...Drinking Age In The United States The drinking age in the united states should be lowered to 18. At the age of 18 you are considered an adult by law and can be tried as an adult in court, you can serve your country in the military, drive a motor vehicle at 16 and even do tremendous harm to your body by smoking tobacco, but you can’t go to the bar and have a drink. I believe there’s something wrong with that. Studies by the National Youth Rights association say that raising the drinking age didn’t save life's it actually lost more life’s for people age’s 21-24. They also said that Alcohol should be introduced in the home hold before the age of 18 parents should gradually teach them how to drink so they will be reasonably responsible later in life then they’ll be less likely to abuse alcohol because they were taught how to drink. Also Alcohol has played a big role throughout our history and to limit it to certain people should not be allowed. Keeping the drinking age at 21 is not going to solve the problem which is underage people drinking alcohol it’s only going to intensify the problem. According to ProCon.org having the legal drinking at 21 hasn’t stopped teens from drinking what so ever, it pressured them into wanting to drink more and it pushes binge drinking in dangerous environments which can lead to drunk driving and even death. While Interviewing a Fresno police officer he agreed that the drinking age should be 18 he said, “I don’t know how many times...
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...Of all the 190 countries, only twelve countries have the minimum legal drinking age set at 21. That leaves 61% of these countries that have the minimum legal drinking age at 18 or 19 (Minimum Legal Drinking Age in 190 Countries). Why is the United States part of the minority? Why must our young adults have to wait so long before they can indulge in a drink or two? In those other countries that have a lower drinking age, they are introduced to alcohol at a younger age and have a healthier relationship with alcohol because they learn about the risks and are furthermore educated about those dangers than people in America. The minimum legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 years old because we are considered adults and have adult-like responsibilities, it will decrease unsafe drinking habits, and it can even benefit the economy. The year that a teenager turns 18...
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...Changing our Nations Drinking Age Now if you have not already figured out the battle of our nations drinking age has been a widely debated and controversial topic for many years. Yet it is still a complicated problem that no one can agree upon. Knowing, as well as realizing a wide variety of topics that go hand and hand regarding alcohol such as health risks and impaired judgment it is important to realize other negative factors without supervision. However, people are still split on the issue of alcohol consumption. I will be focusing on the problem when mixing alcohol into supervised and unsupervised environments, discussing past and present issues when keeping alcohol locked up or out of reach from minors, addressing how the current drinking age demeans young adults under twenty-one, and why I believe the drinking age should be lowered to nine-teen to benefit from unsafe drinking habits. To make the issue clear regarding how when alcohol is mixed with different given environments shows different outcomes two life scenarios come to mind. For insistence, back when twenty-one was not the legal drinking age, sitting up at the bar drinking casually with a couple friends well sharing a couple laughs seemed harmless. Even if the young adults started drinking more and more there were staff, bouncers, and bartenders there supervising and making sure everyone was in line. Now turning the tables around when alcohol is introduced at a party with no supervision, the lack of responsibility...
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...Report: Draft March 3, 2014 Lower Drinking Age Turning 18 is a big year, probably one of the biggest in our young lives. When you turn 18 a million doors open, you can change your name, get tattooed, vote, join the military, go to jail and be trialed as an adult, basically anything you can think of, except one thing and that’s buying/drinking alcohol. That’s one thing that always got my attention: why 21? If you are considered by the law an adult at 18 then you should be treated like one in all aspects of it. Everyone has their own opinion on this matter, and there have been numerous arguments for each side. As I was surfing the web, I came across an article by Matt Nagin. Nagin’s article was “Top 3 Reasons Why the Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered to 18”. It grabbed my attention so I decided to give it a look, Nagin’s 3 top reasons were, drunk driving, binge drinking and alcohol poisoning, and violent behavior all in that order. According to the article Nagin states that there is an average of 17,000 deaths related to drunk driving. This survey was conducted in 2010. The numbers have slightly gone down (Nagin). From all the drunken driving statistics rates were the highest among 21-25 year old at 23.4% and 15.1% for 18-20 year olds, but after the age of 25 the rates decrease (Nagin). The way I see it keeping the drinking age at 21 is not really making a difference because as the statistics show most drunk drivers are over the age of 21 anyways, so what good does it do...
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...Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered To 18? Every teenager anticipates the day that they will finally be eighteen years old. This is the day they are finally seen as being an adult in the eyes of our government. Eighteen year olds are now free to make their own life choices and be held accountable for them. At the age of eighteen, you are free to put your life on the line and fight for your country, if you commit a crime you can be tried as an adult in court, and you are also give the right to vote in your country. So, why should the drinking age be twenty-one years old when you are considered an adult at the age of eighteen? At the age of eighteen you are not mature and responsible enough to purchase and consume alcohol. Alcohol has been around for centuries, showcased at parties, bars, sports events and just about everywhere. For these very reasons every day in our country the drinking age is being ignored and violated by young adults, teenagers, and even children all under the age of twenty-one. “On average ninety-five percent of those who will be alcohol consumers in their lifetime take their first drink before the age twenty one. Fifty percent of eighteen to twenty year olds consume alcohol on a regular basis” (McCardell 1). Based on these statistics we can conclude that the enforcement of the legal drinking age has fallen short. The most commonly known place where alcohol is consumed very heavily is on our college campuses. Many college students participate in binge...
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...Poe, 1849). Edgar Allen Poe describes how alcohol has helped him forget about bad memories, sequestration, and feelings of misery. Numerous young individuals from the military oppose and agree that if they are mature enough to go to war and hazard their lives, they are mature enough to drink. As indicated by Forbes, The military is rated the second most stressful job of the United States in 2015 (Forbes, 2015). The level of stress within this job which Forbes describes is why service members would like to relax at home and have the opportunity to enjoy a few alcoholic beverages of choice. Unfortunately, all under-aged military individuals cannot partake in such activities because of laws that are set upon the United States. Giving under-aged military individuals the benefit to drink facilitates post-traumatic anxiety issue, diminishes risky drinking action and brands them into great grown-ups. Imagine being 18, a recent graduate, in Afghanistan fighting a war. What do you see? In case impacts, destruction, wounds, blood, and lost limbs are what you imagine happens majority of the time, you are correct. How would you deal with living in constant fear of your life? You would take a seat and have a taste of your most loved sort of cognac, whiskey, or wine to overlook a few memories. Americans who are of legal age considers that having a drink is a preferred way to end a frantic day. Unfortunately, these...
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...Age Restrictions on Alcohol Relative to Military Eligibility I expect you to protect our country. I am going to give you a gun and when ordered to I expect you to take another human life without question. I expect you to be willing to die and watch others around you die. However you will not be allowed to drink alcohol and if you do you may face military and criminal charges. This is what we tell our soliders that are under the age of twenty-one. While most of us agree that the legal drinking age should be twenty-one plus there should be exceptions for our military personal who we expect to protect our country and die if needed. The minimum age to join the military in the United States in seventeen years old with parental consent or eighteen years old without parental consent. If we consider this in greater detail we can surmise that at age eighteen you are old enough to make the choice to join the military and put your life at risk. You are also given a great responsibility of protecting our country. For those that do not enlist in the military their responsibilities are typically much less. While there are certain to be exceptions, most young adults between the age of eighteen and twenty-one are concerned with school, work, friends and dating. Their level of maturity and understanding on life is not fully developed and they are just starting to explore the world on their own. Prior to 1984 some states did allow people to buy and consume alcohol at the age of eighteen...
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...Lemmon 1 Zach Lemmon Mrs. Bittle English 112 20 April 2014 Carry a Gun, Drink a Beer Drinking a beer while under the age of eighteen is a crime and is frowned upon by many but no one would say anything to a man drinking a beer in a military uniform or having a beer with their father. Many of our underage society have consumed alcohol one time or another before the legal drinking age of 21. Tosmarttostart.com states that “By age 18, more than 70 percent of teens have had at least one drink”. The government should lower the legal drinking age to eighteen to coincide with other similar laws pertaining to younger adults. The legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. If male or female join the military in our country and are legally able to hold a gun and defend our nation they should be able to legally consume alcohol before the age of twenty-one. Just as being allowed by the law to join the military and defend our nation and what we know, as freedom is a huge responsibility. Saying that, many of those young men or women that defend our freedom should be able to legally enjoy a beer or any consumption of alcohol when they feel the need. According to the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act “States prohibit persons under 21 years of age from purchasing or publicly Lemmon 2 possessing or consuming alcoholic beverages”. Not being able to legally consume alcohol under the age of twenty-one, but can be employed to defend our freedom by the same government who makes...
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...Lowering the Drinking Age It’s a fact that most kids try alcohol before they are around 16. In Europe the drinking age is around 16-18 years old. The legal drinking age really hasn’t stopped young teens before. It’s talked a lot about in schools and other states of why it should be lowered. Lowering the drinking age will give these teens the responsibility that some of them are looking for. The drinking age within the United States should be lowered to allow people to begin legally consuming alcohol at the age of 18 as a measure to combat binge drinking, to boost the economy, and to be more reflective of an 18 year old person's status as an adult. Lowering the drinking age to 18 years old can diminish the thrill of breaking the law by underage drinking. There is a lot of excitement that some kids feel knowing they are breaking the law and most likely not going to get caught. Not wanting to admit to drinking “…Which can make rebellious teenagers sneak off to basements and backwoods to binge drink far from adult supervision” (CNN). A lot of teens feel the thrill of breaking the law and having their parents not know. Knowing that they shouldn’t be drinking is that “rebellious” side of the teens. If...
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...The Legal Drinking Age in the United States The legal drinking age in the United States has been an ongoing issue for many years. Some believe it should be lowered to eighteen, as it was prior to The National Minimum Drinking Age Act that was passed on July 17th, 1984, and some believe it should stay at twentyone. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act made it impossible or persons under the age of twentyone to purchase alcohol. This Act did not ban those under the age to consume alcohol. There were only seven states, along with Washington D.C.; that put a complete ban on alcohol to be bought or consumed under twentyone. Those other six states are Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. As the consumption laws vary from state to state, some allow the consumption of alcohol under the supervision and consent of parents and others do not. Some states do not even have a law of consumption at all, which proves a small portion of my point. The legal drinking age in the United States should be lowered from twentyone to eighteen because at this age one is considered an adult, there would be a lower risk of underage drinking and if one can serve in the military then they shall be able to The first point is the fact that in the United States, one is considered a legal adult. Therefore, the purchasing of lottery tickets, scratch tickets and tobacco products is now legal. Tobacco products cause heart disease,...
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...3/24/2013 Argumentative research paper Why Not Change the Drinking Age Back to 18? In the United States of America you are considered a legal adult at the age of 18 years old. You have all the major rights of a fully grown adult, voting, enlisting in the military, buying a house, buying tobacco products and many more. However there is one right that was taken away from the 18 year old adult back in 1984. In 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was put into place which changed the legal minimum drinking age from 18 years old to 21. Does this law mean that you are not really a mature adult until you are 21 or should the drinking age be brought back down to 18 when you receive all the other rights of a mature adult. It makes perfect sense that this right should be returned to young adults for plenty of reasons and also holds potential solutions to one of the nation’s biggest alcohol related problems. What does it mean to be an adult? United States law states that you are legally considered an adult at the age of 18. It makes sense right? You can buy a house, enlist in the U.S. military, get married and loads of other rights you don’t have until the age of 18. But United States law also states that all states must enforce a legal minimum drinking age of 21. We are the only major nation to have such a high drinking age. The drinking age wasn’t always this high though. On July 17th 1984 the national minimum drinking age act was passed which meant that 18 year old young adults...
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...You're known as an adult in the big wide vast world but cannot enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage? The legal age of drinking in the U.S should be lowered to 18. This is an ongoing topic throughout law enforcement and very debatable if it should stay, be raised, or even lowered which is what should happen. As civilians are allowed to enlist in the military and fight for our country but cannot have alcohol? As Americans turn 18 they are known as adults but cannot drink. If underage drinking is very common and not often stopped by authorities, why will it not be lowered? There are also many reasons to not lower it and even raise it. Having the ability to enlist into the military and risking the lives of many Americans as they fight for our country but yet, these fellow...
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...losses as big as having to complete school or acquire a GED to reach a certain level of employment. While in other cases, the fight for earning one’s driving license at the age of sixteen appealed to the favor of teens. Currently, the dispute that is now being presented touches a subject that if ever addressed by the government, would change the way America operates forever: the age of consent for drinking. The debate is simple- the teens want it lowered against the adults who would like it to stay the same. The issue stirs major controversy mainly to focus on the safety of young adults, and how the consumption of alcohol can affect the mortality rate in their age bracket. However, there are firm rebuttals that show that lowering the legal drinking age to eighteen can not only benefit society, is the only fair addition to the list of rights and privileges one assumes when they reach America’s definition of adulthood. The pros and cons of the issue both have their strong and weak points aimed towards convincing their respective counter retorts. Yet when push comes to shove, it’s hard to deny that the law surrounding the drinking age in its standing, is not only unfair to young adults, but hypocritical. The arguments against lowering the age, while true, do not run parallel with the issue of a drinker’s age. All in all, the argument over changing the legal restrictions for those who want to drink, in many opinions, ends with those in favor changing it,...
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...Drinking Age Here in America alcohol is used for many different reasons. Some drink alcohol leisurely at a barbeque or party. Some drink it to get drunk and alleviate stress, some people even become so addicted they are physically dependent on consuming alcohol. Regardless of the reasons you drink it, legally you must be 21 years of age. This leaves a lot of room for heated debate. 21 is the magic age for youth, it allows you to now go out to night clubs, gamble, and of course buy and legally consume alcohol to name a few things. In regards to alcohol, many feel as if the age should be 18. As the man in the video was arguing, if you’re able to serve your country why can you have a beer? That is the argument many people will have. I do not agree that the legal age should be 18 in general, but I do feel that military men and women who lay their lives on the line should be given the option to do so. That would be the only case I feel as if it should be allowed, otherwise it would be chaos in my opinion. As stated in the video, states have tried to lower the drinking age before. The result was failure, there were much more drunk driving cases and accidents from people under 21. Now days alcohol is readily available no matter where you are at or what age you are. When I was in High School getting alcohol never seemed to be an issue for a lot of the kids I went to school with. Whether it was parents...
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...Edwin Muniz English 1010 Lowering the Legal Drinking Age There are many controversial topics in today’s news involving the younger generation. One of the most talked about topics is lowering the legal drinking age in the United States. Lowering the drinking age could have a really good impact on society as a whole. Although there are people that believe that lowering the age limit will have a really bad effect on the US, the good outweigh the bad. The drinking age being at 21, makes those underage look at alcohol sort of like the “forbidden fruit,” making them want to drink even more, sort of as a rite of passage. Lowering the drinking age to 18 seems almost undeniable considering that in the US, 18 is considered the age of adulthood. In the United States, turning 18 gives you the right to vote in elections, smoke tobacco, serve on juries, get married, sign legal contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and even join the military. Just imagine being 18 in the military, watching everyone 21 and older having a cold beer while you’re sitting there drinking water because you’re not old enough to drink alcohol. Not only are you risking your life being in the military like the others, you are also able to do everything the older members are able to do but, you absolutely cannot have an alcoholic beverage. In 1984 the U.S. Government raised the legal drinking age to 21 in an effort to decrease instances of drunk driving and related injuries and fatalities. However, this attempt...
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