Examining the Potential Impact of Lowering the Legal Drinking Age

This essay addresses the growing problem of underage drinking, particularly among college students, and examines the potential effects of lowering the minimum legal drinking age. The study considers both the short-term and long-term consequences of alcohol consumption on individuals, including teen fatalities, suicides, mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and cardiovascular diseases. It explores drinking behaviors such as binge drinking and frequency, highlighting the potential for alcohol to hinder intellectual development in underage individuals, leading to concentration problems and academic interruption. The essay further notes the association of underage drinking with risky behaviors like drunk driving, weapon carrying, illicit drug use, and unprotected sex, as well as increased incidents of physical fights and suicidal tendencies. Stress is identified as a significant factor contributing to alcohol use, and the historical context of alcohol regulation, including the 18th Amendment, is mentioned. The document concludes by referencing various studies and reports that highlight the risks and potential impacts associated with lowering the legal drinking age.

Lower drinking age
could mean safer
consumption

Summary:
The problem of underage drinking of individual who are perusing colleges has been
appeared growing. (Friedman, 2018). It has been estimated that how lowering minimum legal
drinking age can able to affect alcohol consumption that can be difficult. There are multiplet
adverse affects and challenges which are confronting researchers. There are short term affect of
alcohol which are considered as teen fatalities and teen suicides. The long term affects of
drinking on a individual may reflect negative impacts which are associated with mental illness.
Mental distress such as depression, anxieties and so on. Whereas, as per new study concluded the
long term and persistent relations which are interconnected with cardiovascular diseases and
hypertension.(Friedman, 2018) (Carlisle, 2019) (Curtis and Burnett, 2017) The study explored
drinking behaviours like pattern of binge drinking, frequency of drinking and other (Underage
Drinking and the Drinking Age, 2019) . In which the conclusion which have been received that
drinking can cause serious complicated to underage in which it also involved intellectual
development of an individual. Human brain development proceed to the third decade of an
individual's life which keeps on development stage, use of alcohol may considered as barrier in
the development. It has been found that underage can also deal with problems which are related
to the concentration, that can interrupt their studies.
Report concluded that “Alcohol is the leading substance of abuse among youth in the
United State.” Furthermore, it has been reported that “ Underage individual often binge drink, in
a average seven drinks per occasion six times per month”. (Lower drinking ages can have an
impact on later drinking patterns, 2021) It has been determined that there are several other risk
factors which are are also associated with underage drinkers. Individuals who are under 21 who
frequent consume alcohol are most likely to get engage in activities such as driving after
drinking, riding with drunk fellows, never wear seat belts while driving, may carry weapons with
them, illicit drug use, unprotected sex and so on (Carlisle, 2019). Also, often they are also
indulge into physical fights and can promotes suicidal tendencies in an individual. The use of
alcohol can also involves accidents such as students tend to endanger. As per the report it has
been reported that they are 100,000 incidents of sexual assaults with females and 700,000 cases
which are in context with fights. On the average it has been found that they are 1,100 a year
student who are leading to rate of mortality due to use alcohol (Lower drinking ages can have an
impact on later drinking patterns, 2021).

The other finding which can be included as the stress is one of the essential factor in the
use of alcohol. The alcohol consumption is considered as unique within the rights conferred
through the age of majority laws and legislation due to its alters to brain chemistry as well as the
risk of conferring it can be spontaneous and violent (Curtis and Burnett, 2017). The 18th
amendment banned the production, sales and imports id intoxicating liquors for the use as a
beverages (Lower drinking ages can have an impact on later drinking patterns, 2021). It resulted
that there were less availability of resources for youth and there was less exposure of drinking
habits which was found to be in youth .

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Friedman, M., 2018. Analysis, nutrition, and health benefits of tryptophan. International Journal
of Tryptophan Research, 11, p.1178646918802282.
Carlisle, J.B., 2019. Risk prediction models for major surgery: composing a new
tune. Anaesthesia, 74, pp.7-12.
Curtis, J.N. and Burnett, S., 2017. Affirmative consent: What do college student leaders think
about “yes means yes” as the standard for sexual behavior?. American journal of sexuality
education, 12(3), pp.201-214.
Online sources:
Underage Drinking and the Drinking Age, 2019 : [Online] Available Through
<https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ871038.pdf>
Lower drinking ages can have an impact on later drinking patterns, 2021: [Online] Available
Through <https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/691275>