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?