Amendment XVIII :
Amend the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which establishes a minimum drinking age of 21 years old, and punishes states that allows persons under 21 years of age to purchase and publicly possess alcohol, to a minimum drinking age of 18 years old.
[Mastermansocsci37] The United States has one of the most serious alcohol abuse problems in the world, yet, our minimum drinking age is one of the highest in the world at 21 years old. For the majority of the globe's countries, the minimum drinking age is 18 years old:
(some of the 18-year old countries are cut off, so there are more)
Perhaps it's time to think about why that is.
Deprivation may be the answer.
When a person is deprived from something for a long time, they might be more excited to grab it at any chance possible. In the United States, alcohol has a great presence in popular culture. Children are able to approach alcohol when people in their families consume it, they see it on television when it's portrayed as people "having a good time", kids grow up seeing alcohol, yet they aren't grown up educated in it.
So when they turn legal, or when they enter college, a private vicinity where the substance can be readily available, well...they leap. Many do not know their limits, and end up on stretchers and ambulances outside college campuses.
Take France for example, the minimum drinking age is 18 years old, but there is no restriction for minors drinking in public. Rather, drinking alcohol over there is seen as an art. Parents are seen teaching their children the art of wine at the age of 10.
Because alcohol is seen as an art, children are taught to be well versed in it at a young age, it isn't seen as a way to "enjoy oneself" as much as it is seen here. It's the mentality of it that's different. When the public perception of a substance is healthy, that generally produces healthier habits.
It is not to say that this amendment will produce immediate results. It won't. Not until parents learn to educate their children properly on the consumption of alcohol, and that will take at least a few generations.
However, getting rid of deprivation can be a big factor in helping with the alcohol abuse in the U.S. Since many 18 year olds violate the current law anyway, why not amend it to the age of 18, like it is in many places in the world?
Perhaps, if parents are allowed to educate their children earlier under their supervision, the children will learn to understand their bodies' signals, develop tolerance, and stop when they really should.
Again, this will take the general change in attitude and education in relation to the consumption of alcohol, and results will not be immediate, but it can be a start to leading the youth of the U.S to a better place. If other countries can do it, why not the U.S?
21 years old was the set age for a lot of restrictions, like purchasing a handgun or gambling. Even though age does not define responsibility, there has to be a consensus on what age citizens get certain rights. I also do not think it would be a good idea to give teenagers easier access to alcohol. The statistics would rise for DUIs and alcohol poisoning. Also, there would be more youth in dangerous environments like nightclubs and bars. I think lowering the age for legal alcohol consumption would be irresponsible and would only do harm.
ReplyDeleteI agree with mastermansocsci36. I don't think lowering the drinking age will change our society's perception of alcohol. This amendment would bring about more alcohol abuse, only this type of abuse would be legal. Underage drinking would also start at an earlier age. In the summer of 2011, I stayed with a family in a small town in Germany for three days during a culture exchange program. I found that many of Germany's teens begin drinking at the very young age of 13; in Germany, the drinking age is 16 years old.
DeleteI also feel that lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 would not solve any problems. Some kids are curious about alcohol, and others are not. Some people will drink whether it is legal or not. I do not believe that lowering the drinking age by three years will result in less alcohol abuse. Also, there are some teenagers who abstain from drinking solely to abide by the law, so lowering the drinking age to 18 could cause more people to drink when they turn 18, because it would be legal and they could drink with a clear conscience. Another factor in considering the proper drinking age is maturity. Lowering the drinking age would open up alcohol to younger and potentially less mature people. People should reach a certain level of maturity before drinking, so they will drink responsibly, thus lowering instances of alcohol abuse and alcohol related accidents.
ReplyDeleteI found the statement about youths jumping into college and abusing alcohol contradictory to the goal of the amendment. In addition, I feel lowering the drinking age could encourage rebellious young people to start drinking even younger. This is sort of a stretch, but allowing alcohol at 18 also seems to be portraying alcohol consumption as a rite of passage or symbol of adulthood, which is definitely not a good message.
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