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Speech on Changing the Legal Drinking Age

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Submitted By IndiannaRose13
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1 in 8 deaths of Australians under 25 years is related to alcohol consumption.

Fellow year 12 and Mrs Thomas there is much research showing the benefits of raising the legal drinking age in Australia from 18 to 21. I believe it is the right thing to do for the good of our health and the good of our futures. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of heavy drinking. Excessive alcohol consumption affects how our young brains develop. Studies have shown that alcohol consumption negatively affects academic performance and can impair judgement resulting in risk taking behaviours, unsafe or unwanted sex or injury.

Our brains continue to develop into our 20’s. Areas of the brain that undergo the most dramatic changes during adolescence are the frontal lobe and the hippocampus.These are areas of the brain that are associated with motivation,planning,judgement, decision making, language, impulse control and addiction. Aspects that heavily affect people of our age. Alcohol is a neurotoxin. Neurotoxins are substances that are poisonous or destructive to nerve tissue. In simple terms, alcohol poisons the brain. Excessive alcohol consumption at a young age interferes with vitamin B absorption; this prevents the brain from working properly. Professor John Toumbourou of the Deakin University School of Psychology says that ‘Alcohol causes permanent brain damage in young people, and raising the legal age will reduce not only youth alcohol problems but also other forms of drug use.’

P-Plate drivers are 3 times more likely to be killed or injured than more experienced drivers. When you turn 18, you can legally drink and legally drive. However, you can not do both at the same time. A study conducted by AAMI insurance found that 1 in 6 p plate drivers believed it was okay to drive after a few drinks. The TAC found that in 2012 young drivers aged between 18-25

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