The Legal Drinking Age Should Be Eighteen!
In the United States, the desision was made in 1987 to raise the drinking age to 21. While there is clear evidence of a reduction in road traffic deaths among young people since the change of the drinking age, there is no hard results that show that the new drinking age was solely resonsible for that reduction. The decrease in road traffic deaths can be partially attributed to things such as stricter traffic laws, changes in the economy and attitude of the general population, and the enforcement of seatbelt laws. Based on statistics gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from the years 1987 through 1996 when alcohol-related traffic deaths for people under 21 reduced by 43%, the alcohol-related deaths to the general poulation also decreased by 28%.
Physically most people are ready to drink alcohol by the time they are 18. Mentally people are not ready though. The brain does not stop developing untill age 21 for most people. Check www.niaaa.nih.gov for more information on the brain. This does not matter though. Underage kids drink anyway. Drinking is a choice that will be made by the person, not by the government. We believe that if the age was lowered and drinking became most casual rather than just getting drunk, there would be fewer alcohol related problems. People drink quickly rather than to enjoy it because it is illegal and they are always under pressure to get rid of the evidence.
To prove that a lower drinking age is not detrimental, other countries have lower drinking ages and sometimes none at all and these countries have very few problems with drinking. In a study done by the International Center For Alcohol Policies(icap.org), of 65 major countries, 50 have a minimum drinking/purchasing age of 18 or under. Five countries from this case study have no minimum drining age (MDA), and only five others have a MDA of 21. These countries are Belarus, Egypt, Honduras, Ukraine, and the United States. However, things are not always this cut and dried in other countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, the minumum purchasing age and the minimum drinking age are 18. However, children over five may consume any alcoholic beverage in their home with parental consent. In this way, alcohol becomes part of the culture in the U.K. and decreases the problems related to bing drinking among teenagers and young adults. A complete review of this report is available through ICAP Reports.
At the age of 18 young men and women are able to vote for the president of the United States . Voting for the president is one of the major functions of an United States' citizen. The 26 Amendment to the United States Constitution clearly states this. Along with voting, 18 year olds can legally smoke cigarettes. Not only can 18 year olds vote and smoke they are allowed to join the armed forces, and in times of war they can be draftedto the military. Such as the Marines, the Air Force, and the Army. A young man or woman can go off to war, and potentially die for there country before they are allowed to have a beer in the United States .
Important Information for First Year Sudents!
College is a huge leap from high school. The freedom that you possess here gives you the freedom work in your own way, learn in your own way, and have fun in your own way. But unfortunately, you also have the freedom to screw up. The pressure from your parents and teachers to get stuff done is less and sometimes non-existent. You truly do not have to do your homework, but it is your (or your parents') money your wasting and your future your deciding. The single most important thing to keep in mind when going through your first year of college is to manage your time wisely and focus most of your time on your studies. There are many things to do at college, and as a first year student you'll probably feel like you have to do them all. But, getting poor grades in class is a problem that needs to be avoided. We cannot stress enough how important this is. Slacking the whole semester only leaves you searching for a way to finish all your work before finals (speaking from experience).
Page Authors:
Taylor Wegner
T.J. Hinz
Luke Donabauer
Paul McGrath