Should the Legal Age for Drinking Alcohol Be Raised to 21

A: Drinking two drinks can cause you to exceed the legal limit to drive, which is dangerous but not considered excessive alcohol consumption. It is dangerous and irresponsible to drink excessive alcohol consumption. This is when an adult male drinks five or more drinks and an adult woman drinks four or more, all in the space of about two hours. Excessive alcohol consumption is quite common in the United States Excessive alcohol consumption has become quite common in the United States. 18-year-olds typically enter a new phase of independence from their parents through university or staff and are more prone to excessive drinking, risky sexual activity and other irresponsible behaviour due to lack of maturity. Despite these improvements, too many teenagers still drink. In 2012, 42% of Grade 12 students, 28% of Grade 10 students, and 11% of Grade 8 students took the exam. Class for drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. In the same year, approximately 24% of Grade 12 students, 16% of Grade 10 students, and 5% of Grade 8 students reported excessive drinking in the past two weeks. The review found that drinking age saves at least hundreds of young lives each year simply because alcohol-related deaths among underage drivers are reduced. The review highlighted a study carried out under the National Minimum Drinking Age Act 1984 that raised the legal drinking age from 18 to 21: it found that the number of fatally injured drivers with a positive blood alcohol concentration among 16- to 20-year-olds dropped by 57 percent. against a decrease of 39% for 21 to 24 year olds and 9% for 25 years and over. Other studies have had similar positive results.

In 2017, the external symbol of the Monitoring the Future survey revealed that 8% of Grade 8 students and 30% of Grade 12 students had drunk alcohol in the past 30 days, and 4% of Grade 8 students and 14% of Grade 12 students had been drinking in the past 2 weeks.17 Some states allow parents to do so with their own child (rarely, if ever, someone else`s child), but there is no evidence that this approach actually works.3 In fact, there is evidence to the contrary. When teens feel they have their parents` consent to drink, they increasingly do so when they are not with their parents. When parents have concrete and enforced rules for alcohol, young people drink less. References 3. Fallen, James. Excerpted from „Chapter 2: Federalism: Resolute, the Federal Government Should Restore the Freedom of Each State to Set Its Drinking Age. ” in Ellis, Richard and Nelson, Michael (eds.) Debating Reform. CQPress Publishers, Fall 2009. There has been an ongoing debate about the minimum legal drinking age in the United States since the passage of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984. Federal law requires people to be 21 years old to buy or possess alcohol.

Some people believe that the requirement that people must be 21 to drink only makes underage drinking a bigger problem and is not compatible with other minimum age restrictions such as joining the military or owning a gun. On the other side of the debate, people argue that young adults drink less responsibly and that alcohol can damage the still-developing human brain. Some proponents of drinking age limits believe the U.S. should raise the drinking age even higher — to 25. A 2014 review of research published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs confirmed this: Although many young people do not consider the age of alcohol consumption, evidence shows that it has reduced alcohol consumption and saved lives. A: In addition to being illegal, starting to drink at a young age puts young people at risk in two ways. First, the brain is not fully developed in adolescence. The onset of alcohol consumption at a young age can hinder the development of brain structure and function. Second, we know from extensive research that adolescents born before the age of 15 are SIX times more likely to develop problems with alcohol abuse or dependence than those who start drinking at age 21. When the „forbidden fruit” is no longer prohibited, the young simply drinks more. In states where the drinking age was 18, young people drank more than in states where the minimum drinking age was 21.

As adults, in their early twenties, they continued to drink more.4 References 4. Maisto, S.A. and Rachal, J.V. (1980). Evidence of the link between adolescent drinking practices, related behaviours and the Drinking Age Act: A review of data from a national sample. In H. Wechsler (ed.), Minimum drinking age laws: An evaluation (pp. 155-176). Lexington, MA: D.C.

Heath & Co. Read More Saving lives from alcohol has serious public health benefits. About 88,000 Americans died on average each year from alcohol-related causes from 2006 to 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And that estimate doesn`t take into account the increase in alcohol-related deaths in recent years, or alcohol-related crime and the millions of emergency room visits each year that don`t result in deaths. In practice, there is little the government can do to change social and individual attitudes towards alcohol, which is the main cause of most alcohol abuse. A: No one decides to become addicted to alcohol or drugs. There are many factors that contribute to how a person might develop alcoholism, which can include biological, psychological, and social components. Simply put, repetitive and irresponsible alcohol consumption can alter the chemical composition of the brain.

This abuse can begin psychologically to cope with difficult situations, or it could be introduced as part of a lifestyle or social change, such as going to university. However, once brain chemistry is altered, alcohol consumption becomes a biological need. Q: Doesn`t drinking coffee make you sober faster? Raising the minimum drinking age to 21 will reduce consumption among young people, as it will be more difficult to buy alcohol. In addition, young people are the most common group of alcohol; e.g. excessive alcohol consumption, leading to accidents, deaths and health problems. When people start drinking later in life, they may be more likely to drink in moderation and not become addicted at a young age. A lot of research has shown the harmful effects of alcohol on brain development in adolescents and young adults. The brain continues to undergo crucial developments until the age of 25, and some scientists have found evidence that it continues to evolve until the age of 30. Alcohol use by young adults and adolescents can impair brain development and have long-term consequences such as: However, the long-term effects of alcohol abuse remain the same, regardless of the legal drinking age. If you are looking for information on alcohol dependence treatment, do not hesitate to contact us at 844.875.5609. Adolescents may choose not to drink or drink less frequently because social acceptance is lower or the risks are increased by parental or judicial authorities.

Older teens and adults are less likely to provide liquor to minors, and licensed liquor stores are less likely to sell to minors because they think it`s illegal, morally wrong, or because they might be caught. [18] According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), alcohol consumption among people ages 18 to 20 dropped from 59% to 40% in the six years following the change.