Essay about Drinking Age Controversy - 1076 Words

Drinking Age Controversy In the United States, a citizen is considered an â€Å"adult† at the age of 18, and with that new title comes many responsibilities, such as the right to vote and to join the army. However, the legal drinking age in America is twenty-one. This issue has been a major controversy for some time now that faces both national and state governments. Should the drinking age be lowered to the age when legally a person becomes an adult and assumes all other adult responsibilities, or should it remain at a higher age to allow people to grow more mature and, hopefully, make more responsible decisions? In the mid 1600’s, colonial laws attempted to control alcohol consumption, but drinking per se was not remonstrated. Between†¦show more content†¦A â€Å"binge drinker† is defined as a person who has more than 5 drinks in one sitting, which is becoming a large issue at college campuses worldwide. Presidents from over 100 universities have voted to lower the drinking age in order to cut the amount of underage drinking on campuses. â€Å"Frequent users† will drink anywhere from three times a week to everyday. A â€Å"moderate user† is someone who drinks anywhere from once a week to once a month. The decision of whether or not to keep the drinking age at 21 or lower it to 18 is continually discussed between groups such as MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who fight to keep the drinking age at 21 and LAFAA, Legalize Alcohol For All Adults, who fight to lower the drinking age. Karl Marx’s Conflict Theory is one way to explain the disagreements between those who want to lower the drinking age, and those who don’t. His theory states that social organization and change is based upon conflicts within the society. People between the ages of 18 and 21, called stakeholders, feel that they aren’t getting to exercise all of their rights to being an adult by government definition. They given all of the responsibilities and consequences of adults such as the right to vote, the ability to adopt, the right to join the military, the right to be charged with the highest punishment if accused of a crime, the right to get married, the right to buy and create pornography, etc.Show MoreRelatedControversy over the Drinking Age958 Words   |  4 Pageswhat age should be considered the proper age to drink alcohol has been intensely debated. Since the 1980s, the nationwide legal drinking age has been 21 and older for the United States. However, this age limit imposed on the consumption of alcohol was controversial then, and it continues to be so today. In 2008, John McCardell, leader of Choose Responsibility and former president of Middlebury College, joined a campaign known as the Amethyst Initiative, which proposed lowering the drinking age toRead MoreLowering The Legal Drinking Age857 Words   |  4 PagesAs we know, the United States has the highest drinking age in the world. By 1988 the entire U.S had adopted the Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act, which set the drinking age to twenty-one. However, in 1920 the United States banned the sale, production, importation, and transportation of alcohol. This era known as the Prohibition sparked the popularity of hidden underground bars and events. The Prohibition Era is a prime example of how people did anything to intake alcohol and eventually this ledRead MoreLegal Drinking Age : Should It Be Altered?1408 Words   |  6 Pages Legal Drinking Age: Should It Be Altered? The legal drinking age has been an ongoing controversy for decades, consisting of people who are for lowering, raising, or keeping the age with multiple reasons behind each side. It is commonly known that consuming alcohol can have life-threatening effects on the human body, but these effects can be much harsher at a younger age. Reducing the age for eighteen year olds may result in senseless acts from the drug. Statistics prove that maintainingRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered955 Words   |  4 PagesIn the United States of America, the National Government requires the states to enforce a legal drinking age of twenty-one. Where as the world average drinking age is eighteen, and in some Countries it is even lower where it is possible to get a beer at sixteen years of age. Taking that into consideration, there is a great deal of controversy in the United States on what the legal age should be to purchase and consume an alcoholic beverage. The largest issue being that you are considered to be anRead MoreThe Minimum Drinking Age Act1692 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum Drinking Age Act. This act stated that all states must raise their minimum drinking age to 21. Individuals under the age of 21 would now be prohibited from purchasing or being in public possession of any alcoholic beverage. Though not every state was keen on this idea, they all jumped to raise the minimum drinking age due to the government threat that they would lose up to 10% of their federal highway funding if they ignored the request. However, since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act wasRead MoreThe Problems Associated with Underage Drinking Essay1137 Words   |  5 Pagesability to seen more grown up can intensify drinking at a younger age. Consequently, as alcohol is seen as the â€Å"Forbidden Fruit,† it encourages the want to drink for people under the age of twenty-one. The use of alcohol by adolescents is widely viewed as disobedience in American society. 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According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), â€Å"Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs, and is responsible for more than 4,300 annual deaths among underage youth (Fact Sheets - Underage Drinking). Alcohol has always been part of our culture as well as a debatable topic in our society and the controversy over alcohol consumptionRead MoreEssay about Underage Drinking In America:1549 Words   |  7 PagesUnited States. But I am not the only one who drinks while under the legal age limit; there is an estimated 63% of underage college students that get drunk on a minimum basis of one night a week (Foster, 1996). In Mexico I can be drunk any night of the week because of the 18 year old age limit on alcohol; so if I were in Mexico right now drinking, I would be drinking legally. Europe as well has very low or no drinking age laws at all. In Germany all you have to do is reach up to the counter and orderRead MorePositive And Negative Effects Of Drinking Alcohol1709 Words   |  7 Pagesthe consumption of alcohol but it can be said that drinking alcohol has both positive and negative effects. Controversy may arise between opposing sides that those below the age of twenty-one are not responsible enough to drink however are allowed a driving license or a driver’s permit. In the United States of America, society and lawmakers focus more on the negative impacts of alcohol consumption especially when it comes to who we allow drinking, and do not consider that teenagers are able to think