Drinking Laws | Teen Ink

Drinking Laws MAG

By Anonymous

     A strong belief of mine is that the drinking age should be increased. I don’t believe that at 21 most people are either mature enough or responsible enough to handle drinking. Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused drugs. The solution is simple, and I don’t see why it should not be done.

It’s common for minors to have friends who are the legal drinking age. I see people come into the store where I work who are clearly buying alcohol for minors. Teens will wait outside while the 21-year-old buys the alcohol. This frustrates me no end.

It has been proved that the brain doesn’t stop growing until the age of about 23. Yes, 23 is definitely not a large gap, but it is very significant. Most people at 23 have graduated from college and are ready to start their lives. On the other hand, many 21-year-olds are still in college, enjoying parties and the alcohol that comes with them. College is a time when many experience peer pressure to party and have fun with friends, which is where the danger emerges. If we could increase the drinking age by even a few years, we could save thousands of lives.

Automobile accidents are often a result of alcohol. The news is always reporting an accident because of a drunk driver who missed a stop sign or couldn’t stay in his lane. And it’s not always the drunk driver who gets hurt or killed. Since alcohol depresses the body, it makes drinkers more relaxed and loose. Consequently, they usually walk away from these accidents unscathed. One bad mistake, one bad judgment can cause many families endless trauma. The guilt the driver eventually feels often lasts the rest of his life. No one should have to live with that, or the knowledge that a loved one was taken away because someone decided to drink and drive.

In my life, I’ve witnessed a lot of things that I wish I hadn’t and I’ve seen many things I wish I could forget. My oldest sister used to hang out with people who would get drugs from the street and have others buy alcohol so they could party. Looking back, I can see where she made her biggest mistake since what she did when she was younger screwed up the rest of her life. Her personality has changed a lot, and I don’t think it will ever be normal again, even with help.

I hate hearing about how someone drank at a party and drove home slowly and carefully, and everything turned out okay. They were lucky, but do you honestly want to take that chance? I don’t know anyone who would willingly gamble with their life just to enjoy a night of drinking. The risk is just too high.

I’m not saying we should ban alcohol, but I believe that it should be more closely monitored and controlled. There are lots of other ways to have fun with your friends that don’t involve drinking. Alcohol is a drug. It always was and it always will be. I believe we should take that into account and make some changes to the laws.



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This article has 77 comments.


Sam_Yeargan said...
on Mar. 26 2019 at 3:15 pm
Sam_Yeargan, Charlottesville, Virginia
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
I think that if people die because of drinking and driving it's because of their own incompetence and stupidity. If they want to die then let them drink. In most European countries it's legal to drink at age 18. So if it's like that there then they'll just die later. Increases the drinking would do nothing but delay their own death.

i love this so much!

Arti.M BRONZE said...
on Feb. 24 2017 at 2:15 am
Arti.M BRONZE, Tirana, Other
4 articles 0 photos 46 comments
Good writing piece. I totally agree with you

Lolz said...
on Sep. 23 2016 at 12:20 pm
Now its six

mplo said...
on Aug. 24 2015 at 8:38 am
Turkey's a good example of a country that's tough on drunk driving. In Turkey, a person who's caught driving while drunk is pulled over and made to walk 20 miles until s/he sobers up.i

mplo said...
on Aug. 24 2015 at 8:36 am
Ouch! I am so sorry about what happened to your sister as a result of constantly imbibing with drugs and alcohol. Here's hoping that she someday will be able to get some help so that she can regain at least some semblance of normalcy.

mplo said...
on Aug. 24 2015 at 8:30 am
18 years old isn't a good age to allow drinking. While it's true that 18 is young adulthood, the brain doesn't finish developing until the mid-20's (i. e. around 25 or so), which makes 18 year olds even more susceptible to the damaging affects of alcohol.

mplo said...
on Aug. 24 2015 at 8:27 am
I agree that this article is no laughing matter. All too often, neither are the consequences of drinking and driving, and just plain overindulging alcohol, especially people under 25 years of age (That's when the brain generally finishes developing.).

on May. 18 2015 at 12:03 pm
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
They don't trust young people to drink because of all the catastrophes that happen when people do.

on May. 18 2015 at 12:01 pm
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
You make some good points, but I had a hard time reading this because of my autism. Please do more research before trying to prove someone wrong because a lot of your points are incorrect.

on May. 18 2015 at 10:16 am
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
You're both partially right. Neither of you are totally wrong. But please be respectful to Lianne. She put a lot of hard work into her article and posted it, despite the risk of critism.

on May. 18 2015 at 10:13 am
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
I actually agree with you and wish that alcohol could just be completely removed from the country. However this already happened. You're probably familiar with Amendment 18 banning alcohol. It resulted in bootlegging, speakeasies, and a huge increase in crime and mafia activity. That's why they decided on adding Amendment 21 which repealed 18.

on May. 18 2015 at 10:11 am
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
First of all, it took me forever to read this because of all your abbreviations. I have autism. Second, it's not just the drinker who faces consequences. If that person drives drunk and kills someone, that person's family and friends will have to face the consequences of the drunk driver's actions. People don't get grounded as adults. The consequences range far beyond a given punishment. Even without a court-ordered punishment, the guilt of what they did will likely destroy them inside.

on May. 18 2015 at 10:06 am
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
Your point is correct. If people are used to the idea of alcohol and being able to drink it, it won't be a big deal once they reach their college years.

on May. 18 2015 at 10:04 am
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
That's the thing. Yes, some people are responsible enough to drink at 18 years old, but others might not ever be responsible enough. It is probably impossible to come up with a system that could completely satisfy everyone.

on May. 18 2015 at 10:02 am
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
I SEE THAT TWO PEOPLE SAID THAT THIS ARTICLE MADE THEM LAUGH. THIS ARTICLE IS NOT FUNNY. IT IS ACTUALLY VERY SERIOUS. AND LAUGHING AT THAT IS DISRESPECTFUL TO LIANNE.

on Mar. 12 2015 at 10:08 pm
ocean-blue PLATINUM, Colorado Springs, Colorado
21 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
I'm sorry, if you were right, I'd agree with you. - Robin Williams

I agree! You have some really good thoughts here, I appreciate them =)

on Feb. 3 2015 at 2:44 pm
I'm a teen and I believe that if you can go and die for your country at 18 then you should be able to drink as well.

Lexi2634 said...
on Jan. 7 2014 at 10:00 am
I agree with this passage! Hahahahha

rheame said...
on Oct. 10 2013 at 8:10 am
rheame, Anand, Other
0 articles 0 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
turn a mess into a lesson<br /> <br /> a test into testimony<br /> <br /> a trial into triumph<br /> and a victim into champion

ya you are quite right . and i believe  that every thing in a limit is good.