Self-Analysis Post

I have always thought that the drinking age of 21 should be changed simply because it is not fair. We are considered adults at the age of 18, so we should be able to make the adult decision to drink alcohol. Over the course of my blogging however, I have found many valid reasons as to why the drinking age should indeed be lowered to 18. The issue is not only a matter of how individuals of age 18 are allowed to fight in war, but not allowed to consume alcohol. The issue extends to how at age 18, individuals are given the freedom to choose a college of their choice, head into the workforce, or how they can damage their health by smoking. I have learned a substantial amount of ways to associate the drinking age with different circumstances. This knowledge has made my argument very strong.

The most heard reason to lower the drinking age is that since young adults of age 18 can die for their country, they should be able to enjoy a beer or two. Of course, this was also one of my top reasons for lowering the drinking age at first, but I also found how this age relates to other important subjects like choosing a college. College is a huge step in a young adult’s life because this step decides how their future is going to play out. Many would agree that making this choice requires a more in-depth thought process than choosing to have a drink. I was able to come to this conclusion after a fellow blogger left a comment on my page arguing as to why 18 is the right age for drinking. Others’ comments helped me to broaden my perspective on the debate.

Some may point out the fact that alcohol can give rise to health problems unlike choosing a college, but what about smoking cigarettes? Cigarettes can cause a number of different health problems, but at the age of 18, young adults are allowed to use them. This was something to seriously consider when looking at the issue from a health angle. I have found counter-arguments for almost every opinion that is not in accordance with mine. Learning and researching my blog topic of the drinking age has caused my mind to formulate different reasons as to why others should be in favor of my opinion.

Through researching, I was able to discover a way that the negative effects of alcohol are related to all ages. The problems associated with drinking do not just apply to those that are under 21. Society tends to want to blame the alcohol-related accidents on this age category because they claim that all of these individuals are irresponsible. This generalization is in no way fair because there are problems with alcohol seen in all ages. Society chooses to believe that 18 year-olds make more mistakes than the older population, so they should not be allowed to consume alcohol. However, it does not matter whether the person begins to drink at 18 or 21 because either way, the individual is unsure of how much they can handle until they actually drink. After reading more about this subject I began to see how true it was because if you really think about it, no one has a certain tolerance of alcohol until they consume the substance for the first time. My thoughts on the subject had always only resided in the 18 to 21-year-old range, but my research has given me the chance to further explore other age groups.

As I did research for this blog, I found a statistic that implies that it is in favor of the drinking age of 18. The statistic explains how when the drinking age was raised to 21 in the United States, the rate of traffic fatalities in the 1980s decreased less than the European countries whose drinking age is less than 21. This proves that by increasing the age, there was actually no direct effect on the reduction of traffic fatalities. Those in favor of the current drinking age want to believe that the age of 21 has given rise to a safer driving environment, but in reality, it has had almost no effect. Personally, I had thought that since the drinking age was lowered, the amount of traffic fatalities had decreased. Learning that this generalization was untrue allowed for another strong point in my argument.

Even though my opinion is strictly in favor of the drinking age, I made the effort to research reasons as to why the drinking age should not be lowered. I wanted to do this to make sure that I understood the main points of the other side of the debate. This helped me to construct my arguments in an unbiased manner. By researching groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, I was able to understand why they support the current drinking age. The group does present sufficient evidence for their opinion, so I really had to take the time to explore the evidence that was not in favor of lowering the drinking age. Doing so made my argument stronger and pushed my mind to engage in a deeper thought process.

A trend that I noticed in my blog posts was that many of them began with a question. This question made the reader think about the subject of the following post. I feel that the reason I did this was to find a way to connect with the viewer so that they could see how the subject related to them. This tactic made the person more willing to read my blog post and the ones that were soon to follow.

Through the course of my blogging, I have come to notice the ways in which I formulate my thoughts to share with others. My thinking process was straightforward with what I believed about the drinking age, but I knew that I could not simply state my opinion in the blog. I had to transition my tone to a neutral one that would allow others to think about what I had to say. At first this was a difficult task because it is challenging to present an opinion without having bias. In order to present my opinion without bias, I had to reflect on my thoughts and express them with sufficient evidence in my blog posts. Blogging has taught me that it is possible to have an opinion on a subject without being biased.

There is no doubt that blogging has been a learning experience for me. I was able to create a strong opinion as to why the drinking age should be lowered to 18 by providing sufficient evidence, which expanded my knowledge. I was also pushed to develop a thought process that made me think in-depth about counter-arguments. With completion of this blog, I feel that I can say that I have been successful in expressing my thoughts on the drinking age debate.

Implications Post: 18?

Blogging about the drinking age debate has caused me to ask myself the question, what will happen if the issue goes unresolved? If the issue of the drinking age goes unresolved, the two opposing sides will continue to be divided. The side against lowering the drinking age will continue to have the opinion that at age 18 you are considered an adult and should therefore be allowed to drink, while the side in support of the current drinking age will continue to claim that more problems will come as a result of lowering the age.

I also believe that if the issue goes unresolved many laws such as being able to vote in an election at age 18, will be questioned. The government sees an individual as an adult when they are of the age of 18, which would imply that the individual has the ability to make their own decisions. We all know that this is not true since the decision to drink alcohol legally at this age is not given. I think that the government will eventually have to re-assess the age at which they consider an individual an adult. Is it really 18? If it is, there should be no exceptions, including that of the legal age to consume alcohol.

Choose Responsibility

This is an organization that really knows what they are talking about! The nonprofit organization, Choose Responsibility, was founded to consider policies that will effectively empower young adults from age 18 to 20 of the United States to make informed decisions about the presence of alcohol in their lives. The group aims to treat these young adults as actual adults, like the law state that they are.

In order to allow the purchase and consumption of alcohol by those that are 18 and older, Choose Responsibility has formulated an approach that will ensure responsible behavior. This approach consists of education, certification, and provisional licensing for 18-20 year-old high school graduates that choose to drink alcohol. As of now, if states chose to experiment with this approach, they would be penalized by not receiving a percentage of federal highway funds. Choose Responsibility wants federal legislation to not punish these states if they can put forth a plan that educates and licenses young adults that helps to uphold decreased levels of fatalities, with a lower drinking age. The states would also be responsible for putting together information that monitors the effects that come about with the change in law. Once statistics from the information are compiled, states would submit them to Congress in order to show why they should not be punished for their lower drinking age.

The educational part of the approach would be very similar to Driver’s Education in that it would be taught by a certified alcohol educator, have at least 40 hours of instruction, require a partnership between home and school, have a final exam that students must pass for licensing, and provide accurate and unbiased alcohol education for both drinkers and abstainers. There would also be a set curriculum taught, which can be seen on the organization’s website. After completing the class, each student would receive a license that gives them the privileges and responsibilities of adult alcohol purchase, possession, and consumption of alcohol.

This organization presents an efficient and detailed outline of its goals that would lead to positive effects as a result of lowering the drinking age. The group does more than just say, “The drinking age should be lowered!” They have devised a comprehensive plan that shows exactly how the drinking age can effectively be lowered.

Annotated Links Post

As I have been blogging, there have been many websites that I have come across that have offered valuable information. Here are just a few:

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Lowering the Drinking Age

This website begins by explaining how the phrase, “legal drinking age,” is false because states are actually free to set the age at whatever they deem appropriate. The site goes on to introduce some of the arguments in favor lowering the drinking age followed by some arguments against lowering the drinking age. The best part of this website is that it is not biased with either side.

Amethyst Initiative

The Amethyst Initiative is a group of chancellors and presidents of universities and colleges that are pushing for a public discussion to be held on the current drinking age of 21. The group is in favor of lowering the age due to the many incidents with alcohol that have been seen across college campuses. This website goes into detail on exactly what the initiative’s goals are and how signing the initiative can be of great benefit.


Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a non-profit organization that aims to keep the legal drinking age at 18. This website goes into detail on the many aspects of the organization from the history of the organization to statistics on drunk driving. The members of this organization are obviously against lowering the drinking age, so the opinion of the website is biased.


Lower the U.S. Legal Drinking Age to 18

This website explains how colleges would be able to regulate alcohol use by students if the age were 18, which would lead to less alcohol-related accidents. The website’s main point is that colleges are the ones that are liable for the problems associated with alcohol, so they are the institutes that most want to lower the drinking age. Quotes from college administrators provide evidence for how the age of 21 has caused more problems than decrease them.

The Debate on Lowering the Drinking Age

This website provides an article on how a group of over 100 college presidents signed a declaration to begin a national debate on the drinking age of 21. The article presents dangerous ways in which kids find a way to get around the 21 year old limit. This website provides clear examples of alcohol-related accidents that happen frequently across college campuses.

Alcohol: Problems and Solutions

This website offers and abundance of information on the problems of alcohol in general. It provides many links to the issue and presents the issue in a number of ways, such as fun facts and the controversies of the matter. There are even facts presented about the calorie content of alcohol and how consumption does not actually lead to weight gain.


Drinking Age, Lowering of

A table of pros and cons can be found on this website that justifies each pro and con. The website presents the classic debate about the limits the state should place on something that could harm people. There is about an equal number of pros and cons, so each side is able to be viewed fairly.

Class Links

As I have been blogging, I have also been following a few of my classmates' blogs. Here are just a few of the ones that have grabbed my attention:

To Lower or Not to Lower? (The drinking age)

It is probably obvious as to why I enjoy reading this blog. This blog is in favor of a lower drinking age just like my blog! The posts are easy to find a way to relate them back to your own personal life. This can make you think of the issue in a different context and possibly persuade you to have an opinion in favor of lowering the drinking age. This blogger knows how to present their facts in an efficient manner because the posts are short and concise.

Health Care

This blog brings up the issue of euthanasia, which is physician assisted suicide. The blogger clearly presents their opinion of being against the practice by exploring the many different aspects of the topic. The fact that the blogger uses a neutral tone helps readers to formulate their own opinion on the subject, but also makes them want to lean towards being against euthanasia. This is because the blogger gives sufficient evidence as to why the practice is wrong.

Untitled

I enjoy following this blog because it presents the debate on the drinking age in a different manner than simply being for a lower drinking age or being against a lower drinking age. This blogger explores the way in which alcohol is viewed in the United States and why this is the reason the drinking age has come to be such a hot topic. The facts and evidence that this blogger looks at are presented in a clear and concise manner. Read this blog and you will begin to see why the issue of the drinking age may not just be about the actual age of 21.

Theory: Satisfaction Almost Guaranteed

There is no way to completely satisfy both sides of the legal drinking age debate. However, I would like to propose a theory that would almost completely satisfy those in favor of lowering the drinking age to 18 and partially satisfy those in keeping the age at 21. Since the majority of underage drinking occurs in college, colleges should be issued pub licenses that allow distribution of beer and wine to those with a student ID of age 18. In order to prevent over consumption, a breathalyzer will be used to ensure that the alcohol limit of 0.08 is not exceeded. Furthermore, the drinking age would still remain at 21, but colleges would be given the chance to show students the way to drink responsibly.

Leave it Up to Mom and Dad

This may seem a little out of the ordinary, but some of my friends are actually allowed to drink with their parents. Their parents allow them to have a drink or two in the home because they know that their teenager is in an environment where they can monitor the consumption of the alcohol. If you think this is wrong, think about this: If a parent allows their teenager to drink in the house, they are less likely to see it as a substance that is exciting. I do not think that I would feel as thrilled drinking at home with my parents than if I was drinking at a party with my friends.

So why are some parents choosing to allow their teenager to drink in the home? They are doing so because they believe that if the teenager drinks with them, they can learn to drink responsibly when they are not with the parents. The teenager will already have a sense of what their limits are with alcohol and the amount that they can tolerate. This will most likely ensure to the parents that when their teenagers do go out to wild parties, they will not be involved in alcohol-related accidents.

Even though this method of teaching safe drinking is illegal right now, it is still being used because most parents know that their teenager will drink at some point. If the drinking age were lowered to 18, all parents would feel comfortable in allowing their teenagers to drink in the home. More accidents and problems are occurring in the United States because young adults do not know the safe way to drink alcohol. And who better to teach the young adults, than their parents themselves?

It's the Mature Thing to Do

What is an easy way for a teenager to appear mature? Drink alcohol! Since the legal drinking age is 21, 21 comes off as an age of maturity to young adults. They feel that if they drink, they will also look mature. Looking mature seems to be what all teens in society want to do so that they will be respected by others. This misconception leads to teens wanting to consume alcohol even more.

You are not likely to find an adult party without alcohol. There are always a variety of drinks available at these parties because they are hosted by mature adults (those that are 21 and older). Individuals under the age of 18 see these parties and think, “Well I should drink alcohol too so that I will appear as a mature adult.” The thing that is not so great with this thought is that at 18, one is supposed to already be considered an adult! However, alcohol is what sets apart an immature adult from a mature adult.

Misconceptions about maturity related to alcohol are giving the definition of “maturity” a negative meaning. Maturity should not be viewed as a trait that comes after the consumption of alcohol. Maturity’s definition should not be related to alcohol at all. Having the drinking age at 18 would not cause the definition of maturity to be confused. Lawmakers need to realize that having a high drinking age is doing nothing but causing problems

Amethyst Initiative

It may be hard to believe, but even college presidents and chancellors are pushing for a lower drinking age. These college presidents and chancellors see the negative outcomes of underage drinking on a regular basis. They are making an effort to lower the age to 18 with the Amethyst Initiative, which is their attempt to begin a public discussion and political review of the current legal drinking age of 21.

The Amethyst Initiative believes that college students have not stopped drinking in response to prohibition but instead, increased alcohol’s danger. The danger has increased because college campuses are unable to control the alcohol when it is in non-public places, such as dorms and off-campus houses. If the alcohol age was simply lowered back to 18, students would be drinking in public places, where officials could monitor alcohol consumption.

The main source of criticism that the initiative receives is from the evidence that lowering the age reduced alcohol-related traffic fatalities. However, the initiative believes that this argument is minor when compared to the number of alcohol-related deaths due to binge drinking. More individuals among the age of 18 to 21 died as a result of binge drinking than they did as a result of traffic fatalities. Since binge drinking is done by teenagers for the “thrill,” its frequency can be reduced. Binge drinking would be less likely to take place if the age were lowered because alcohol would not be such a “thrill” for young adults.

So why are we not listening to the Amethyst Initiative? They are the ones that see underage drinking occurring all the time and they are the ones that have to deal with its outcomes. If they are willing to push for a lower drinking age, they must be confident enough to know that lowering the age will lead to positive outcomes.

Mixed Messages

The most widespread argument made by opponents of lowering the drinking age is that at age 18, teenagers lack the ability to make wise decisions about alcohol. Research has concluded that the human brain does not fully develop until a person is in their early 20s. This may be true, but what about the other decisions that teenagers are making at the age of 18, such as signing up for the military or choosing a college? Do these decisions not require the same, if not more, mental capacity as deciding whether or not to drink?

I believe that signing up for the military requires an increased level of mental capacity when compared to making the decision about consuming alcohol. In the military, soldiers have the ability to shoot a person and kill them. This means that at the age of 18, a person has the ability to take another person’s life! If an individual of the age of 18 can make the decision to kill a person, they should definitely be able to make the decision of partaking in the consumption of alcohol.

Similarly, choosing a college requires a higher level of mental capacity than choosing to have an alcoholic drink or two. The college that a teenager chooses now at the age of 18, affects the future of their lives. Alcohol, when consumed in moderation, affects only a night or two of a person’s life. It is much more difficult to choose a college than it is to choose to drink or not to drink.

On the whole, it appears that the drinking age of 21 is sending mixed messages to young adults. Are teenagers supposed to believe that signing up for the military and choosing a college is inferior to that of making the decision to drink alcohol or not?

Analysis: To Lower or Not to Lower?

The “legal drinking age” of 21 has come to be a hot topic in our country as many people are making an effort to lower the age to 18. In the early 1970s (during the time of the Vietnam War), 29 states lowered their drinking age to 18 since that was the age to enlist in the war. But when traffic fatalities associated with alcohol began to increase, many states raised the age back to 21.

Now you might be wondering why I put “legal drinking age” in quotations; this is because there is not actually a “legal drinking age” in the United States. In theory, the states are free to set the age limit at whatever age they deem appropriate. However, in 1984, Congress found a way to make sure that every state would set their drinking age to 21. Congress told the states that if they set their age to less than 21, that they would not receive 10 percent of highway funds.

By intimidating the states, Congress got their way with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The legal drinking age was set at 21, which is the highest drinking age in the world.

As the years have passed since 1984, a number of debates have come into the public scene. There are two broad sides: one side has concluded that raising the drinking age has provided more alcohol-related problems, while the other side believes that the opposite holds true. Groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving,
support the current drinking age, while Libertarian groups are in support of a lower drinking age. Whichever side you are on, we can all agree on one conclusion: underage drinking is definitely a problem in our country.

There have been many arguments against lowering the drinking age, but just how valid are these arguments? The most common argument is that a lower age means more alcohol-related traffic fatalities, many of which include young drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
has estimated that by increasing the drinking age, 13 percent of alcohol-related accidents involving individuals of age 18 to 20-years-old, has decreased since 1975.

The validity of this statistic has been questioned by proponents of a lower drinking age. This is because the NHTSA provided no evidence of how they came to their conclusion. There seemed to be no relationship presented between the lower number of accidents and the higher drinking age. There has also been the point brought up that alcohol-related traffic fatalities was already declining before 1984.

Other less common arguments against lowering the drinking age are that the younger population lacks the mental development to make decisions on alcohol, underage drinking leads to health problems later in life, teen drinking is usually in the form of binge drinking, and that the alcohol will be passed down to even younger adults.

Research suggests that the human brain is not fully developed until the person reaches their early 20s. Therefore, young individuals do not have the mental development to make wise decisions about alcohol.

Serious health problems have arisen with underage drinking, such as a dependence on the substance later in life. A research study in Pennsylvania found that introducing alcohol to children earlier in life might increase their likelihood to binge drink in college.

Teens partake in binge drinking as opposed to social drinking because they consume it only to get “wasted.” Binge drinking is considered as “any intoxicated drinking that leads to certain harmful or destructive behaviors."
Also, many opponents of lowering the drinking age propose that a lower drinking age will lead to an easier access for teens that are even younger than 18. As with the issue of traffic fatalities, counterarguments have come about in response to the above arguments.

The biggest effort to lower the drinking age has probably been the Amethyst Initiative. This initiative hopes to begin a public discussion and a political review of the legal age of 21. The attempt is being made by more than 100 college presidents and chancellors because they have witnessed firsthand the negative consequences of binge drinking and alcohol-related deaths across college campuses. Amethyst argues that increasing the drinking age has not stopped college students from drinking, but instead has pushed it out of controllable public spaces. Students are finding ways to drink privately, which leads to excess consumption.

The initiative also points out that at the age of 18, individuals can take on many responsibilities, including those of the military. Their question is this: If you can take a life at the age of 18, why can you not have a drink? The group of Mothers Against Drunk Driving seem to have the most controversy with this because they know that the current legal age of 21 is most likely not being enforced on these college campuses.

Proponents of lowering the drinking age conclude that it will make drinking alcohol more of a social activity rather than an activity that gives a thrill to teens because they are breaking the law. Alcohol for teens is seen as the “forbidden fruit.”

Furthermore, if teens know that they are breaking the law, they are less likely to call for help if a peer needs medical assistance due to alcohol consumption. A regulated environment with appropriate supervision would come into play with a lower drinking age. Also, the fact that enforcing the Minimum Legal Drinking Age is expensive raises the proposition that it would be more effective to educate the youth on safe drinking at a younger age.

Both sides of the debate present a number of arguments, but which arguments are the most valid?

Who are they Kidding?

I am pretty sure that all of you reading my blog are at least 18 years old. This means that you have most likely left the home of your parents to go to college or into the workforce. Therefore, you have been faced with many new things that have required you to make a decision on your own. If choosing to drink alcohol or not drink alcohol has not already been one of these decisions, I can assure you that you will be faced with the choice by the end of this semester. Since you are 18, you are independent, which means you have the choice whether or not to break the law. If we are old enough to decide whether or not we want to break the law, shouldn’t we have the right to drink alcohol at the age of 18?

Right now, the legal age to drink is 21. This seems controversial given the fact that 18 is the age at which we become independent. I feel that the law of our country is a bit out of touch with reality when it comes to the drinking age because they have to know that underage drinking goes on. We are solely responsible for the way in which we choose to live our lives at the age of 18. We are responsible enough to handle every action in our lives, so we should easily be able to handle the effects of alcohol. The government is making a fool of themselves by keeping the drinking age at 21. Lawmakers can choose to not lower the age to 18 but in the long run, they are the ones that are going to have to deal with the negative effects of alcohol on our country, including teenage deaths.

It's the Fear

Did you know that the states of our country were actually bullied into lowering the drinking age? That’s right, Congress told the states that if they did not raise the minimum drinking age to 21, they would be cut off from federal highway funding. Of course, the states made the decision to lower their drinking ages because they did not want to have to deal with lawmakers or groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It seemed like a fair compromise that would not cause problems, but over the years many problems have arisen.
One of the worst problems of the prohibition of alcohol is that it leads to the underage population to take part in excessive drinking. This can mean getting so trashed that an individual needs medical attention. It is easy to get to this point of drunkenness on college campuses because alcohol is open for anyone at parties, including those that are underage. So what do you do when one of your friends gets to the point where they need medical attention? I am sure that you want to call 911 for them to get help, but in the back of your mind you are probably thinking, “My friend and I have both been drinking, and we are both underage, so that means that we will definitely get in trouble with the police.” This thought usually causes the person that needs help not to get help, which could lead to their death! However, if the drinking age were still 18, this individual would not have felt the need to partake in the excessive drinking of alcohol. Drinking alcohol would be seen as a social thing, and the consequence of death would not be so prevalent.

Guess what Thursday was? Thirsty Thursday! And if you do not already know what that means across college campuses; it means that many students went out that night to consume heavy amounts of alcohol. Some of us might have class tomorrow, but so what? That does not seem to be stopping many from going out until early in the morning. However, I read about a study in Wisconsin that believes scheduling more classes on Friday mornings would lead to fewer students binge drinking on Thursday nights. Seriously? I know students that have 8AM classes that stay out until 2AM or later because they want to have fun too!
The only thing that I think would really stop students from participating in Thirsty Thursday is lowering the drinking age. Let’s face it, the main reason students drink is because the experience gives them a thrill. I am not exactly sure how the day of Thirsty Thursday came to be, but I know that many students celebrate the day, including myself. I feel that if the drinking age were lowered, Thirsty Thursday would not be such a big event. Thursday would just be seen as another weekday because this day of the week is just a reason for students to go out and get trashed on a school night. You might think that students would drink every night if alcohol was legal for them, but trust me, this would get old. Students would soon start to feel the exhaustion during classes and realize that they do not need to necessarily drink every night.

Beer Pong, Thumper, Flip Cup, Circled of Death: all of these drinking games have come about through the creative minds of teenagers. For teenagers in the United States, drinking alcohol is a thrill. The idea of drinking brings on a mindset of "getting wasted." In other countries however, drinking is seen as a social activity. Teenagers of the United States mindsets have a number of negative consequences. These consequences include alcohol poisoning, fatal injuries, and feelings of regret.
In 1984, the United States enforced the National Minimum Age Drinking Act, which rose the drinking age from 18 to 21. When this act was passed, it sparked a great deal of controversy. Many have argued that since you can fight for your country, vote in elections, and be selected for jury duty at age 18, you should be allowed to consume and posses alcohol at the age of 18. Supporters of a lower drinking age also believe that there would be fewer problems with alcohol if younger adults were allowed to have it.
College universities are strong supporters of a lower drinking age because they conclude that if it were 18, they could regulate alcohol use across campus. This would mean that students would be less apt to becoming overly intoxicated. Since campus officials have accepted the fact that drinking alcohol occurs on a regular basis, they want to show students how to do it in a safe way. But the goal they would most like to achieve is actually lowering the drinking age so that alcohol-related deaths would not be so prevalent.
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/youthissues/1092767630.html
http://www.petitiononline.com/AD793/petition.html