The Drinking Age Of The United States Essay - 1599 Words

By the age of twenty-one, most people have at some point consumed an alcoholic beverage. For others, turning twenty-one might mean a whole new world of freedom. Young teens and adults drink for many reasons. Teens may drink because of peer pressure, others because of pure enjoyment, and many for of the thrill of breaking the law. Before the 1980’s, the legal drinking age was eighteen. This would only make sense because at this age a person is declared an adult. Many are in favor of keeping the drinking age at twenty-one for reasons such as vehicle accidents, while others disagree for good reasons. The drinking age in the U.S. is unjust: at the age of eighteen a person can serve in the military, vote, and take legal action, but cannot consume alcohol. In 1984, president Ronald Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (McCardell 75). This set the legal drinking age officially to twenty-one. This act was put into order to reduce drunk driving and vehicle accidents. Whi le all of this may be true, times have changed and there is more to consider. Automobiles are now safer with seat belts, airbags and other technological advances. Author John J. Miller states that â€Å"Many politicians and lobbyists find the legal drinking age of twenty-one to be a great success, praising it for reducing drunk driving fatalities without considering that other factors, such as seat belt laws and safer cars, have helped† (Miller 25). These advancements should be kept in mind when comparingShow MoreRelatedThe Drinking Age Of The United States1333 Words   |  6 Pagesper hour, a truck smashes into a nearby Honda. The impact causes the death of two innocent conductors who had their lives grasped from them by a 17-year-old girl who was intoxicated. Even though the legal age to start drinking in the United States is twenty-one, most teenagers tend to start drinking beforehand. These teenagers drink more heavily than adults do; therefore, developmental issues tend to be a factor that may affect a teenager’s system if they drink throughout their lifespan. Although teenagersRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States Essay1385 Words   |  6 Pagesbefore 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 MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States965 Words   |  4 Pag es In the United States, when a man or women turn eighteen they are considered an adult. Being eighteen, they are not acknowledged as teenagers anymore. They have more freedom and more opportunities to become independent. Some of the opportunities an eighteen years old are given are the right to vote, open bank accounts, lease their own apartment or join the military. They have equal opportunities like adults over the age of twenty-one. However, anyone between the age of eighteen through twenty areRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1270 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the world, the age when a child becomes an adult is at the age 18. Most people gain the right to vote, start to work for themselves, drive in certain countries. All of this being said, an additional privilege is the ability for one to be able to legally drink. The United States is one of the only countries who ´s legal drinking age is separate from the declared age of an official adult under the law. The idea of putting restrictions on a â€Å"legal† adult, makes the issue more complicatedRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States Essay1500 Words   |  6 PagesThe legal drinking age in the United States was ruled to be 21 in 1984, setting the country apart from almost all other western nations. These past 30 years have contained as much problems regarding the consumption of alcohol as one of the country’s biggest failures ever, the 18th amendment, otherwise known as prohibition. Also, the legal drinking age in the United States can be considered violation of states liberties, as the national government, albeit with good intentions, has intervened and onlyRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1479 Words   |  6 Pageslegal drinking age in the United States has been argued for many decades. The current minimal legal drinking age is twenty-one but some want to lower between eighteen and twenty. The main focus of the research conducted and o pinions of people are based on the minimal legal drinking age of eighteen. The research is taken from the 1970s, when the twenty-sixth Amendment was passed in the Constitution (Wagenaar, 206). It was stated that eighteen is the â€Å"age of majority†, so thirty-nine of the states changedRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1345 Words   |  6 PagesWith food, there comes a variety of cultural differences with beverages. One of the most popular drink markets in the United States is energy drinks. This industry has grown significantly in the past ten years, and many of the companies are household names, such as Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar Energy. While they have mainstream success in the United States, many countries look down on these products because of their use of certain supplements, such as excess amounts of caffeine of taurine. SomeRead 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 behindRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States2408 Words   |  10 PagesThe Legal Drinking Age The legal drinking age in the United States is 21, while in other countries the legal age ranges from 16-18. The argument in the United States is, â€Å"Should the United States lower its drinking age?† There are many sides to this argument but research has given many good points to back up both sides of the question. First issue is the difference between a teen’s brain with alcohol and an adult’s brain with alcohol. Another concern is that drinking at a younger age can help teachRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1783 Words   |  8 PagesPersuasive-Research Essay The legal drinking age in the United States is 21, while in other countries the legal age ranges from 16-18. The argument in the United States is â€Å"Should the United States lower its drinking age?† There are many sides to this argument but research has given many good points to back up both sides of the question. First thing is the difference between a teen’s brain with alcohol and an adult’s brain with alcohol. Another thing is drinking at a younger age can help teach culture. Lastly