Twenty-One Year Old Drinking LawsOld Enough To Serve, Old Enough To B

Twenty-One Year Old Drinking Laws:Old Enough To Serve, Old Enough To Be Served The American government states that a person must be at least twenty-one years of age to consume alcoholic beverages. However, it is in fact legal for someone to serve alcohol at age eighteen. The purpose of this paper is to research whether or not it is just for these laws to exist. The prevailing question is how can the government allow people between the ages of eighteen and twenty years old serve alcohol to people twenty-one and over when they are not allowed to consume it themselves? When faced with writing this paper, I pondered many things. Such as: If an eighteen year old is permitted to do just about anything they desire, why are they not permitted to consume alcoholic beverages? Does the twenty-one year old drinking law encourage irresponsible drinking habits? Are there any alternatives to the twenty-one year old drinking law? Is this law prevalent in other countries around the world? And finally, I questioned my own feelings on the topic. When one turns eighteen, he or she is then presented with a plethora of responsibilities. An eighteen year old is allowed to purchase cigarettes, vote for government positions, join the armed forces, handle guns and other ammunition in the military, and make other major adult decisions. It is legal for a person to have sexual intercourse with another adult, which in turn can lead to bringing another life into this world. At eighteen years old, a person can no longer be charged as a minor. They are seen as mature adults in the eyes of the legal system. All of these responsibilities are bestowed upon a person when they turn eighteen. However, they are not allowed to consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of twenty one in the United States is commonly seen as a highly successful public health measure (Hornseth, 428). It does, however encourage excessive drinking and possible alcohol abuse in teenagers. Most teenagers go through a rebellious stage where they want to do everything they possibly can to rebel against authority. Many teens want to go against the norms and laws of society and give into peer pressure. Most underage drinkers obtain, fake id's which is a form of photo id that states they are in fact twenty-one years old. Many bars and connivance stores are aware of the fact that these ids are not legitimate. However, in the hopes of better business, they allow the teenager to purchase alcohol. Several of my friends have already turned twenty-one. They tell me that in some cases, the thrill is gone. When it's perfectly legal to consume alcohol, they are not doing anything wrong, thus taking away the fear of getting caught and the excitement of getting away with it. In Europe, there is no legal drinking age. A friend of mine is baffled by American teenager's fascination of, getting wasted. American teenagers engage in the practice of, binge drinking, whereas they drink for the sole purpose of getting drunk. This activity can lead to alcoholism, aggression, and alcohol poisoning. If parents taught their children how to drink responsibly, this problem would not be as prevalent. If underage drinking were not considered a social more, it would most likely seem less exciting to teenagers. In an article regarding lowering the current minimum legal drinking age, Elizabeth Wheeler stated, Prohibiting the sale of liquor to responsible young adults creates an atmosphere where binge drinking and alcohol abuse have become a problem (Wheelan, 14). She educates her daughter in the dangers of alcohol and how important it is to drink responsibly. She stresses the risk her daughter takes every time she drinks. There are date-rape drugs out on the market now that are easily slipped into a drink. These drugs are colorless, odorless, and tasteless, they make a person feel as if they are drunk, however, the next morning that person cannot recollect anything that happen the evening before. By her daughter knowing that she supports her, it makes her daughter less likely to engage in excessive alcohol consumption. The chancellor of the University of Colorado at boulder noticed that trying to cease underage drinking had