Underage Drinking Persuasive Essay

“Automobiles are not ferocious.... it is man who is to be feared,” as Robbins B. Stoeckel remarked, enumerates a simple, yet fundamental concept- a vehicle in itself is a relatively safe, that is, until you put a person behind the controls. Further adding to the danger is the ever prevalent risk of a fellow driver being impaired by the usage of alcohol; perhaps the only thing that may make such a situation even more difficult and dangerous is one who is under the legal alcohol drinking age. Fewer situations are more life threatening than when an underage driver has been illegally consuming alcohol, yet persists in the belief that he or she retains the ability to drive safely. Thoughts along this line are foolish at best and deadly at

They are not getting the right to drink freely and so they go out and deviate from the laws. Professor Engs has tested this theory by using a student alcohol questionnaire. The questionnaire tested 3,375 students that were both underage and of legal age. The questionnaire showed that 81.2% of the underage students were drinkers, which was compared to the legal age students that had a percentage of 75.3%. Out of the 81.2% of the underage drinkers about 24% of them are heavy drinkers. This compares the lower percentage of heavy drinkers that are legal age; they only have a percentage rate of 15.93%.

It has been a rising issue within the past century to have the drinking age set at 21, but many people are more in favor of having the age set at 18. For instance, “’Raising the drinking age to 21 was passed with the very best of intentions, but it’s had the very worst of outcomes,’ stated by David J. Hanson, an alcohol policy expert” (Johnson). Many people believe that having the drinking age set at 21 was a smart idea, but it has caused many more deaths and injuries over the years. Most of these fatalities are cause from people who are underage and choose to consume alcohol. Again, “Libertarian groups and some conservative economic foundations, seeing the age limits as having been extorted by Washington, have long championed lowering the drinking age” (Johnson). These groups see that keeping the drinking age set at 21 is dangerous as it causes more problems to the Untied States. If the drinking age was lowered, or set at 18, there would not be such unforgiving outcomes, like deaths and lifelong injuries, which are usually caused from people who are under the age of 21 drinking alcohol. Although there are numerous groups that are fighting to keep the age

Every year, thousands of minors die from the use of alcohol. Many young adults abuse the drinking age policy. It is put in effect for substantial reasons, which contribute in making the safest environment for all. Drinking underage is not only illegal, but also damages one’s health tremendously. Furthermore, drinking in large amounts is extremely dangerous and can cause detrimental things to occur. There have been numerous attempts to create a law to lower the drinking age, but none have gone through. In contrast to what some people may say, the drinking age should not be lowered because it would decrease maturity, promote poor behavior, and damage reputations.

Consuming alcohol is considered a rite of passage for the average young individual. The minimum drinking age required to legally consume alcohol varies in each country, ranging from it always being legal to drinking being illegal at any age, but most countries have set the age at 18-19. In the United States, as of 1988, the MLDA is 21 throughout its entire territory, while the age of majority starts at 18. This paper analyzes the arguments to lower the minimum drinking age and unify it with the age of majority. The factors discussed are alcohol-related traffic accidents, encouragement of unsafe drinking habits, and inconsistency between the perception of adulthood and the MLDA.

In the article Why the Drinking Age should be Lowered, Ruth Engs believes that the drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19. Engs is a Professor at Indiana University in the Health and Sciences department. In this article Engs makes a valid point in that “responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs.” Engs also states facts about the different drinking ages in other countries, and that the United States has the highest legal purchasing age for alcoholic beverages in the world.

Proponents argue “The current underage drinking law of 21, has not stopped teen drinking, and has instead pushed underage binge drinking into private and less controlled environments, leading to more health and life-endangering behavior by teens” (ProCon, 2012, para. 2).

Unfortunately, more than a third of these drinkers are unable to remember what happened the night of a big drinking session. The youth particularly, are vulnerable to the effects of heavy drinking. Harms include an increased risk of traffic accidents, injuries from violence, death, health problems, and some studies suggest suicide. If the legal drinking age is raised to 21 then at least one will have finished the major part of their education. Therefore if people start drinking later in life, they may be more likely to drink in moderation and not get addicted at an early

The legal drinking age in the Untied States is 21. However, the legal drinking age wasn’t always 21 in the United States. Not until Congress passed the National Minimum drinking Age Act in 1984. This law basically stated that if a state lowers its legal drinking age below 21, Congress would take 10 percent of the state’s federal highway funds. With this law in affect, by 1988 all states had set the legal drinking age to 21.

The underage consumption of alcohol is a major obstacle in America. Current statistics show 35 percent of all wine coolers and 1.1 billion cans of beer are consumed each year by underage, illegal drinkers (Novello 455). Possibly the hardest fact to stomach is that children "believe drinking is the thing to do" (Benenson 38). Parents, educators, legislators, and lawmakers previously thought that peer pressure was to blame, however, that is no longer the issue. Underage drinking in America is primarily the cause of children trying to fit in (also known as social drinking), advertising that is aimed at underage drinkers, and inherited traits/genetics. We must understand that alcohol abuse is no longer 'just

72% of adults think that lowering the drinking age would make alcohol more accessible to kids, and nearly half believe that it would increase binge drinking among teens, according to a new Nationwide Insurance poll. Twenty-one isn't just an arbitrary number set by Congress--more than 20 states already had laws setting the drinking age there in 1984. Since the law widely enacted, the number of young people killed annually in crashes involving drunk drivers under 21 has been cut in half, from more than 5,000 individuals in the early 1980s to around 2,000 in 2005. By the end of 2005, the 21 drinking age had saved nearly 25,000 American lives--approximately 1,000 lives a year. A person’s brain does not stop developing until their early to mid-20s. During this period, alcohol negatively affects all parts of the brain, Including cognitive and decision-making abilities as well as coordination and memory. Adolescent drinkers not only do worse academically but are also at greater risk for social problems like depression, violence, and suicidal thoughts. Lowering the drinking age would have dangerous long-term consequences: Early Teen drinkers are not only more susceptible to alcoholism but to developing the disease earlier and more quickly than

Bars, nightclubs, and other licensed alcohol establishments are very unsafe for college students (“Should the Drinking Age...”). Also, new college students are extremely vulnerable in the first six weeks of their freshmen year (“College Drinking”). Therefore, lowering the drinking age to eighteen will allow new college students to engage in binge drinking at an incredibly young age. Also, seventy-six percent of licensed alcohol establishments cater to intoxicated patrons (“Should the Drinking Age...”). As a result, nearly half of the intoxicated consumers are arrested for driving while intoxicated (“Should the Drinking Age...”). The intoxicated drivers pose a serious risk to pedestrians, drivers, and college students. If the drinking age was lowered to eighteen, college students would be exposed to a greater amount of danger which can lead to fatal injuries, car wrecks, and assaults (“College Drinking”). Do parents or guardians want to expose their children to the danger of intoxicated people? The majority of the population would agree that lowering the drinking age to eighteen would result in greater danger to college students.

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

In the United States today many teens have the problem of underage drinking. Whether they do it to look cool or to have fun, it is an enormous problem. In fact, one our four teens state that the would ride with a driver that is intoxicated (“Underage Drinking”). This shows that teenagers and not only irresponsible with alcohol, but also uniformed of the serious consequences. Although the rates of underage drinking have dropped within time, there are still ways to lower these rates more (Klass). With much research and problem solving, I have come up with three different ways to lessen the issue of underage drinking. The three options I focused my research on was changing the way colleges teach, lowering the drinking age, and informing

As much as everyone is aware about the harm of consumption of too much alcohol, sometimes when someone is constantly extremely stressed they tend to find relief at the bottom of a bottle. It’s interesting that most of the times you only hear about teens underage drinking to the extreme, but if they thought high school was rough. Apparently the real world’s tougher to deal with and leads to getting drunk as well. This article caught my attention because all they talk about in health class how not to underage drink, but they never say anything about after you turn twenty one. The harm is all the same. The author explains that scientist have actually proven this to be true; work hard, drink harder. Scientist studies have shown that, “the level of alcohol consumption at which there might be an increased risk of adverse health consequences, such as liver diseases, cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, mental disorders, and injuries, as well as considerable social costs because of family disruption,