The Minimum Drinking Age - Essay Example

The Minimum Drinking Age I was interested in reading the book on ‘Controversies in The Addiction Field’. The book discusses several issues in the addiction field. While reading the book, I was interested in section C. The section discussed the minimum drinking age. In chapter ten, it was suggested that the drinking ages should be lowered. The issue of intoxication has been the bone of contention for so many years. Concerns about drinking were raised in the olden days. There is enough evidence to that fact. Records of ancient civilizations have been unearthed. Such accounts were found in Egyptian carvings, Hebrew scripts, and Babylonian tablets. The Hammurabi code also devoted some sections to deal with the problems created by alcohol abuse. In the American society, the place of alcohol had been ambivalent. Drinking has been termed as the major cause of economic catastrophe. Drinking has been blamed for causing crimes, military defeats and diseases as well. To manage the crisis, the drinking ages have been increased in order to save young people from the vice. Since the early 1800s, organized efforts have been made to limit drinking and the role of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. However, the subject of alcohol has provoked strong conflict and controversy. Alcohol has proved to be the symbolic issue where the struggle for primacy in social status has been fought between the differing life styles. Although alcohol is associated with numerous personal and social problems, its use is widely accepted. In 1970, congress passed an amendment that granted the right to vote to citizens between the ages of 18 to 21. The movement started to extend other rights and privileges of adulthood to those aged 18. Between 1970 and 1975, some 29 states reduced their minimal drinking age. However, the change provoked even more controversy since a concern arose over the number of young people involved in car accidents that happened to be alcohol related. Certainly, there was need to do something[Han]. In order to solve the problem, a legal solution had to be sought through legislation. In order to resolve the issue, it would be necessary to determine the age at which young people are mature into adulthood. Alcohol consumption is dangerous and sinful. It can easily lead to problems in behavior. Drinking, in any degree is undesirable because moderate social drinking is the forerunner of chronic inebriations. Young people, if not everyone, ought to be protected from alcohol. Other attempts aside from minimizing the drinking age have been made too. Such attempts often lead to undesirable consequences. For instance, Australian laws directed the closing of bars at six o’clock. The law forced working men to their families in time for dinner. However, some undesirable customs developed. The customs were known as the six o’clock swill. Drinkers consumed as much beer as possible between the end of work and the six o’clock closing time[Han]. In the past forty years, it has been evident that the proportion of drinkers increases with age. In July 1987, the minimum purchase age became 21 in all states. Further reduction in the minimum age would lead to an increment in alcohol related automobile accidents involving the youth. During that time, surfacing arguments indicated that the increases resulted from changes in police-reporting techniques and long-term trends concerning alcohol consumption and incidents of accidents. Studies conducted in the mid-1970s showed that the effects of reducing the minimum age led to significant increases in alcohol-related car accidents among the youth. Much of the research had been carried out in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario where the minimum age was lowered. Other studies were carried out in the neighboring states of Illinois and Indiana where the minimum age was not lowered. Increases in the number of fatal accidents were found among the states that chose to lower the minimum drinking ages. Following the minimum age reduction in Ontario, alcohol related accidents among the youth aged eighteen to twenty had increased from 150 to 300 percent. Alcohol consumption has had adverse economic effects and other costs to the society. After lowering the minimum drinki8ng age in the U.S, the country spent billions of dollars annually in healthcare, property damage and social damage, as well as lost production. In the year 1984, the state division of alcoholism projected that a 21-year-old minimum drinking age would save 60-70 lives, 1200 serious injuries and some 75 million dollars on an annual basis. In the same year, it was reported that 25% of every insurance premium dollar went to pay for damages done by drunk drivers. It is crystal clear that lowering the minimum drinking age has a very negative impact to the society at large. In contrast with all the studies reporting negative results, there are many other studies that report positively after states and provinces raise the legal ages. For instance, Maine did experience a reduction from 14-20% in car accidents between the years 1974 and 1979. A 1980 research conducted in Illinois found a 9% decrease in nighttime single vehicle accidents among some nineteen to twenty year old drivers when the legal minimum drinking age was increased. A certain investigation examined fatal accidents from 1975 to 1980 in some nine states that chose to raise the minimum drinking age. It was found that the reductions in accidents ranged from 6 to 75 percent. The researchers concluded that an increase in the legal drinking age resulted to a 28% reduction in night time automobile accidents among the age groups affected by the changes. Other studies have shown that when the minimum drinking age was lowered, there is a significant increase in alcohol-related problems other than driving. Facts from other sources Research shows that the human brain is ever growing. It undergoes restructuring and specialization mostly during the adolescent stages. During this period, unnecessary neural connections are eliminated while the necessary ones are refined (L. M. Squeglia). Research shows that alcohol consumption especially through binge drinking before the full maturation of the brain could cause permanent harm and hinder development. During teenage years, the prefrontal cortex experiences the most rapid changes during the teenage years. This area of the brain is involved in judgments and decision making. Since alcohol affects that part of the brain, the young teenager taking alcohol may fail to make good judgments. When a teenager consumes alcohol while his/her brain is still developing, there is an increased risk of alcohol dependency. In 2011, a study of 600 finish twins conducted by the University of Indiana found that people who drank regularly in their teenage years would develop alcohol dependency later in their lives. The study interviewed young men and women on their drinking habits when they were eighteen and 25 (Niaaa.nih.gov). Having read the book, I do support the minimum age drinking law. It is evident that this law is essential for the wellbeing of teenagers and the whole society at large. Overdrinking is directly proportional to the number of accidents that happen in many areas. Drunk drivers are poor decision makers and for that reason, many have perished in automobile accidents. While analyzing other facts, I found that when adolescents take alcohol at an early age, they risk damaging their brains. Furthermore, they can become overly dependent on alcohol in future. The law has helped in the growth of the American economy. A lot of cash has been saved. The money is used for beneficial purposes. Yes! The minimum drinking age should be 21. References L. M. Squeglia, S. F. Tapert. 'The Influence of Substance Use On Adolescent Brain Development'. Clinical EEG and neuroscience : official journal of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ENCS) 40.1 (2009): 31. Web. 4 May 2015. Niaaa.nih.gov,. 'College Drinking | National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism (NIAAA)'. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 May 2015. Han: , (Hanson), Read More