Monday, October 20, 2008
Should the legal drinking age be lowered?
Alcohol is consumed by many people every day. It can be found in common places like the supermarket, church, restaurants, gas stations, and especially social gatherings. But where should the legal drinking age be set? Is 21 an appropriate age to start drinking, or could the age be lowered without any additional negative consequences? I think that once people are 18, they should be entitled to make decisions for themselves. There are some negative effects that can come with alcohol, but I don't see those effects being any different when comparing an adult of 18 to that of 21. At 18, you can legally vote, smoke, be arrested, and you are free from your parents' rule. The pressure that is on teens as they reach adulthood prepares them for making life decisions. I think that if you are legally responsible for yourself, you have the ability to judge if drinking is appropriate for you and fully understand the possible consequences.
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5 comments:
Well if your old enough to die for your country then you should be old enough to drink in your country. that is probably the biggest reason that the age for drinking should be lowered. Drinking can be very bad for people, but like you said, when your 18 your a adult. so if your an adult you should be old enough to get wasted. but on the other hand i have met many 18 year olds that couldnt really handle the option to legally drink. their maturity level isnt ready to deal with the option to go to a bar.Thats why kids go on spring break to mexico, so they can get drunk legally. maybe if we really wanna help our economy out then we should let 18 year olds drink, then thats putting more money back into the economy instead spending money in mexico during spring break. but either way if someone wants to drink they can.no matter what their age is. but we have to have laws and our country's law for drinking is 21. if only the government thought with reason when they send 18 year olds out to die, but wont let them have a beer to ease the pain before they take a bullet for us.
I think that the current drinking age is just fine. I grew up seing a very negative side of drinking. I believe that alchohol is a very consequencial beverage. At age eighteen you are considered an adult and get to finally make your own choices, but why get super wrapped up in drinking young setting yourself up for problems later in life. I feel that it is hard to see how wrapped up a person gets with alchohol until they are reliant on the substance to be happy. I have no problems with people that drink. The idea of having a drink or two and enjoying yourself is entirely acceptable. Drinking is fine if used in moderation, its a personal choice. The main problem though is that many people dont use moderation while drinking. I am in no hurry to be legal to drink. I think age 21 is an appropriate age to choose to participate in drinking.
A lot of kids turn 18 in high school and i think that may have something to do with maybe why the age is not lowered. I don't think schools would want the risk of MORE alcohol being in the schools. There are also a plethora of other things you cant do until you are 18. Me and my friends tried going a cruise before we were 21 and we couldn't go with out someone over 21 being with us. Some places wont let you rent a car until you're 21. It's kinda weird but i think there is good reasoning behind it all.
I agree that if you can die for your country you should be able to buy alcohol. And when your old enough to buy cigarettes your old enough to buy alcohol. However, many people think that if you do lower the drinking age, you also lower the age at when more youth will be exposed to alcohol. Its a lot easier to fake being 18 then it is 21.
I disagree that being 18 means your an adult. I have found that it's not a persons age that determines maturity and making choices for yourself, but it's through experiences that you grow into an adult. I think a great way to gain this experience is by moving away from your family. But your parents can tell you what to do as long as you live under their roof. I have learned that the hard way. By living on your own you get to make your own rules and make decisions for yourself. As i have learned having moved away from home once i graduated High School.
I also think setting an age of drinking is difficult because how can you really define adulthood?...I know people who are almost 30 who arn't mature enough to act like adults.I also think it depends on the person...like a friend i have in our english class...she totally behaves well beyond her years i thought she was 21 when in fact she was 18!! who would think that could happen?
But since i can't have my way and we have to set an age i think 21 is an appropriate age to start drinking.
But i doesn't really matter what age limit we set on drinking, kids under 21 will still break the rules...just like if they put a ban on driving with a cell phone..how many of you would obey that law seriously?...Plus i don't believe people should drink period..it's not good for your body.
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