The Current Legal Drinking Age - 997 Words

In today’s American society, the consumption of alcohol is commonly practiced. It is quite uncommon for one to attend a social event where the presence of alcohol is obsolete. However, society has deemed it fit to tell our youth that they are not allowed to participate in the traditional social pastime of drinking until they reach the age of 21. Hence, when they encounter methods around this predicament-and most of them do-young adults often participate in the reckless consumption of alcohol in large quantities. II. Thesis: Essentially, the most obvious way to resolve this societal flaw is to lower the minimum legal drinking age and to commence educating our youth about mature alcohol use sooner. III. Credibility: Like many others, I have directly been affected by the minimum drinking age in one way or another, and I have done extensive research on this topic to show the effects it has and how it can be changed. IV. Preview: This afternoon, I will discuss the current legal drinking age, today’s generation, and the potential resolutions to underage drinking problems. Body I. Main Point 1: In response to the drunk driving epidemic, which was brought to attention by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), President Ronald Reagan passed the Minimum Drinking Age Act in July of 1984. a. Sub Point: According to the Alcohol Policy Information System, the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act requires that States prohibit persons under 21 years of age from purchasing orShow MoreRelatedDrinking Culture and American Social Norms1318 Words   |  6 PagesSPEECH #3 – PERSUASIVE SPEECH Name: DANIEL C. DILIGENT Title: Lowering the Legal Drinking Age Specific Purpose: To argue in favor of lowering the minimum legal drinking age in the United States. Thesis Statement: I will discuss 1) the current legal drinking age, 2) the effect that this drinking age has upon American social norms, and 3) the potential benefits of a lower drinking age. I. INTRODUCTION A. Hook: Alcohol is ever-present in today’s American society. Television viewers are constantly bombardedRead MoreLowering The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Essay1521 Words   |  7 PagesBeer For Everyone! The debate of lowering the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) has been going on for decades in the United States. Those opposed, argue that the current MLDA is not efficient and counterproductive (Engs 1). One study indicated that thousands of lives under the age of twenty-one are lost each year to alcohol (McCardell 1). Underage drinking is an issue that persists, despite evidence suggesting that the minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one has lowered alcohol usage among individualRead MoreThe Influence Of Little Timmy On Children Essay1443 Words   |  6 Pagesand had his whole life ahead of him. As the celebrations for his eighteenth birthday had died down, he wished his parents good night and returned to his bedroom in his parents’ lovely, two-story home. Timmy could hardly believe that he was already a legal adult, free to do whatever he wanted, within his parent’s limit of course. Being an adult meant that he could do whatever he wanted Timmy thought as he put th e finishing touches on his history report due the next day. Being an adult also meant thatRead MoreNot Lowering the Drinking Age1642 Words   |  7 PagesLowering the Drinking Age Many teenage deaths in the United States are caused in some way by the influence of alcohol; however, many people still believe that the legal drinking age should be reduced to eighteen. This issue has been going on for years, but the law has not been changed since the change to twenty-one in 1980. States have become stricter about preventing under-age drinking, but teenagers have no problem getting alcohol. There are many arguments in favor of changing the drinking age back toRead MoreEssay about Debate Over the Legal Drinking Age1735 Words   |  7 PagesOver the Legal Drinking Age College life is filled with changes. It is filled with many new experiences. As college students, we are on our own, adults. As adults we are responsible for keeping up to date on information that affects us. One issue that affects college students nation wide is drinking. The current legal drinking age in the United States is twenty-one years of age. The Federal government raised the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 in 1984. Even with the current drinking age at twenty-oneRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Reflect Today s Societal Values And That The Legislations Liquor Act 20071285 Words   |  6 Pagesthat the laws related to the legal drinking age does not reflect today’s societal values and that the legislations ‘Liquor Act 2007 No 90 (NSW) Part 7 Division 1 Sections 117 116’ should be reformed to raise the drinking age in Australia from 18 years of age to 21. Through surveying different age groups and socio-economic backgrounds of society, informa tion has been gathered to demonstrate that the current laws do not reflect society’s opinion on the legal drinking age in Australia. Research suggestsRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1479 Words   |  6 Pages The legal drinking age in the United States has been argued for many decades. The current minimal legal drinking age is twenty-one but some want to lower between eighteen and twenty. The main focus of the research conducted and opinions of people are based on the minimal legal drinking age of eighteen. The research is taken from the 1970s, when the twenty-sixth Amendment was passed in the Constitution (Wagenaar, 206). It was stated that eighteen is the â€Å"age of majority†, so thirty-nine of theRead MoreMinimum Legal Drinking Age Should Remain at the Age of 21 Essay1310 Words   |  6 PagesWithout a doubt, the United States has been facing serious national problems with underage drinking. Depending on personal ideologies, some people mi ght not agree that the current minimum drinking age of twenty-one is based on scientific facts rather then ideology of prohibitionism. For example, since 1975 over seventeen thousand lives have been saved since the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) was changed to age twenty-one (Balkin 167). This shows that even over a short amount of time, a higher MLDARead MoreLowering The Legal Drinking Age1387 Words   |  6 PagesThe concerns about safety involving alcohol, including alcohol-related fatalities, â€Å"binge drinking†, and long-term health effects, will not be compromised by lowering the legal drinking age to nineteen in the United States. Activists who wish to raise the legal minimum age frequently discuss the ways that driving while intoxicated endangers countless lives every day in the United States, and is an increasing problem in model Europe as well. However, drunk driving increases will secrecy, not withRead MoreDo not Lower the Legal Drinking Age825 Words   |  3 Pagesinfringing on personal rights. It’s regarding whether the legal drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. This has been a huge controversy geared exclusively towards college students due to the fact that alcohol consumption at universities is the definitive part of campus life even though the greater part of students are not legally permitted to drink. It is apparent that through the regularity and risks of binge drinking across universities and the high percentage of DUI and alcohol