The drinking age should stay at 21
Maggie Crowell
Why should the drinking age stay where it's at?
The drinking age should stay at 21. When you are 18 your brain is not fully developed ("Alcohol"). Alcohol can cause more harm to a still developing brain. In 2005, 43,000 people were killed in car crashes in the United States. 17,000 were caused from drunk drivers. About 28% of those drunk drivers were between the ages of 16-20 years old. A 21 year old is more responsible than an 18 year old in most cases. Alcohol is responsible for more than 4,300 annual deaths. Alcoholism can be genetic, so beginning to drink at 18 raises the risk of becoming an alcoholic.
Drunk drivers
Alcohol is involved in thousands of car crashes each year ("Underage").
In 2005 of all drunk drivers;
-8.3% were ages 16-17
-19.8% were 18-20
-27.9% were 21-25 and
-22.6% were 26-29 (Parks 6).
18% of fatal crashes include alcohol and other drugs. If some one is charged with a DUI, driving under the influence, and that have caused injuries or death, will go to jail. A DWI is driving while intoxicated. One way to cut down on drunk driving is just to drink responsibly and not drive dunk!
How much is too much?
No matter what age you are there is a limit to how much alcohol your body can take.
A standard drink is;
-12 ounces of beer or wine cooler
-5 ounces of wine or
-1.5 ounces of hard liquor (Landau).
Drinking any more than that can be dangerous. When someone drinks a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time on multiple occasions it is called binge drinking.
In 2011;
-39% of people drank a reasonable amount
-22% of people binge drank
-8% drove after drinking and
-24% rode with a drunk driver ("Underage").
Also in 2011, 25% of youths ages 12-20 drank at some point. 16% of them binge drinking. The more alcohol that enters the blood stream the more damage it will cause.
Looks aren't everything
Alcohol contains ethanol and is a depressant drug. Alcohol is the most used and abused drug in the United States ("Underage") and is the most common for addiction. Alcohol goes in to the blood stream unlike regularly digested food and drinks. Drinking can result in talkativeness, loss of inhibitions, mood swings, and emotional outbursts. It can also cause slurred speech, loss of coordination, and impaired balance.
It all happenes in college
Staying 21
Works cited
Landau, Elaine. Alcohol. New York: Franklin Watts, 2003. Print.
Parks, Peggy J. Driving under the Influence. Yankton, SD: Erickson, 2007. Print.
Roza, Greg. New York: Rosen Group, 2001. Print.
"Under Age Drinking." Issues and Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. <Http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm>.
"Young Adult Drinking." National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Publications Distribution Center, Apr. 2006. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa68/aa68.htm>.