Persuasive Essay: Lowering The Drinking Age

The final reason the legal drinking age should not be lowered is because of alcohol related motor accidents. Drunk driving is an enormous public safety issue and is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S alone. Attorney Rich Stim says, “Although drivers under the age of 21 represent 10 percent of licensed drivers they are responsible for 17 percent of fatal alcohol-related crashes. Approximately 2,000 underage drinkers die each year behind the wheel and alcohol is a factor in a third of all teenage auto fatalities”. (Stim) Lowering the drinking age would make alcohol related fatalities rise immensely. When young people drink and get into a car, they tend to make irresponsible decisions that may put them in danger. For example, young

In the United State the legal drinking age is 21 but that has changed a lot through out our seemingly small history. At 18 in today’s society in the U.S. you can be drafted if you are a male, vote, and get married without parental permission - with the exception of a few states. So why is it illegal to consume alcohol at 18? In an article called, “Return the Drinking Age to 18, and Enforce It.” Gabrielle Glaser stated that, “Raising the drinking age hasn't reduced drinking -- it’s merely driven it underground, to the riskiest of settings: unsupervised high school blowouts and fraternity parties that make "Animal House" look quaint.” If the drinking age was lowered teens would be less likely to end up drunk at some kid's house whose parents are away for the

The age of 21 is the appropriate age to allow the consumption of alcohol in the United States. Moreover, “the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that in 2010, 552 lives were saved by the minimum legal drinking age” (Voas, 2013, p. 1601). But traffic safety is not the only concern, if lowering the minimum legal drinking age, health and behavior issues will also be of concern. The possible consequences of lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18 may include an increase on the number of deaths caused by alcohol related accidents, high schoolers underage drinking problem, and alcohol related sexual assaults. Therefore, I do not support the lowering of the minimum legal drinking age to 18.

Should the age drinking be lowered in the US to 18 years old? For the past 25 years there has been a lot of talk about changing the drinking age limit. Some States back in the 1970’s try this approach and weren’t successful. Evidence show that between 1970 and 1975, the states that lowered their minimum legal drinking age to 18 suffered significant teenage traffic fatalities. Young teens have not reached an age where they can handle alcohol responsibly and are more likely to harm themselves or someone else by drinking before they turn 21. This led to a movement to reestablish the minimum legal age drinking back 21. 16 states increase their drinking age to 21 between 1976 and 1983. In 1984 The Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act signed by President Ronald Reagan put a stop to all this changes. He threatened to hold back all highway construction funds from all the states that did not increase their drinking age. By 1988 all stated had a minimum legal drinking age of 21. Does the minimum legal drinking age help

Should they lower the age of drinking to 18? They should not change the age of drinking. I think at 18 you're barely an adult. At 18 the person is just not mature enough to go out and drink. Why do they drink? People drink because of peer pressure, celebrations, anxiety, and sadness. Teens fall under the category of people, adults. They think if my parents drink that means I can drink. Teens have not yet reached an age where they can't handle alcohol responsibly, so they are more likely to harm themselves. Or they could make stupid decisions. Some colleges are banning drinking, because they are not responsible yet. Between 1970 and 1976, 30 states lowered their minimum legal drinking age to 21 from 18. All 50 states have set their minimum

The legal age of adulthood in the United States is eighteen. Turning eighteen brings the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, even be prosecuted as adults (Chiappetta). As an adult he or she should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption. Once someone turns eighteen he/she is indirectly encouraged to join the united states military which includes risking one's life, fighting a war overseas, so the people who choose to do that should be able to come home and enjoy a beer in the comforts of their home. Proponents of lowering the minimum legal drinking age from

“Raising the drinking age to 21 years across the country would prevent 32 annual deaths of male youth 18 to 20 years of age.” In today’s society, there are many drinkers. The age of these drinkers ranges from ages 18 to 20. A countless number of people complain about how drinkers have a negative impact on the environment and those around them. In the world we live in, drinking can cause many alcohol related accidents, family breakdowns, and can influence others to drink.

From 2006 to 2010, over eighty eight thousand deaths were caused from underage drinking.. imagine , It's five am. and you get a call from your daughter’s best friend you can't say a word as you sit and listen to the horror of the accident. Your daughter who was out all night drinking at parties with her friends did not wake up. She was poisoned from the excessive amount of alcohol she had consumed that night and fell asleep, unable to wake up this morning. You thought she was going over to her friends for a sleepover not to get a call the next day saying she died. The legal drinking age should not be lowered from twenty one because young teens would have easier access to alcohol, an increase in binge drinking, and injuries and deaths caused

Almost everyone can agree that alcohol should not be given or allowed to children or young adults under a certain age. Alcohol is a substance that is very dangerous and if you used incorrectly or immaturely the consequences can be great danger to the users or the ones around them. The topic of lowering the drinking age has been in discussion for many decades. “Between 1970 and 1976, 29 states lowered their age for drinking alcohol. The results were catastrophic. Highway deaths among teenagers and young adults skyrocketed. Almost immediately, states began raising the minimum drinking age again.” “In 1984, Congress passed the Uniform Drinking Age Act, which required states to have a minimum drinking age of 21 for all types of alcohol

The legal minimum drinking age should not be lowered to 18 because of the number of fatal car accidents, health hazards, and violent/ destructive behaviors that accompany alcohol consumption. The 21 minimum drinking age reduces traffic accidents and fatalities and saves many lives. Moreover, the use of alcohol magnifies potential health hazards on a teenager’s still developing brain/ body. People tend to be more mature and responsible at 21 than 18

In the United States at eighteen years old a citizen can vote. At eighteen a person can choose who will be president, governor, senator, and other important positions. If an eighteen year old can make the decision of who should run the country, then they can decide if they want to drink alcohol. By the age of eighteen most people are intelligent enough to comprehend politics and vote, and they should be smart enough to understand how alcohol affects a person and smart responsibly. Of an eighteen year old can vote, then they should be able to drink.

In today’s world, the majority of countries have a minimum legal drinking age of eighteen or lower. At one point in time the United States also had a legal drinking age of eighteen, until 1985, when the minimum legal drinking age was raised to twenty-one. Ever since then, drinking age limit has been a topic of major controversy. Although eighteen is the age you are legally considered an adult, eighteen year olds are entering the world with a newfound sense of independence where they are more susceptible to engaging in risky behavior, such as underage drinking. The minimum legal drinking age should remain at twenty-one, opposed to being lowered to eighteen because of the risks that alcohol consumption can pose to not only the consumers and their health, but also to the people that they come in contact with.

Did you know, eleven percent of the alcohol consumed is by children and adults, twelve to twenty? The drinking age in Michigan is twenty-one years of age, which has been around since December 1978. Thousands of Minor in Possession tickets (M.I.P) have been given and yet the state still believes that this law stands. The law is doing nothing but causing chaos in a family, and becoming more common. Ask any person under the age, and they will say that they know at least one individual with a M.I.P. The drinking age is unrealistic, unconstitutional, and unreliable. The drinking age should be lowered to save many headaches.

After the failure of Prohibition in the United States during the 1920’s, it was up to the individual state to decide their minimum legal drinking age. The majority of the states chose twenty one, which became the national minimum legal drinking age in 1984 (U.S). Despite this, many people underage continue to consume alcohol. The current drinking age contributes to these underage people’s unsafe drinking practices, such as drinking and driving and getting alcohol poisoning. Because of this, the minimum legal drinking age should be lowered.

It is time the United States made a change to lower the drinking have requirements to benefit our nation. Having the legal drinking age at twenty-one has recently been an un-effective law. Lowering the alcohol age requirement and enforcing it would be extremely beneficial for our society. For over thirty years, the legal alcohol age requirement has been set at 21 years of age. This law has not been very effective within the past couple years with the significant amount of deaths from binge drinking. With the law not effectively working, more people under the age of twenty-one are already regular drinkers by the time they hit the age of twenty-one. Lowering the drinking age to a lower age such as eighteen can teach young adults by drinking responsibly to avoid binge drinking, slowly rather than all at once, and by helping our nation economically.