...Brian Basic Should the Drinking age be reduced? The drinking age goes way back in history. Drinking began to be considered a problem around the 1900’s. When the government decided to pass the 18th amendment in 1919 alcohol became prohibited throughout the United States. This amendment forced all alcohol underground. The crime rate started to rise drastically throughout the country. The crime rate rose because people were buying and selling alcohol illegally. As a result of all the problems evolved, in 1923 the 23rd amendment repealed the 18th amendment abolishing the banning of alcohol from the United States. That established the modern drinking age, but the age was not the same in all of the states. The states government had the freedom of being able to assign what they felt were a good age for people to start the consumption of alcohol. Most of the states chose the age of twenty-one, but several states allowed the purchase of beer to be at eighteen. "The political failure of general Prohibition meant that American adults would increasingly focus justifications for alcohol policy less on the perils of drunkenness and more on the tenuous concept that adults can drink properly but youths cannot or should not" (Males 190). This lead to much discussion over the drinking age and the debate will go on for years to come. Throughout this debate, it lead to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which lowered the United States drinking age to eighteen. After this act...
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...Why the drinking age should be lowered When people in the United States reach the age of eighteen, they are no longer considered juvenile. They have the right to choose their political leaders, purchase certain firearms, and even enlist in the military. They are considered legally independent adults. However, they are denied a very simple right: the right to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. A twenty-year-old man can go legally kill a man or be killed for his country, but he would be denied the right to have a beer with his dinner. An eighteen year old in the US has the right to vote, and serve in the military. If that individual can make the decision of who the next potential leader of our country should be, while at the same time...
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...Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered? The drinking age in the United States is as low as it could possibly be, it should not be lowered it is as dangerous as it is already that there are more fatal car crashes due to the alcohol levels of drivers behind the wheel. I believe the drinking age needs to be higher. Alcohol has always played different roles in different situations but the drinking age is a protection against ourselves. The drinking age should not be lowered because it is causing harm to the society and kids, not only does alcohol cause harm but it can also be a trigger to sources of abuse to someone or something. The 1970’s was the first time the drinking age was considered to be moved up from 18 to 21 that today is currently saving lives day by day. Lowering the age can increase the death rate at ages from 18 to 20 years of age either be killed or injured. In this day and age there are not only adults drinking there are adolescents that are taking in the toxicants not knowing at an early age there is even more damage to progress and grow over time to harm the body. Based on a recent study there are 10.1 million underage drinkers in the United States 39 percent of them are 8th graders, 58 percent of them are 10th graders, 72 percent of...
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...Should the Legal Drinking Age be lowered to 18? Ryan A. Conklin is a soldier who enlisted into the Army at the age of 17. He was deployed to Iraq when he was just 20 years old. In his book, he wrote about his daily duties of a soldier in Iraq and all of the sights and sounds that he witnessed. He makes a comment in his book about the drinking age in the United States. He states “I was twenty years old, and on April Fools’ Day, I would turn twenty-one finally legal to drink in a bar. Unfortunately, I was two-and-a-half years into serving my country and was living in a combat zone, and I found it odd that until then I was still not allowed to drink alcohol in the States. A law I hope will be changed in my lifetime.” Different cultures and societies respond different to alcohol in terms of how much they can drink and what their bodies can handle. The legal age to consume alcohol in the U.S. should be lowered to eighteen for the sake of the people, the economy, and safety. When a male or female turns the age of 18, they now reserve the right to serve in the military. When war broke out with Iraq, people were chosen to go over that just turned the age of 18. In the book “An Angel in Hell” by Ryan A. Conklin, he stated “he would always wake up hoping that that day was not the last day he would be on this Earth. He was always on high alert while on patrols, dodging bullets and shooting his own gun just to stay alive.” He also said, in his book, “that he found it odd and annoying...
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...Why the Drinking Age should be lowered Why the drinking age should be lowered It is a Friday night, after a grueling week of studying, students are excited to go downtown and have a good time with their friends at the bar. One person gets to the bar and the bouncer sees his ID, takes a long look at him and says he can’t let him in. This situation happens to millions of college students all over the United States! The drinking age in the United States is 21 and it is somewhat of a controversy for many people. The drinking age should be lowered because people will engage in more responsible drinking, people in their teens will get in less trouble with the law and most importantly it will be the last step towards fully making 18 year olds a part of the adult community. It is well known that college students like to drink. It is no secret, but where they buy and consume their alcohol is a secret. The president of Middlebury College, John Mcardell says, “kids find ways to get around the 21 year old limit. This law has been an abysmal failure. It hasn't reduced or eliminated drinking. It has simply driven it underground, behind closed doors, into the most risky and least manageable of settings." Since most college freshmen and sophomores are under the legal drinking age they are not able to buy their own alcohol and much less go into a bar and have a drink. In a survey I made out of my class all 11 students said that they have consumed an alcoholic beverage...
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...The drinking age has been a topic of debate ever since an age was established. Many years ago, government said that 21 years old would be the minimum age for drinking. This was fine for a while but later became an issue. People started to think of all the things one can do as an 18 year old, yet still not able to drink a beer. At 18 years old one is considered an adult. They become eligible to serve in the military and yield weapons. Also at 18, one can go out to the store and buy a pack of cigarettes. So why can they still not have a beer. This is where controversy has begun. People believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18. Already in some states it is legal for someone to drink at 18, under some circumstances, but why is it not nationwide?...
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...debate about whether or not to lower the drinking age has been going on for years now with people on both sides having strong points. The side with the stronger side of the argument, in my opinion, would have to be yes, we should lower the drinking age to either eighteen or nineteen years old. I will be going over four points on why the drinking age should be lowered and they are as follows: it would teach responsible drinking behaviors and stop irresponsible college drinking, if we tried to raise the drinking age we would have another prohibition-like era which we all know how that turned out, there are fewer traffic accidents in countries with the drinking age of eighteen, and the morals around it, because if we can send an eighteen year old to Iraq then why can’t he make his own decision and have a drink? Lowering the drinking age to eighteen or nineteen would help the irresponsible drinking and help educate youth to know moderation when it comes to alcohol. “According to procon.org they state that if youth between the age of eighteen and twenty were allowed to drink in controlled environments such as bars, restaurants, social events, and other licensed locations would allow them to learn moderation and not resort to binge drinking in other areas such as fraternity houses or house parties.” (Should) Many college students are drinking as a pass-time and we can’t seem to do anything about it that is just it is. If we lower the drinking age, however, it will not only show that this...
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...Should the drinking age be lowered to 18? 18 year olds have the right to vote, serve in the military, and get married. Therefore, it seems strange for it to be illegal for them to drink alcohol. By letting 18 year olds drink and be able to purchase alcohol it makes it less of a big deal, less control and restriction makes it less appealing and theres no thrill. That will make them drink more socially and responsibly. 18 is the age where you legally become an adult therefore you should be able to legally drink alcohol. It's the question underage kids have been asking for years: I can fight and die for this country but I can't enjoy an alcoholic beverage? ""18 is the age of adulthood in the US, and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption."" says (Hayley). The alcoholic drinking age should be lowered to age eighteen because at that age you are responsible, mature, and it will help send the right message. Although many people agree that the age to consume alcohol should be lowered, many others argued for the opposite side of things. People believe that if children are able to drink alcohol legally they will want to start doing illicit drugs because they will try to find a thrill in something else since they won't find it in alcohol anymore. But that is merely an assumption...
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...Should the Drinking Age be Lowered to 18? In the United States of America, one is lawfully considered an adult on their 18th birthday. With adulthood comes choices, responsibility, and privileges that they did not possess as a minor. At the age of 18, a person can enlist in the army and die for this country, vote for the future president or other government officials, and be charged as an adult, potentially leading to them going to prison, jail, or facing the death penalty. However, an 18 year old can not purchase or legally consume alcohol in America. Although, some think 18 year olds do not have the physical or mental capacity for alcohol, the national drinking age should be lowered to 18 because teens 18 and older are able to make critical decisions. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed over 30 years ago. This act raised the drinking age from 18 to 21. This act has been poorly enforced in America. 10.8 million underage Americans drink(“Minimum Legal Drinking Age”). The higher drinking age causes teens to drink in unsafe settings. These unsafe, unsupervised drinking situations can lead to spiked drinks, injury, and sexual assault. The drinking age does little to stop...
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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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...The drinking age should be lowered in the US By ashley_white11, Auburn, NY More by this author Email me when ashley_white11 contributes work The drinking age should be lowered in the US Image Credit: John W., Evergreen, CO The author's comments: Quotes This was my English essay and I was told to publish it on here. Quotes The drinking age should be lowered back to the age of 18. I feel that for many reasons including that people are adults at that age and should be able to make their own decisions. Setting the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) to 21 is unconstitutional and setting the drinking age to 21 sent the wrong message to teens in the US. The drinking age should be lowered to 18 years old because people are considered adults at that age. When you are 18 you receive the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. When you are that age you can vote, drive a vehicle, get married and even join the military. So why not be able to consume alcohol? When you are 18 you should be able to make your own decisions about alcohol consumption. This includes taking the responsibilities of life or death. Another reason is that when the US lowered the drinking age it sent the wrong message about alcohol consumption to people under the age of 21. In this case it seemed like they raised the drinking age to 21 because people where more mature at 21 years old than they are at 18. So teens want to consume alcohol to appear more mature. If the drinking age were lowered it would...
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...Drinking Age to Eighteen Seventy six percent of seniors in the United States admitted to drinking before the end of their senior year in high school. The legal drinking age in all fifty states in the United States is twenty one years old. The legal drinking age did not always used to be twenty one. Up until nineteen eighty four the drinking age was eighteen (“The Debate on Lowering the Drinking Age”). Today, seventy four percent of Americans favor the drinking age being lowered to eighteen (“Drinking Age”). The drinking age should be lowered from twenty one to eighteen because at the age of eighteen one legally becomes an adult, it would reduce the amount of unsafe drinking activity, and statistics show countries with lower drinking age laws...
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...Drink up, or drink down? People 18 years and older are considered adults and should be treated as such by being allowed to legally purchase and consume alcohol. The United States is one of the few countries that maintains a relatively high minimum legal drinking age of 21. Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to 18? Well, in a way the drinking age should be lowered to 18, because we have persons that go into the armed forces at the age of 18. We also have the buying of tobacco products, by 18-year-olds. 18 -year-olds are also allowed to make decisions and vote for leaders of our local, state, and federal governments. So why are they not allowed to drink? The drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18 because 18 year olds are responsible adults that are part of society and are mature enough to handle alcohol consumption. To begin with, the definition of an adult is a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law. In the USA, that age is 18, and with every American's 18th birthday comes all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of becoming an adult. When becoming an adult you are given more freedom in life; such as applying for a credit card, being legally married without parental consent, filing for divorce, paying rent/mortgage, making purchases, signing a binding contract, voting, serving on a jury and serving in the military. If charged with a crime, the 18-year-old is no longer tried in juvenile court; he's tried as an adult. In overall, an...
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...As a whole the United States set the legal minimum drinking age at 21, but expectation such as drinking for medical reasons, consumption at home, under adult supervision, and many other reasons do exits depending on the state. In an article called "Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered From 21 To a Younger Age?" argues the legal drinking age for Americans should be lowered because, "Turning 18 entails receiving the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, join the military--which includes taking on the responsibilities of life and death--and be prosecuted as adults. Adults from the age of 18 should therefore also be trusted to make decisions about alcohol consumption"("Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered From 21 To A Younger Age?", n.d.). In this rebuttal using valid arguments, supporting data, analyzing the reliability, credibility, and validity of the data used by the author, and identifying any logical fallacies in the argument it will be explained why the minimum drinking age should not be lowered. The legal minimum drinking age was not always 21 for the United States. At one point in time different states had the legal minimum drinking age set to age 20, 19, even 18. The main reason the legal age for drinking should not be lowered is safety." Federal transportation authority's viewed this hodge-podge of state laws as a real highway traffic safety problem. Alcohol-related traffic injuries and fatalities were increasing...
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...At this time in America, there are teenagers participating in underage binge drinking, because of this they are either dead or in jail. This new media culture has glorified the consumption of alcohol among the youth will ultimately will lead to their deaths. Even though it is illegal to purchase alcohol for anyone under twenty-one. The legal drinking age should not be lowered to eighteen because drunk driving accidents would occur more often, adults are more mature at the age of twenty-one, and students in high school would be able to buy alcohol, resulting in even more underage drinking. If the minimum drinking age is lowered, a substantial amount of drunk driving would occur more often. When the drinking age was lowered, during the...
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