The pros and cons of drinking at 18 (2023)

Lately there has been a lot of talk about aonline petitionLower the drinking age to 18.

RespectivelyDiccionario.com, the definition of adult is: a person who has reached the legal age of majority. In the United States, that age is 18, and with every American's 18th birthday comes all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of an adult. It includes everything: the good, the bad and the ugly. Everything, except one small thing: alcohol consumption.

Alcohol has always been a problem for many countries, while for others it is an afterthought. For example, in Jamaica, Morocco, and Vietnam, you can legally give alcohol to a newborn. In Barbados, Germany and Greece, the minimum drinking age is 16 years. Most countries, including Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, China, Egypt, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, allow 18-year-olds to legally purchase alcohol. There are only four countries, including the US, that set 21 as the legal drinking age. Here is the full list:Legal drinking age worldwide.

As for the US, here's a brief history on alcohol:

Before the 1920s, each state had its own age and drinking regulations. The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which introduced prohibition, became law on January 17, 1920. Of course, a simple constitutional change could not curb the urge to drink, and where there is a will, there is a way. . It became a crime to manufacture, transport, possess or consume alcohol and as a result the police, courts and prisons were inundated with criminals. Smuggling became widespread and organizedcrimehe got very involved. The federal government was woefully understaffed and overwhelmed trying to enforce the law.

during the greatDepression, the ban became increasingly unpopular, and the movement to repeal the law was led bypaulina sabin, a wealthy Republican woman who was disgusted by the hypocrisy of lawmakers who enjoyed drinking at her parties while denying "ordinary" citizens the same right. (The hypocrisy of the federal government: what a new concept!) Thanks to Sabin, the ban was lifted in 1933. This is the only time in US history that aThe change revoked a previous change.

Fast forward to July 17, 1984, when the National Drinking Age Law was enacted. All states had to set a minimum drinking age of 21 or lose federal dollars on the highways. Most states changed their laws immediately. Some states balked, with my own home state of Louisiana being one of the last to reluctantly and reluctantly comply. (Even today, you can still get into many bars, clubs, and events in Louisiana at 18, but at some point you have to have ID proving you're 21 if you want to buy/drink alcohol - not exactly easy to apply for).

Check out somelegal rights and responsibilities of an 18 year oldIn America. In all 50 states, 18-year-olds can apply for a credit card, marry legally without parental consent,divorce, rent, buy, sign a binding contract, vote, serve on a jury, and serve in the military. If the 18-year-old is charged with a crime, he will no longer be charged in juvenile court; He will be tried as an adult. Essentially, an 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old can do anything a 21-year-old can do, except drink alcohol.

Of course, no one can ignore that one of the benefits of the 21-year-old age limit is fewer drunk driving deaths. The numbers speak for themselves. Research shows approx.1,000 lives a yearbe spared due to the increased drinking age. However, note the following: accchoose responsibility, "...Twice as many 21-year-olds are killed in alcohol-related car accidents as 18-year-olds. Such an astonishing statistic speaks volumes: a policy that claims to save thousands each year may simply redistribute deaths over the life cycle to the point where it becomes legal to drink alcohol, at age 21..” If that is the case, what is the solution? Raise the legal drinking age to 25? 30? 40?RetirementTo alter?

David J. Hanson, PhD., who has been involved with alcohol and drinking for over 40 years, states in his report thatThe Age of Legal Drinks: Science vs. IdeologyAlthough it is true that adolescents drink less, they actually drink more, and even excessively. If that's true. Less young people 18-20 years old can drink, but those who drink more "secretly" and drink to excess. lookcollege partiesif you want to communicate But hey, binge drinking just doesn't get the same publicity as drunk driving, even though there's strong evidence that it's a risk factor for alcoholism.

A report on the psychology of the situation.indiana universityHe discovered that when people are told not to do something, it can often elicit the opposite reaction. How true it is that an 18 year old is told that he is now literally an adult, except when he drinks alcohol. Research shows that when a young adult feels wronged, he resists the implicit injustice and acts to regain control, which means he doesn't comply. In other words, they're going to drink anyway because they don't think it's fair.

Unfortunately, this is another way of devaluing personal responsibility. The answer is not that more and more laws are taking away the rights of adults. Instead, pressure should be put directly on parents, schools and society at large to teach children how to act responsibly, including responsible drinking. Let's incorporate a "Responsible Drinking" course into school curricula comparable toSex Training. This would not only focus on drunk driving, but also binge drinking, brain damage, and detrimental health effects.Alcohol abuseAnd how to drink responsibly. In addition, an “alcohol card” must be presented, similar to a driver's license. To drink alcohol, one must pass a test at age 18 that deals with facts and statistics about alcohol. If you are arrested foranyalcohol-related offenses, you lose this right when you turn 21.

An 18-year-old can be behind, get repossessed, get evicted, choose the wrong partner, be killed in combat, get a DWI, or worse. They can, they can, they can do many things, but when they come of age they must be treated as adults in all respects, including the opportunity to consume alcohol. They too must be held accountable. If we as a society feel that 18 is not enough to be considered an adult, then change the age to adulthood.

Raising the minimum drinking age is just another example of hypocrisy. Many parents allow their kids to drink at home or at special events, or ignore college parties their kids are bound to attend. The drinking age of 21 is arejectionmajority, which actually encourages disobedience of the law, just as prohibition has done in the past. It's time to turn the 18-year-old into an adult, with all the rights, privileges and, yes, responsibilities that come with it.NOexceptions