Lowering the Legal Drinking Age to 18 Essay - 748 Words

Lowering the Legal Drinking Age to 18 Sarah, an eighteen-year-old college freshman, walks into a convenience store and moves timidly to the back, hoping that no one she knows will see her. Opening the refrigerator door, she pulls out a chilled case of Coors Light. Sarah nervously approaches the cashier, with her fake ID ready to be shown, and places the case of beer on the counter. Upon first sight, the cashier assumes that Sarah is not of legal age to buy beer, because she is petite and looks young. When she places the case on the counter, the cashier asks her for her ID. Sarah, ready to show her seemingly flawless fake form of identification, hands it to him. At first glance, the ID seems to be real, and the date of birth†¦show more content†¦Is it right to grant eighteen-year-olds all of these privileges and responsibilities, and to restrict them from drinking alcohol? If eighteen-year-olds dont have the discretion to drink responsibly, then how could they possibly handle the responsibilities and priv ileges that adults have? I believe that eighteen-year-olds do have the ability to handle the freedoms and responsibilities of being an adult, which should include the privilege to drink alcohol. Many eighteen-year-olds are college freshmen, and, in most colleges, beer is available to people under the age of twenty-one. Remorseless drinking has long been as much a ritual of university life as football, final exams, and frat parties (Gorman, 176). I believe that the federal government is tempting these underage adults by restricting their legal ability to drink in such an environment as college campuses where it is legal for many of the students to consume alcoholic beverages. In order to be able to drink alcohol, many underage adults purchase fake forms of identification; Raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 in the 1980s merely triggered a boom in the business of creating fake ID cards (Gorman, 176). People twenty-years of age and younger are purchasing these fake for ms of identification in order to allow them to enter and drink in bars with their friends whoShow MoreRelatedThe 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 MoreWhy Lowering The Drinking Age Is A Good Idea?. Lowering1627 Words   |  7 PagesWhy Lowering the Drinking Age is a Good Idea? Lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States has been a source of controversy in recent years. It has been a controversial topic because many people disagree, while many agree with the topic. For example, the people who disagree and are against lowering the drinking age to 18 believe we should not lower the drinking age because 18 year old individuals are not responsible enough to drink alcohol. While, the people who agree we should lower theRead MoreDrinking at 18 Essay1243 Words   |  5 PagesDrinking at 18 If you look around at college parties it seems as if everyone is drinking. Actually you are probably right, but over half of those people drinking are also under the legal drinking age. Drinking is one of the main forms of entertainment for the typical college student. The only problem with drinking being the main form of entertainment is that half of the students in college or 20 years or younger. This seems to be a problem all over theRead MoreMinimum Legal Drinking Agre1173 Words   |  5 PagesThe legal age of adulthood in the United States for most purposes is 18. At the age of 18, a person enters the realm of adulthood and is assigned the rights and responsibilities associated with this legal status. For example, an 18 year old can legally sign a contract and is bound by the terms and conditions of the contract. An 18 year old can marry without parental consent, serve on a jury, and vote in state and federal elections. An 18 year old who is charged with a crime is not trie d in theRead MoreUnderage Drinking Is Part Of The Culture Of College1734 Words   |  7 PagesI did discover is that underage drinking is part of the culture in college, also the friends that I had in high school who are 21 now I have discovered they drink some of the least amount now. Which has begun to make me wonder why people who are 21 drink less than people who are underage. I believe that when people are 21 they now do not have to worry about the next time they can get alcohol. Congress should lower the drinking age from 21 to 18 because at age 18 when they are in college, for someRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered From The Age Of 21 Essay980 Words   |  4 Pagesconsidered â€Å"adults† cannot even make their own decisions? The drinking age on alcohol is a controversial social and cultural issue in today’s society; all fifty states have a minimum drinking age of 21. The legal drinking age should be lowered from the age of 21 to 18 allowing y oung adults to be granted the right to drink in restaurants, bars, at social events, in the comfort of their own home, and so on. If anything, lowering the legal drinking age would have a positive impact on the United Sates economyRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered988 Words   |  4 PagesThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered There are copious amounts of people who believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. Others think the drinking age needs to remain the same. A few of those also conclude the legal age of adulthood should be raised to 21. The belief is if the adolescent brain has not matured enough to support alcohol use by age 21, it cannot make the responsible decisions required at 18 years of age. Voters should make the decision toRead MoreIs it Right to Lower the Drinking Age?1070 Words   |  4 Pagesissue. My question is, â€Å"Why should we lower the legal drinking age†? Current proposals to lower the minimum legal drinking age to 18 would have some benefits like increasing revenue for bars and liquor stores. However the risks surpass the benefits. Many people think that if you’re 18 you’re portrayed as an adult, you’re old enough to serve your country, vote, and make your own decisions. In some cases this could be true, but lower ing the drinking age would be way too risky for themselves and othersRead MoreShould The Drinking Age Be Lowered?994 Words   |  4 PagesShould the Drinking Age Be Lowered? Approximately 2 out of every 3 high school students have drank to the point of getting intoxicated (binge drink), in more than one occasion (Centers for Disease and Control Prevention [CDC], n.d.). Binge drinking has become increasingly common for youth under the minimum legal drinking age, making it increasingly dangerous because of the lack of supervision that young adults have that can consequently, lead to death because of fear of the law (Bonnie O’ConnellRead MoreKeeping the Minimum Legal Drinking Age1283 Words   |  6 Pagesminimum legal drinking age in the United States or not. Many Americans forbid the idea of legalizing the drinking age so that it would be profitable to the businesses. Likewise, there have been many advantages and disadvantages of why should the government allow young adults drink under the age of 21. To prevent this issue, many Americans have provided reasoning that will support the idea of keeping the minimum legal drinking age where it is now. T he government should maintain the minimum legal drinking