Negative Implications of Underage Drinking

There is a common discussion in American culture about the lowering of the current drinking age set at 21 years old. According to an image created on August 25th, 2015 on procon.org, 6% of countries in the world have the drinking age set at 21 years old. America is one of these countries. But why don’t we join the 61% of countries who have their drinking age set at the age of 18? E. Kuntsche et al argue that easily accessible alcohol is promoted by adolescents’ backgrounds. On the other hand, “Alcohol Abuse Remains High on College Campuses, but Black Students Drink to Excess Far Less Often Than Whites” shows that it might not be backgrounds that causes underage drinking to be such a huge problem. Linda Richter et al discusses how underage consumption of alcohol is such a pivotal part to the American economy. Although some of these points may be true, Steven K. Galson argues how and why adolescents are attracted to the thought of underage drinking and discusses the negative medical implications of underage alcohol use.

Alcohol availability is not easily obtained for underage drinkers. There are some ways to get around the law like getting a fake ID or just having an older friend/family member buy you alcohol. Kuntsche et al analyze the perceived availability of alcohol for underage drinkers. The authors discuss how easily accessible alcohol may be detrimental to adolescents’ perception of underage drinking. If alcohol is easily accessible or even promoted in their social and personal lives, then this of course will drive them into the habit of underage drinking. With keeping the drinking age at 21, this will take the availability of alcohol out of these adolescents’ hands. Later in the academic journal he states “underage drinking is common and is socially endorsed” (Kuntsche et al 811). The availability and usage of the alcohol all depends on the characteristics of the drinker’s social and physical environments. For example college campuses are susceptible to underage drinkers and makes it a more dangerous place for things to go wrong. College students are affected by peer pressure and feel obligated to take part in underage drinking.

The unknown author of the article from The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 28 analyzes the problem of underage drinking on college campuses in the United States. The author discusses multiple incidents of alcohol poisoning and how colleges are trying to control these situations. Some colleges, including Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, have decided to abolish social fraternities and sororities as an attempt to decrease “excessive drinking and partying” (19). The author then refers to Dr. Henry Wechsler, a professor at Harvard University’s School of Public Health, who conducted a study on binge drinking on college campuses. Dr. Wechsler’s main argument is that African American students were less likely to excessively drink than white students. This shows that Kuntsche’s argument that background is influential on underage drinking is partially false. A good portion of African Americans have a tough background, but that only motivates them to focus on their college curriculum (20).

Not only does underage drinking affect college students; underage drinking affects the citizens of America as a whole. Linda Richter et al discuss how underage drinking is a huge part of the US economy. They also discuss how the citizens of the United States do not want young adults to be underage drinking. Although many underage kids participate in underage drinking, the authors concluded that adults do not want anything to do with underage drinking. “For limiting youth access to alcohol, [they] recommend using… higher alcohol taxes, zero tolerance laws… and penalizing parents and alcohol establishments responsible for providing alcohol to minors” (Richter et al 63, 65). In spite of underage drinking being such a huge part of our economy, the authors believe that doing this would put a tighter hold on those who participate in underage consumption of alcohol.

Steven K. Galson agrees with Richter and Kuntsche. He states that “genetic, psychological, and social factors” all play a role in adolescents’ decisions to underage drink (Galson 2). He also provides more of a medical viewpoint on why the drinking age should not be lowered. He concludes that underage drinking causes more deaths, academic failure, as well as risky sexual behavior which could lead to the spread of STDs, HIV, or AIDs. He also states that drinking causes alterations to the brain and its growth (Galson 3). In the end, underage drinking does not outweigh the potential short term and long term risks.

Lowering the drinking age from 21 years old to 18 years old would be detrimental to our country. The authors of these journals argue on the implications of lowering the drinking age. The social, political, and personal problems that arise with the commodity of underage drinking are way too risky for the youth of America. We are not ready for the drinking age to be lowered. At least not yet.

This academic journal analyzes underage drinking and its effects on citizens of the United States. The authors discuss how underage drinking is a huge part of the US economy. They also discuss how the citizens of the United States do not want young adults to be underage drinking. The authors conducted a study in which they randomly selected citizens to participate. Although many underage kids participate in underage drinking, the study concluded that adults do not want anything to do with underage drinking. This would be useful for me to utilize in my essay because it shows the positive effects of keeping the drinking age set at 21 years old. I can also use the counter-argument of how underage drinking is a huge part of the US economy as a way for me to show the other side of the argument.

This academic journal analyzes the problem of underage drinking on college campuses in the United States. The unknown author discusses multiple incidents of alcohol poisoning and how colleges are trying to control these situations. Some colleges including Dartmouth College in New Hampshire have decided to abolish social fraternities and sororities as an attempt to decrease “excessive drinking and partying.” The author then refers to Dr. Henry Wechsler, a professor at Harvard University’s School of Public Health, who conducted a study on binge drinking on college campuses. Dr. Wechsler’s main argument is that African American students were less likely to excessively drink than white students. This source would be useful for me to utilize in my research essay because it provides a few statements that I can use to demonstrate the positive effects of keeping the legal drinking age at 21 years old.

This academic journal analyzes the perceived availability of alcohol for underage drinkers. The authors discuss how easily accessible alcohol may be detrimental to adolescents’ perception of underage drinking. If alcohol is easily accessible or even promoted in their social and personal lives, then this of course will drive them into the habit of underage drinking. With keeping the drinking age at 21, this will take the availability of alcohol out of these adolescents’ hands. This journal would be useful for me to utilize because I can use it as a way for me to convince the reader that keeping the drinking age at 21 is a smart thing to do.

This academic journal deals with the negative health implications that underage drinking has on adolescents. Galson also discusses how and why underage youth are so attracted to drinking. He states “genetic, psychological, and social factors” all play a role in adolescents’ decisions to underage drink. He also argues that underage drinking can cause a shift in the development of the brain. I can use Galson’s arguments to show the reader that underage drinking is not worth the hassle. These negative implications are going to be my main focus in this paper.