Drinking Laws | Teen Ink

Drinking Laws MAG

By Anonymous

     A strong belief of mine is that the drinking age should be increased. I don’t believe that at 21 most people are either mature enough or responsible enough to handle drinking. Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused drugs. The solution is simple, and I don’t see why it should not be done.

It’s common for minors to have friends who are the legal drinking age. I see people come into the store where I work who are clearly buying alcohol for minors. Teens will wait outside while the 21-year-old buys the alcohol. This frustrates me no end.

It has been proved that the brain doesn’t stop growing until the age of about 23. Yes, 23 is definitely not a large gap, but it is very significant. Most people at 23 have graduated from college and are ready to start their lives. On the other hand, many 21-year-olds are still in college, enjoying parties and the alcohol that comes with them. College is a time when many experience peer pressure to party and have fun with friends, which is where the danger emerges. If we could increase the drinking age by even a few years, we could save thousands of lives.

Automobile accidents are often a result of alcohol. The news is always reporting an accident because of a drunk driver who missed a stop sign or couldn’t stay in his lane. And it’s not always the drunk driver who gets hurt or killed. Since alcohol depresses the body, it makes drinkers more relaxed and loose. Consequently, they usually walk away from these accidents unscathed. One bad mistake, one bad judgment can cause many families endless trauma. The guilt the driver eventually feels often lasts the rest of his life. No one should have to live with that, or the knowledge that a loved one was taken away because someone decided to drink and drive.

In my life, I’ve witnessed a lot of things that I wish I hadn’t and I’ve seen many things I wish I could forget. My oldest sister used to hang out with people who would get drugs from the street and have others buy alcohol so they could party. Looking back, I can see where she made her biggest mistake since what she did when she was younger screwed up the rest of her life. Her personality has changed a lot, and I don’t think it will ever be normal again, even with help.

I hate hearing about how someone drank at a party and drove home slowly and carefully, and everything turned out okay. They were lucky, but do you honestly want to take that chance? I don’t know anyone who would willingly gamble with their life just to enjoy a night of drinking. The risk is just too high.

I’m not saying we should ban alcohol, but I believe that it should be more closely monitored and controlled. There are lots of other ways to have fun with your friends that don’t involve drinking. Alcohol is a drug. It always was and it always will be. I believe we should take that into account and make some changes to the laws.



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This article has 77 comments.


Sis94 BRONZE said...
on Dec. 13 2010 at 4:55 pm
Sis94 BRONZE, Dongola, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
it's my life i choose to do what ever i do in it

OK i see if you sit at home you will be fine just dont get stupid with it

Sis94 BRONZE said...
on Dec. 13 2010 at 4:53 pm
Sis94 BRONZE, Dongola, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
it's my life i choose to do what ever i do in it

You are right. people think that drugs and drinking will help them in life well its not  and i cant say i have not had a beer my self but  don't go out and do stupis things

 


on Dec. 13 2010 at 10:22 am
DawnMarie BRONZE, Milton, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
a bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song. - lou holtz

Increasing the drinking age will only cause anger throughout the country, and more rebellion. More rebellion = you guessed it, more underage drinking. 

I believe that you should be able to drink from a young age, like 8 or 9. This might sound crazy, but children in Italy have a small glass of wine a couple times a week with their dinner. 

If we had that in the US, then people wouldn't feel the need to rebel and drink alcohol when they aren't supposed to, because they would have already drunken (sp?) from a young age. 


on Oct. 30 2010 at 2:26 pm
elusiveroyalty BRONZE, Ithaca, New York
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments
This is a good idea, but it would never actually work.  I am a teenager and, let's face it, teenagers drink and teenagers drive and teenagers do all kinds of horribly stupid things, and creating a law saying they can't do them doesn't help.  I even know some people who like doing illegal things better because it gives them a thrill.  We can sit around and think up all these gloriously simple, ideal situations, but it doesn't play out that way in the real world.

on Oct. 27 2010 at 11:29 am
AaronLawrence SILVER, St. Louis, Missouri
9 articles 5 photos 106 comments

Favorite Quote:
I may be an idiot, but i'm not stupid

Until you change me enough that i'm convinced I need to change, I won't change

I totally agree with you, but just to throw some things out there, a good portion of teens (and adults) drink because alcohal is a good icebreaker at parties.  Also, when you look at countries like ireland and england, wherer they have a lower drinking age, drinking problems in general are catastrophic.  Good work anyway. 

on Oct. 23 2010 at 8:59 pm
OneBlackGirl BRONZE, Indianapolis, Indiana
2 articles 0 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
Love the difference!

I disagree, if the government trusts you to judge whether or not you're ready to give your life for this country, then why don't they trust you to drink?

 


Bea* =] said...
on Oct. 15 2010 at 2:11 pm

I definitely agree dat the age should be increased....people any age aren't responsible anyways..rather less people who are younger then 21..

alcohol itself should be banned.. many families every day are affected by drunk drivers...

People only think short term they never think about the consequences their actions might have..


on Aug. 3 2010 at 11:05 am
Drinking age should not be lowered.  Yes, once you are 18 you can vote, go to war, smoke, and get taxed.  Drinking can harm others if you can not control it.  Decisions most 18 year old might make are not the same decisions a 21 year old might make, like drink and drive, or bike, or operate heavy equipment.   I guess my point is the comparative right to drink is not the same as the others listed.

on Jul. 18 2010 at 3:50 am

   My only real thing i have to say to this post is that i completely disagree. I have been able to drink all of my life. My mother and father let me have bits of their wine, and whiskey growing up, and even my own little cup, and the same went for my five siblings. We were never raised to look at alcohol as a bad thing . . . . it just was. It can be abused! But so can ice cream, and obesity sure kills a lot of people out there! 

   Alcohol clouds your judgement. Yeah. So? Has anyone ever realized that making it illegal the way it is, not only teaches nothing about the substance itself, but has the opposite affect as it should. Have you ever realized that a lot of times, when someone is told not to do something, especially at a young age, it pushes them into feeling like its something they HAVE to try? Its the common side effect of making something taboo. 

   I was raised in a large family, with no qualms about liquor. We understood it, we had all had shots of whiskey before 15, and you know what? none of us has had a problem since. Because for us, liquor has never been some risky thing to do on a friday night. it was something that we were taught about as we grew up, taught about its effects, and experienced them, and therefore, knew when enough was enough, and never got lost.

   if you like the idea so much of illegalizing it for further years, maybe you should do a little research first. For one, you were wrong, the human brain does not actually finish developing until 25/26, a good two to three years longer than you said. And if we really NEED so bad to keep liquor away from people till their brains have fully developed . . . . well, before you draw that conclusion, maybe you should look into the drinking ages in other foreign countries . . . and, subsequently, their teen violence, and drunk driving problems. I think you would be surprised how there doesnt seem to be to big of a correlation between the AGE  and the amount of problems that arises. If europe has a sixteen/eighteen year old drinking age, then their should be a extra three years worth of possible drunk driving, and other impaired judgement accidents, right? well, the statistics dont say so.

   It isnt the age that we start drinking, it is how we are taught about alcohol in the first place. Respect it. realize that it is just a substance, that can be used for positive relaxing purposes, or overindulged in, and become dangerous. But anything can be that way.

   if you understand the substance, respect it, and know its boundaries. There is no reason to further illegalize something that is natural, when we can simply start a proper education for it. I am sorry for your past experiences with drunks, and druggies, but i think that they have left you jaded. There is no such thing as a bad substance; there is substances. There is only bad users. And there is only bad users, because they werent taught a proper understanding of the cause and effect. They were simply told, 'dont do that! its bad for you!'

   Yeah, well, thats effective, isnt it? Because SO many teens, and young adults, do what they are told, right.

   stop telling people what to do, and start educating them on effects, ramifications, and benefits. Thats my two cents. 


on Jul. 12 2010 at 9:20 pm
MCRlover2011 BRONZE, Kemp, Texas
4 articles 2 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be yourself, don't take any one's (ugh they keep editing this T_T) shit and never let them take you alive!!!- Gerard Way

Why shouldn't we? I'm not understanding why it's such a big thing. Teens will drink, sad but true and i know a lot of stories where ppl drank themselves horribly sick because they didn't know when they would get another chance to drink. So maybe making it to where it's not a big deal to drink ppl won't ya know.... get totally jacked.

yellowbunny said...
on Jul. 12 2010 at 3:14 pm
yellowbunny, Windsor, Vermont
0 articles 0 photos 23 comments
sure, you CAN, but SHOULD you be able to?

yellowbunny said...
on Jul. 12 2010 at 3:13 pm
yellowbunny, Windsor, Vermont
0 articles 0 photos 23 comments
sure, you can, but SHOULD you be able to?

on Jul. 3 2010 at 6:35 pm
MCRlover2011 BRONZE, Kemp, Texas
4 articles 2 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be yourself, don't take any one's (ugh they keep editing this T_T) shit and never let them take you alive!!!- Gerard Way

I disagree, I think it should be lowered. At 18 you can buy smokes and join the Army so why can't you buy a drink at the same age?

on Jul. 3 2010 at 6:30 pm
MCRlover2011 BRONZE, Kemp, Texas
4 articles 2 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be yourself, don't take any one's (ugh they keep editing this T_T) shit and never let them take you alive!!!- Gerard Way

I disagree, i think it should be lowered. At 18 you can join the army, buy a pack of smokes and a porn magizne, so why can't you drink as well?

LittleBit said...
on Jul. 3 2010 at 12:48 pm
very convincing,although I'm not a fan of drinking at any age.

on Jun. 15 2010 at 12:05 pm
Faerie-Dreams BRONZE, Sheffield, Other
4 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything-Wiseman in Sucker Punch

*for some reason it has been posted twice, sorry for any inconvience*

on Jun. 15 2010 at 12:03 pm
Faerie-Dreams BRONZE, Sheffield, Other
4 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything-Wiseman in Sucker Punch

Personally, some days I do agree with your statement that the drinking age should be raised, others it should be the same.

But whatever happens, people will still act recklessly because they are under the influence of alcohol regardless of age.

If by whatever the reason the drinking age is changed to an older age, there will still be teenagers/young adults out in the streets being drunk. Today people will very happily get their mates or kids some form of alcohol. The police can't catch every person buying alcohol or underage drinkers under the influence. Although this sounds unfortunate it is true.

Yes people have been caught and been told of or even been sent to court I don't think anything will change whatever the law does.


on Apr. 6 2010 at 8:44 pm
Lost_and_Insecure BRONZE, Monroe, Wisconsin
4 articles 1 photo 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Let the rain fall down, just be ready for the lightning strike as the thunder rolls."

I completely agree with NaCheezIt. It would only increase underage drinking, and possibly drug use. Alcohol is a dangerous thing to be letting adults as old as 40 buy, but not only because they give it to their children, but they give themselves a reason to blame people BUT themselves if their child gets hurt because of alcohol or as a factor of being too confident that nothing will happen.

RainInSpain said...
on Mar. 12 2010 at 8:06 am
If you are responsible enough to obey the laws established by our country[in regards to drinking], then you are truly mature.

on Feb. 8 2010 at 8:55 pm
NaCheezIt SILVER, Missouri City, Texas
8 articles 1 photo 14 comments
Alcohol is definitely a drug! It alters the way the brain sends signals and it is highly addictive. It's a wonder that it is legal and Marijuana isn't...