Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age

Improved Essays
Since 1984 the legal age to drink alcohol is 21 years old. The National Minimum drinking age act prohibited people under 21 in the United States to drink alcohol. Before 1984 the legal drinking age was 18 years old. There are many pros and cons to lowering the drinking age. Alcohol poisoning, drunk driving accidents, and stupid actions while being drunk happen to 18 year olds and 21 year olds the same even with the drinking again being 21. Some pros of the minimum drinking age being lowered are that 18 is the age of adulthood. People this age are able to make the decisions they want and should also be able to drink. 18 year olds are allowed to serve on juries and serve in the army. Allowing 18-20 year olds to drink alcohol would reduce the …show more content…
The consumption of alcohol can interfere with the development of the frontal lobes of the young adults brain. The potential for addiction to alcohol is more likely, causes the drinker to take more risks, reduces decision making ability, and the potential to develop depression and commit suicide is greater. Lowering the age to 18 would allow younger people to drink in bars and night clubs, which are not safe establishments. Most DWI charges are charged to people who drank at licensed establishments. The age should stay the same because of the dangers that comes with drinking alcohol. There is lower alcohol consumption with the drinking age being 21 because less people are allowed to drink alcohol. The minimum age helps take away from underage binge drinking. 21 year olds are more responsible and mature than 18 year olds. Lowering the drinking age could also allow even younger kids to get ahold of alcohol. High schoolers could give even younger kids alcohol. Even with European drinking age being younger, a greater percentage of American teens drink than European teens. This may just be because of the minimum drinking age is 21 and kids want to break it. In Europe the kids may drink less because it is legal for them to. ("Drinking Age ProCon.org."

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Lowering the drinking age to 18 would cause even more drunk driving. People age 16 to 20 are 17 times more likely to die in a vehicle crash when they have a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent than when they have not been drinking alcohol. Keeping 21 the minimum legal drinking age has prevented teen drinking and…

    • 1284 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In such countries, teenagers are raised a different way and grow up different then teenagers in the American culture. Drinking in America for young teenagers has always been about partying and having fun. This is why using other countries to compare their drinking age to ours does not make any sense. It has also been an argument that restricting teenagers only leads to binge drinking.…

    • 1073 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People think that it will be worse if the age is lowered because they think teens of ages 15-17 will than start drinking. A teen with the age of 15-17 years of age are commonly surrounded by parents or, can be easily identified anywhere. Finally, this country has a lot of different cultures. Alcohol is influenced in some of the European cultures. In Italy, wine is served with dinner to the whole table.…

    • 1707 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    If eighteen becomes the new minimum legal age to drink, many would not have a fine to pay or their license revoked due to a violation of the law. Young adults can easily ruin the rest of their lives due to a simple misdemeanor. Many citizens have a bad record or background due to the minimum legal drinking age being twenty one. Money payed towards a fine could go towards college tuition. A license being revoked could easily lead to the loss of one’s job or a decline in school attendance (Toomey, Nelson, and Lenk 1962).…

    • 1803 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Teens can easily obtain alcohol whatever the drinking age may be; which is a simple reason why the drinking age should be lowered. Teens who are eighteen are of legal age to sign up for the military and legally commit murder in order to protect their country, but are banned from having even one little drink of alcohol. Also a teen who is eighteen can vote in any election which is another simple reason why the drinking age mind as well be eighteen because being able to vote and go to war are huge privileges in comparison to drinking…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The responsibilities one has when you are drinking are huge. People are not only just affecting themselves when drinking, but also they are affecting other people also (“Minimum”). Teenagers need to be educated on these side effects. Therefore the drinking age should be changed to eighteen in order to help educate teenagers the side effects of drinking, warning more effectively will help those who drink and drive, and also keeping with the most…

    • 2159 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    So they can go overseas and fight ISIS but wouldn 't be allowed to drink a beer while doing it. Finally, with all the time the police spend arresting underage drinkers they could use that time, energy, and money to focus on more pressing issues like murders and drugs. All of these reasons lead to the conclusion that lowering the drinking age would result in a more positive environment for young people and will help strengthen the government. My main opinion on the drinking age is that it should really be lowered. It makes sense for it to be 18 years old.…

    • 1597 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The first reason we should not lower the minimum legal drinking age is it would be medically irresponsible. Drinking alcohol at such a young age can do much harm to the body as it is still maturing. According to ProCon.org Headlines, the brain develops until around 20 years of age. The brain 's frontal lobes are very important during adolescence. The brain 's frontal lobes are essential for emotion regulation and having alcohol can interfere with development.…

    • 1119 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the largest concerns in the economy today is the underaged consumption of alcohol. This has become a major problem in recent years as it has led to an increased number of drunk driving accidents as well as other alcohol related incidents (Choose Responsibility). As a result of the cumulative occurrences over the years, Congress has had a difficult time determining the appropriate age to legalize the consumption of alcohol. There are numerous reasons as to why many believe the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18, although there are many arguments against it as well. As of currently, all 50 U.S. states have set the minimum drinking age to 21.…

    • 1617 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    America’s Legal Drinking Age Should be Held at Age Twenty-one In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which required all US states to raise their ages for purchase and possession of alcohol to the age of 21. Although the legal drinking age has been debated upon, over the years it has been greatly proven that the age should not be lowered. Since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was put into play in 1984, the legal drinking age in the United States has been the age of twenty-one. This law requiring a person to be of twenty-one years of age when either purchasing or consuming alcohol in the United States has been taken very seriously in all states with the exception of Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and…

    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Although 18 year olds are considered adults, some think that they are still not mature enough to make to correct choices about alcohol. Those who think that keeping the drinking age at a higher minimum are trying to keep the demand for alcohol down and are also trying to keep the roads safer from drunk drivers. People between the ages of 18 and 20 will have just started college for the most part and don’t need alcohol interfering with their studies and their ability to succeed in life. Condoning the drinking of newly formed adults would only cause chaos and cause more fatalities. To MADD the cost of drinking outweighs the benefits since the highest numbers of fatalities in the United States are due to alcohol related deaths.…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The number of DUI’s has slowly increased within the past 5 years; this is without changing the drinking age. The government has already had problems within the last 5-7 years about misuse of alcohol, lowering the age would put more increase the problems. According to Tara Watson, “Research has shown that a drinking age of 21 does reduce alcohol use by those under 21, including high school students.” That goes to show that if the law is enforced the right way then we could help minimize underage drinking. The earlier you drink in your life, the earlier you are to have complications from too much alcohol.…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drinking Age To 18 Essay

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The drinking age should be lowered to 18 because, you can buy cigarettes and vote at the age of 18, plus you are considered an adult at 18. With adult hood in mind, in the United States you are considered an adult at the age of eighteen. At the age of eighteen in the U.S you can…

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I personally think that the minimum legal drinking age should remain at twenty-one. When a person turns twenty-one they are looking forward to being able to legally drink and buy alcohol when they want to. On a person’s sixteenth birthday they look forward to getting their license, on their eighteenth they are finally legal, and on their twenty-first they can finally drink legally. Turning twenty-one is just another milestone in a person’s life and the drinking age shouldn’t be lowered when consuming alcohol legally goes with that particular milestone. I also think that the minimum legal drinking age shouldn’t be lowered because it is a safety hazard and should be taken seriously.…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In contrast, lowering the alcoholic drinking age from 21 to 18 will irresponsibly allow a greater segment of the population to drink alcohol in bars and nightclubs. Raising the alcoholic drinking age decreases drinking among young people, it promotes fewer dropout rates and protects adverse birth outcomes, and alcohol drug dependence. Truly,raising the alcoholic drinking age is an effective law that protects young people…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays