Proposal on Lowering Drinking Age from 21 to 18 - Essay Example

Lowering Drinking Age from 21 to 18 To kick off the essay, one should believe that alcoholism has hampered the growth levels within the society of late. A number of people thus drink in moderation so that they could take control of their drinking issues, but the counter argument suggests a completely different picture. Then again some people are of the view that these alcoholics are destroying their livers and also taking huge risks of landing up in problems courtesy the law itself. Having said that the aspects are immense as regards to the drinking regimes and which must be aimed at stopping people from indulging in such habits in a very severe manner. This proposal essay takes a look at the legal age of drinking and why it should be rolled back to 18 years of age. It also pinpoints the essential changes that need to be made within the legislation as well as tackles problems in a head on fashion. There are chances which will crop up every now and then which will make the above-mentioned proposal sound illogical and insane yet the outcome is for the betterment of one and all, and especially the youth of present times. After all, they know what is good for them and how they can amend their lives in essence with the time and spirit of the present epoch. In the times much like today, people look at their lives in the form of an open canvas – waiting to throw paints on their personalities. Same is the case which holds true for drinking where they suggest and indeed I am of the view that it should be allowed at the age of 18 years because at this age, a person gets mature enough to distinguish the good and the bad for his own self. Tamura (1992) asks the question regarding lowering the drinking age since there have been amendments in the legislative processes of different countries from time to time. What this highlights is the fact that legislation under such domains is a significant impediment in the wake of lowering drinking prohibitions. The legal age is just a yardstick of measuring one’s age at the end of the day. It does not give any idea about a teenager’s mental and physical maturity. What it presents to one and all is a mere age dynamic – nothing more and nothing less. The laws need to be amended and this is because age factor does not count for quite a lot in these circumstances. In fact these could be regarded as extraneous circumstances where different people mature quickly and are thrust with more responsibilities within their lives. The age conundrum just sets a very shallow level of thinking on the part of the law makers and this must be rectified at the very earliest so that discrepancies within this discussion could be plugged to provide benefits to all and sundry. Nobody should interfere with the social and personal lives of people and whosoever does it must be brought to court and asked for his actions as this is an infringement to the basic human living conditions. On another tangent, the society holds a grudge that the lawful consumption of alcohol needs to be waited upon. There have been complaints made without understanding these very issues which go on behind the scenes, as to how a normal individual becomes an alcoholic. The rationale behind consuming alcohol entails of worries related with the person’s living standards, job insecurities and marital problems. It is a fact that any alcoholic would want to get ride of this menace once and for all yet this is easier said than done. Physicians and doctors alike are unable to discern the exact problem behind alcoholics yet research is being conducted on a constant level. Studies have demonstrated the fact that a number of individuals drink alcoholic beverages so that they could escape from severe tensions, frustrations and a host of anxieties which engulf their lives. Many people usually handle everyday tensions by forming up psychological defenses within their personalities. This demands a high level of tolerance within one’s own self and not everyone can adhere to such restrictions imposed on his own self. It is a fact that the alcoholic tolerance for normal, day to day stress is pretty low and thus asks the individual to resort to the intake of alcohol as a drug so that he could have relief. Indeed alcoholism has remained as a disorder of the highest pedigree and there are treatments available to counter the very same. Nichols (2001) offers a perspective which is similar to such understanding levels as the relation of being rebelled under social and cultural pressures is on the rise. The youth finds it right to rebel against the norm and thus carries on its own agenda. The youth needs an outlet to let off the different pressures which come their way and it is only fitting if they are given more room to maneuver their own selves and permit them the right to spend their lives as they deem fit. This will make them responsible citizens at the end of the day and give them accountability options towards their parents as well as the other authority figures within the society. Putting pressure on them would not solve the problem at all since this would make them rebel from their elders and ancestors rather than bringing some wellness within the said regimes. Moreover, the role of the authorities is of immense significance here since they must examine the repercussions of the legal age being changed from 21 down to 18 years. However, I am of the view that the lawful age of drinking needs to be lowered a bit and people must have the right to drink whenever they feel like, only if they are over 18 years of age. Moore (2001) is thus of the firm belief that comparative stances on alcohol in the wake of changing cultural regimes has a big say in developing such drinking patterns. However what is significant for now is the fact that the youth must be given the liberty to make a choice between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad, and the morally correct and essentially illegal. They must make sure that their actions do not offer judgments which hamper the drinking culture prevalent within the society and their behaviors must be in line with the way people perceive these habits in essence. The youth has a role to play and its responsibility is immense since the elders believe that the youth knows it best what is right for them. The youth must pay back the elders for their trust and belief in them and thus the youngsters of present times should not let them down in any manner whatsoever. In the end, the discussion would focus on giving the young ones the right to understand their own selves better, give them the room that they so richly deserve and allow them the leeway which can provide them the distinction between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad, the acceptable and the unacceptable and so on. They will learn from life as they explore its intricacies and for that to happen, there is a need to allow them to drink at the age of 18 years. This will make them mature adults at a very early age and also give them career options in a very fulfilling capacity. They would be able to chase their dreams in a better way all said and done. Works Cited Moore, Roland S. Drinking Occasions: Comparative Perspectives on Alcohol and Culture. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 7, 2001 Nichols, Hans S. Getting Drunk on Rebellion. Insight on the News, Vol. 17, July 16, 2001 Tamura, Eileen H. Should the Minimum Drinking Age Be Changed? A Simulation on the Legislative Process. Social Studies, Vol. 83, 1992 Word Count: 1,269 Read More