Lynn Gibbons-Beddow
5/4/09
Maturity and Alcohol
“Be afraid, be very afraid” (Dr. Parker); College students are pushing the government to lower the drinking age to 18. However, the government and most of America does not think this is a good idea after how much better off the country has been since the government raised the age. After the drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984, approximately 1,000 lives were saved in that one year. Increasing the drinking age has resulted in decreases in the following; DWI arrests, crime, youth suicides, marijuana use, and alcohol consumption by youth (Dr. Parker). Five hundred thousand college students each year report a drinking-related injury. Seventeen hundred college students die each year from alcohol-related injuries (Dr. Parker). With these compelling statistics, do we really want to lower the drinking age to allow more college students to legally drink and put more lives at risk?
Over the past decade, binge drinking has risen astoundingly among young people (Dr. Parker). One hundred college presidents met this year to discuss lowering the drinking age to 18. They believe it would cause a decrease in binge drinking among college campuses nationwide and lower the mortality rate. While their argument is compelling, we have to look at pure facts since raising the drinking age in 1984. “From 1977-1989, college binge drinking statistics stayed stable around 30 percent each year, and has rose steadily since. So we can’t blame the increase on the higher drinking age. The current law is best viewed as a palliative medical treatment for an incurable condition” (Dr. Parker). This statement wraps up the argument for keeping it at 21.
“The drinking age was lowered in many states during the Vietnam War, this is when statistics went up for youth automobile crashes with alcohol being involved. Therefore, the drinking age was immediately increased to 21 (Dr. Parker)”. Statistics there prove that 18-21 year olds are not responsible enough to handle their alcohol and they are just putting more lives at risk if the drinking age is lowered. “Since the age was increased to 21, traffic fatalities involving 18-20 year olds have decreased by 13 percent” (Dr. Parker). A lot of lives have been saved by the government and a very good move on their part would be to keep the drinking age at 21.
“There are many people that say the age should be lowered to 18, however, I feel there are a number of new responsibilities one has to deal with during college years and adding drinking to the mix is a mistake. Since the age was increased, over 19,000 lives have been saved by estimation. Mothers Against Drunk Driving has researched on this subject and found that alcohol impairs the brains functions for young adults and can widely decrease their learning ability. Drinking can only decrease your chances of graduating college in only four years. I can relate to this subject in a very personal way. About 6 months ago, three of my close friends decided to leave a bar while being highly intoxicated, instead of calling a cab, one said he would drive home. The result left him paralyzed from the neck down and is still facing life threatening
injuries. Him, and the other two passengers were all 21 years of age and not many days older. This may make you ask yourself, “Do I really want to risk my friend’s lives and the hearts of our families?”
Candy Lighter, the founder of M.A.D.D. pushed the act of 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act to raise the drinking age to 21 nationwide. Since it was passed, the percentage of high school seniors drinking has decreased to 45% from 70%, and fatal car crashes involving underage teens have decreased by 32% (Darshak Sanghavi). David Rosenbloom notes that the five states with the highest beer taxes have half the binge drinking of other states. With this statistic, why are there not higher beer taxes being pushed around the nation. This seems like the solution to the college binge drinking obsession.
Junior and senior high students consume 35 percent of all wine coolers sold each year. They also consume 2 percent of all beer sold annually (Dr. Wagenaar). With these statistics, almost half of fatal car crashes involving young adults this age, nearly one half are alcohol induced (Dr. Wagenaar). Young adults that drink at a younger age are more prone to addiction at a later age than those that did not consume alcohol in junior or senior high. O’Malley and Wagenaar’s research has included that 18 year olds that have easy access to alcohol at their age are at a much more high risk to be addicted at a later age than 18 year olds who do not have access to it.
After reading the statistics that have been provided before you from the listed reliable resources, one would have to be crazy to believe lowering the drinking age is the ethical act to do. Over 100 college presidents are pushing to lower the age to 18 decrease binge drinking, but a better idea would be to put an increase on beer taxes nationwide and eliminate the problem. With a higher beer tax, college kids would go broke faster, not be able to afford beer, therefore, decreasing the binge drinking rate among colleges nationwide!
Works Cited
Dr. Parker, Web MD Blog. 3 Sep. 2008. Should we Lower the Drinking Age? http://blogs.webmd.com/healthy-children/2008/09/should-we-lower-drinking-age.html
Darshak Sanghavi & David Rosenbloom, SLATE. 26 Aug 2008. Quicker Liquor. http://www.slate.com/id/2198522 .
Alexander C. Wagenaar. Journal of Public Health Policy, Effects of an Increase in the Legal
Minimum Drinking Age. Vol. 2, No. 3 (Sep., 1981), pp. 206-225. Palgrave Macmillan
Journals. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3342367?cookieSet=1
A C Wagenaar, J R Finnegan, M Wolfson, P S Anstine, C L Williams, and C L Perry. Public
Health Reports, Where and how adolescents obtain alcoholic beverages. Public Health Rep. 1993 Jul–Aug; 108(4): 459–464. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1403409&pageindex=1
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