Underage Drinking
Young adults in this country hold many responsibilities and are fortunate to have many privileges; however, those between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one are denied the privilege of consuming alcoholic beverages. How is it, we young adults are able to vote, pay taxes, and buy cigarettes but cannot purchase alcohol? Being allowed to have theses responsibilities shows how society treats us, mature. The legal drinking age is unrealistic. Prohibiting the sale of liquor to young adults creates an atmosphere where binge drinking and alcohol abuse have become a problem. Banning drinking for young people makes it a badge of adulthood and emdash; a tantalizing forbidden fruit. In order to get a drink, teenagers will carry fake I.D.s or sneak drinks from their parent’s liquor cabinets. This kind of devious attitude does not encourage responsible drinking. When the opportunity to drink arises, there is a kind of “Let’s make up for lost time” attitude. This results in binge drinking (www.ilstu.edu). As it is, high school and college students unprepared for the responsibility easily obtain alcohol. This widespread availability of alcohol to minors discounts the effectiveness of the minimum drinking age
As it is, those of us young adults who are college students are considered binge drinkers, and are more likely to be violent, take risks and create dangerous situations for themselves and others (Mitchell, pg51). From 1985-1986, the estimated number of lives saved reached nearly 17,000 (Traffic Safety Facts 1996: Alcohol). 7% increase in states with a constant MLPA of eighteen (“Drinking Age Laws and Vandalism Arrests”). Their livers are more susceptible to damage by alcohol because they aren’t fully mature. I ask why should the drinking age be lowered? By looking at theses statistics, the age should not be lowered. Students could better control circumstances of their experiences with alcohol, and drinking would lose its “forbidden fruit” stigma, thus making the pressure of drinking to “be cool” significantly less (cavalierdaily. Studies indicate that students under twenty-one are more likely than any other age group to discourage peers from driving drunk. Also, lowering the drinking age would help send the important message that drinking is, in itself, not evidence of maturity…. This country doesn’t have to look bad unless we arrange it that way. As we see the number of accidents decrease, there is no reason to lower the drinking age. that responsible consumption for those who choose to drink is evidence of maturity (www2.
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Acceptance Essays
