are between the ages of 18 and 19, have the right to fight and die for their country, yet they do not have the privilege to sit down and enjoy a beer with his or her family or friends legally. This is one of the most popular arguments spoken about when lowering the drinking age back to eighteen is brought up. In Dr. Ruth C. Engs essay “Why the drinking age should be lowered: An opinion based upon research,” she brings about very strong arguments that most people would not usually think of. Engs says that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 or 19.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many dangers and potential problems with lowering the drinking age. The states of Massachusetts, Michigan and Maine lowered the drinking age, and then experienced a slight increase in alcohol related crashes among the 18 to 20 year old age range. Desired results? Hardly. What about insurance companies? The law may recognize the age being lowered, but insurance might not. The rates of drivers 21 years old and younger would skyrocket which seems really unfair, especially when the unemployment rate is so high right now. Most teenagers who have not had a drink yet might engage in binge drinking, causing legal issues, and using lack of judgment. The crime rate would be outrageous.…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lowering the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to drink alcohol safely in regulated places with supervision. Stopping the age group from drinking in bars, restaurants, and other licensed locations causes them to drink in unsupervised places such as up in the mountains or house parties where there are no responsible adults around which they are more likely to binge drink and other unsafe behaviors.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    One argument brought up for lowering the drinking age is that we mature based on experience rather than time, and that there may be little difference between ages 18 and 21, so why not just lower the age to 18. Although that is a good point, take this into consideration. Are freshman in college really as experienced and mature as students ready to graduate? Maybe some are, but "some" means there are exceptions. Do you really want those "exceptions" to be exposed to drinking if they are not ready for it? Because those same "exceptions" will be the ones causing accidents that could have been avoided. If we allow these people to drink, we are not allowing them to mature at their rate. Instead of taking chances, why don't we make sure we give everyone in this age group a chance to "grow up" and reach their full potential???…

    • 584 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first main point of not lowering the legal drinking age is teen depression. Teens deal with a lot of stress, drinking will turn into binge drinking and then depression (ProCon.org “Drinking Age“). Also, it is a depressant…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Some would argue that the drinking age shouldn 't be lowered because of three very real risks, drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, and violent or destructive behavior. Drunk driving is a stain on our civilization. An average of 17,000 individuals die each year in drunk driving related deaths. It seems quite plausible that were alcohol to be legalized for those under the age of 18, the 15.1% of 18 to 20 year olds who drink before getting behind the wheel would rise significantly. A brief stroll through nearly every campus in America reveals keg parties, crowded bars filled with fake ID minors, and rowdy sorority and fraternity functions. When you consider that adolescence is a time of great impulsivity and tendency for violence and destructive behavior, the dangers of legalizing alcohol for minors become that much more real.…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the U.S. the age of adulthood is 18. And with that comes many responsibilities and decisions that can now be made without consents. But there is still one thing a now young adult can’t decide on their own and that is if they will consume alcohol. The legal drinking age is not until you are 21 years of age. People argue that it should be lowered for it is an individual decision and 18 is old enough to make that decision. The legal drinking age should remain as is because the brain of a young adult is not fully developed till the age of 21.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory 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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It is a fact that many teenagers drink even though they are underage. Whether its at home, parties, or just at hang out places. People make all this mess about how easy teenagers can get to alcohol. If they lower the drinking age then twelve and thirteen year olds will be able to get alcohol even easier and start drinking at a even younger age, but according to statistics that's not true, because now 71% of 8th graders say it is easy for them to get alcohol. So it wouldn’t make a difference if the age was lowered.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The legal drinking age should remain twenty-one. It should not be lowered because teenagers are not mature enough to drink responsibly. If you are allowed to have a credit card, provide for a family, and vote, you should be able to drink at the age it already is. We all know the consequences to what we do to our bodies, that is why we have choices. Drinking can be addicting just like coffee, cigarettes, medications, and body building.…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Several would argue that the 21 year old drinking age is possibly too low, some even think that the age should be lowered, and some even think the age should be at 25. I believe that the drinking age should remain the same at 21 due to the fact that there are already plenty of issues with underage drinking. “The Age of Responsibility” by Alan Greenblatt, goes into depth about the different problems and aspects that go into searching for a golden age to entrust people to have the ability to accomplish certain things. Considering that there are an excessive amount of issues that relate to drinking, I feel that there are countless efforts that could be put into decreasing the overwhelming volume of underage drinking, drunk driving, and alcohol abuse. There are copious amounts of conflicting arguments that believe the drinking age should be decreased to 18, whereas some feel that the age should even be increased to 25.…

    • 592 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

    People argue on lowering the drinking age to eighteen whether it is a good idea. Some teenagers start experiencing drinking in high school. Many teenagers think there is nothing wrong with a drink every now or again at a party. In fact, many teenagers see drinking alcohol as an important stage in becoming an adult. For this reason, teenagers are more temped to consume alcohol. The legal drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen because eighteen is considered to be a legal adult, it will help with economy, and help teenagers have a safer environment.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 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

    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