Lowering The National Drinking Age - 1698 Words

Lowering the National Drinking Age Winston Churchill was infamous for his one liners and occasional drunken outbursts. One night at a party, he shocked a rather prominent woman with his drunken atrocities. Insulted, she turned to him and said, â€Å"Mr. Churchill, you are as drunk as a dog.† The Prime Minister returned, â€Å"Madam, I may be very drunk, but you are very ugly. But tomorrow,† he added, â€Å"I shall be sober† (Churchill, W). The use and abuse of alcohol is a centuries old vice that has circumnavigated the globe and all eras of humanity; young and old, man and woman. Alcohol is an inhibitor of logical thought. However, it is an enjoyable pastime as well as custom in almost every society as long as it is used within reason. Recently however, laws have been placed in many nations restricting drinking to only certain age groups. In America, the legal age to purchase and consume alcohol has fluxuated between 18 and 21, coming to rest at 21 in 1984. (CIT E) This law is understandably strict, but also somewhat toying with a person s free abilities. Aggravating the threat of binge-drinking and alcohol poisoning, this exceptionally high age limit has promoted more hindrances than benefits. Currently a great debate among lawmakers is whether the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) should be lowered to 18; mirroring other nations in their practices. A lower limit would be exceptionally beneficial and fair legally, health-wise, and economically towards not only young adults, but societyShow MoreRelatedAccording To â€Å"College Drinking,† Almost Two Out Of Three1388 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to â€Å"College Drinking,† almost two out of three college students engage in binge drinking. Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL or higher (â€Å"College Drinking†). Many parents, guardians, and psychologists believe that college students binge drink becau se they think drinking is an integral part of their higher education. Similar to peer pressure, college students drink because the rest of the student body drinks. FurthermoreRead MoreThe Minimum Drinking Age Act1692 Words   |  7 Pagessigned the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. This act stated that all states must raise their minimum drinking age to 21. Individuals under the age of 21 would now be prohibited from purchasing or being in public possession of any alcoholic beverage. Though not every state was keen on this idea, they all jumped to raise the minimum drinking age due to the government threat that they would lose up to 10% of their federal highway funding if they ignored the request. However, since the National MinimumRead MoreShould The Drinking Age Be Lowered?994 Words   |  4 PagesShould the Drinking Age Be Lowered? Approximately 2 out of every 3 high school students have drank to the point of getting intoxicated (binge drink), in more than one occasion (Centers for Disease and Control Prevention [CDC], n.d.). Binge drinking has become increasingly common for youth under the minimum legal drinking age, making it increasingly dangerous because of the lack of supervision that young adults have that can consequently, lead to death because of fear of the law (Bonnie O’ConnellRead MoreLowering the Drinking Age1223 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"What we’re doing now to prevent underage drinking isn’t working; it’s time to try something else.† Although many people argue that the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1964, which lowed the drinking age from eighteen to twenty one, was a good idea. David J Hanson a professor in the State University of New York believed that something needs to be done to make the United States a safer place to live. Is it fair that people in the United States can serve in the military, vote in elections, serveRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States Essay1385 Words   |  6 Pagesthe night before when they went out drinking. It is a common fact that most teenagers have had a drink of alcohol before their twenty-first birthday. Most teenagers drink regularly or in some cases, binge drink. Nobody can prevent underage drinking. When people tell a teenagers they cannot have something, it inclines them to want it even more and teenagers will go to extreme lengths to obtain it. In 1984, Congress passed the law stating the legal drinking age in the United States was twenty-one (Alcoholism)Read MoreEssay on Stakeholder Analyses for Us Drinking Age986 Words   |  4 Pagesliving in the United States already know, the national minimum age for purchasing alcohol is twenty-one. However, prior to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, some states lowered the drinking age below 21 (mainly as a result of the low ered voting age). The Drinking Age Act was put into place as a result of a correlation between young drinking and motor vehicle fatalities. Under the provisions of the Act, any states with a minimum drinking age below 21 are subject to a 10% cut in highwayRead MoreDrinking at 18 Essay1243 Words   |  5 PagesDrinking at 18 If you look around at college parties it seems as if everyone is drinking. Actually you are probably right, but over half of those people drinking are also under the legal drinking age. Drinking is one of the main forms of entertainment for the typical college student. The only problem with drinking being the main form of entertainment is that half of the students in college or 20 years or younger. This seems to be a problem all over theRead More18 vs. 21: Drinking Age1389 Words   |  6 Pagesdo people only want to change the drinking age from 21 to 18, when there are other activities that have limit of age such as marriage at 18, driving at 16 and 35 to be a president? Alcohol plays a major role in today society, which becomes a controversial issue among teens. Alcohol is a mind-altering chemical that is potentially more dangerous than any other drug and can be very destructive. For past few years, many people are trying to lower the drinking age without knowing the negative eff ectsRead MoreChallenging The Legal Drinking Age1689 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish Language 25 July 2014 Challenging the Legal Drinking Age The Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) has been challenged since the passing of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 that raised the drinking age to twenty-one in all fifty states (Ogilvie). Advocates for lowering the MLDA to eighteen years of age argue that this change will eliminate the thrill of breaking the law for young adults entering college and boost the national economy. Supporters continue to ask legislature whatRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States920 Words   |  4 Pages The legal drinking age has always been a debatable topic that people argue about all the time. Alcohol has been a drug problem for the majority of our young adults all around the world. The goal is to decrease the effects of underage drinking In the United States by keeping the legal drinking law 21. Every state had the right to their own legal drinking age, therefore during the 1970 1980’s some states had 21 while others had 18. This problem was carried over when teenagers got behind