Do Not Lower Drinking Age

Abstract

This study provides detailed analysis that drinking must not be allowed to the teenagers. After the controversial debate about lowering of age limit for the drinking from 21 years to 18, it requires that there must be proper overview of the risks involved in lowering the age. There are a number of risks involved with the underage drinking. This study highlights all the issues and risks associated with the underage drinking such as increase in deaths due to accidents, sexual activities, drug abuse, academic failures and various other social problems with the teenagers. This study also discusses preventions and recommendations for the problems of underage drinking.

Do Not Lower Drinking Age

Introduction

Drugs, alcohol and tobacco are the major concerns for the government to prevent people from using it, as it results in killing “far more people than all illegal drugs combined, according to National Institute on Drug, alcohol alone is the leading cause of death among young people ages, 15-24” (Snyder & Ooms, 1996, p.122). It is one of the most important responsibilities for the State to take measures for preventing underage drinking. Lowering of drinking age will result in the increase in accidental deaths and various other social problems such as academic failure, sexual and criminal activities. It also results in a number of psychological disorders such as depression, social neglect and suicidal tendency. There are number of occasions when people drink, such as christening party, graduation party, wedding party, anniversary celebration, and all other social gatherings without considering that drinking have negative impact on the children and teenagers.

Excessive alcohol consumption contributes numerous deaths among teenagers or the people lower than the age of 21 years; teens get drunk twice as fast as adults. Statists provides that in late 60s and 70s, when a number of states lowered their drinking age from 21 to 18 years, there were increase in the fatal accidents and car crashes (Northrup, 2006, p.509). Therefore, legal drinking age should remain at 21, not dropped to 18. Actually, when the law bans teenagers to purchase alcohol, they want to protect them and the society from violent reactions caused by underage drinker. According to Lyons (2008), one of the most effective measures for the prevention of alcohol is to restrict purchase of alcohol “under the age of 21 years” (Lyons, 2008, p.1). Moreover, age limit to buy alcohol drinks was one of the greatest laws that government applied. In fact, The United States is one of the few countries in the world, where the government does not allow people under the age of 21 to drink alcohol, which saves the youth from a lot of problems caused by underage drinking.

Thesis Statement

Lowering of drinking age will result in the increase in accidental deaths, health problems, academic failure, sexual activities and other social problems.

Discussion

Use of alcohol and drugs is bad for health, but is usually affect more in the young and old age. It not only resulted in the destruction of ...