In 1984, Congress passed a law that made a huge impact on people across America. The drinking age was raised from eighteen to twenty-one. All over the country, young adults and teens under the age of twenty-one are consuming alcohol. Teens are experimenting with alcohol in unsafe environments, which leads to a higher level of binge drinking among youth. The purpose of this law was to cut back on the number of high fatalities that were being caused by drinking and driving. Anyone who has followed the news, read articles, or has been through high school, would be able to tell that this law simply isn’t working. The number of drinking and driving as well as other alcohol related deaths hasn 't moved for the past decade. Throughout this paper,
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The United States is one of only twelve countries that have decided to set the minimum drinking age at twenty-one years old. Why is it that these countries with lower drinking ages have less alcohol-related deaths and incidents than we do here in the United States where the drinking age is higher? Instead of alcohol being viewed as a ‘forbidden fruit,’ young adults are introduced to this topic and are educated on it at a very early age. Due to the views of alcohol being laid back in most countries, young adults become much more responsible at a younger age. For example, it is completely ordinary for a fourteen year old in France to have a couple glasses of wine with his or her family at the dinner table. “Several countries including Belgium, Denmark, and Germany, allow sixteen year olds to buy beer and wine.” (www.cnn.com). With a law such as that in effect, by the time these young adults reach the legal age to drink hard liquor, they have already had numerous experiences with alcohol in general and are able to make responsible decisions for themselves and those around …show more content…
“An eighteen-year-old in the U.S. has the right to vote, serve in the military, and purchase cigarettes, so one should be able to buy or consume alcohol.” While this quote from ‘Cognac’ is similar to the responsibilities of an eighteen-year-old mentioned above, it is clear that this law creates a lot of confusion for some. This is an important topic to be discussed because the amount of highway fatalities have not decreased since lowering the drinking age in 1984. Even though this was the goal for passing this law, this is proof that age does not play a factor into drinking, while reasonability does. This change in policy is not as simple as telling uneducated and irresponsible young adults that they are now free to drink unlimited amounts of alcohol, but to make sure that they are fully aware of the consequences and risks that come along with making the choice to consume
The United States is one of only twelve countries that have decided to set the minimum drinking age at twenty-one years old. Why is it that these countries with lower drinking ages have less alcohol-related deaths and incidents than we do here in the United States where the drinking age is higher? Instead of alcohol being viewed as a ‘forbidden fruit,’ young adults are introduced to this topic and are educated on it at a very early age. Due to the views of alcohol being laid back in most countries, young adults become much more responsible at a younger age. For example, it is completely ordinary for a fourteen year old in France to have a couple glasses of wine with his or her family at the dinner table. “Several countries including Belgium, Denmark, and Germany, allow sixteen year olds to buy beer and wine.” (www.cnn.com). With a law such as that in effect, by the time these young adults reach the legal age to drink hard liquor, they have already had numerous experiences with alcohol in general and are able to make responsible decisions for themselves and those around …show more content…
“An eighteen-year-old in the U.S. has the right to vote, serve in the military, and purchase cigarettes, so one should be able to buy or consume alcohol.” While this quote from ‘Cognac’ is similar to the responsibilities of an eighteen-year-old mentioned above, it is clear that this law creates a lot of confusion for some. This is an important topic to be discussed because the amount of highway fatalities have not decreased since lowering the drinking age in 1984. Even though this was the goal for passing this law, this is proof that age does not play a factor into drinking, while reasonability does. This change in policy is not as simple as telling uneducated and irresponsible young adults that they are now free to drink unlimited amounts of alcohol, but to make sure that they are fully aware of the consequences and risks that come along with making the choice to consume