Posts Tagged ‘Legal Drinking Age’

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Drinking Amongst College Students: More Harmful Than You Thought

Posted on Jul 25, 2012

Recent studies and research seem to suggest that drinking among college students is on the rise. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) quotes researches which indicate an increase in fatal injuries related to alcohol from 1,500 in 1998 to over 1,700 in 2001 among college students aged 18-24. At the same time, 500,000 more students were found driving under influence over the same period (as compared with 2.3 million in 1998).

Clearly, these statistics show that the menace is on the rise in the country and college drinking may be more harmful than estimates in the past. And it’s not just the health risks which make the problem so dangerous. There are many other consequences of drinking amongst college students which makes the issue a quite grave one.

• Death & Injury

The worst case scenario is, sadly, very common amongst college students. Unintentional injuries and motor vehicle crashes are not unheard of either. Needless to say, even if accidents under the influence of alcohol do not involve death, some form of adverse injury does usually happen.

• Physical and Sexual Assault

Alcohol-related physical and sexual abuse is another problem amongst young ones. Studies show that about 50 percent of sexual assault cases among college students are associated with alcohol use, with incidents more frequent between people who know each other.

• High-Risk Sexual Behavior

Because drinking suppresses your mental processes to quite an extent, engaging in unplanned or unprotected sex under the influence of booze is a very strong possibility. Students indulging in heavy drinking have been found to have had multiple sexual partners in the past month as compared with non-binge drinkers.

• Poor Academic Performance

Though a strong association between alcohol abuse and academic performance cannot be established, students do report having missed classes, not being able to concentrate in class, and suffering from lower grades on exams and assignments in general.

• Vandalism and Property Damage

College campuses where heavy drinking amongst students is a norm frequently report property damage. Student drinkers themselves admit to having damaged property under the influence of booze.

So what can be done? Acknowledging the growing menace that college drinking has become, greater enforcement of the legal drinking age of 21, counseling programs, and greater community involvement are some of the steps that can be taken. Efforts need to be taken to protect the youth of this country from the mammoth problem that drinking has become.

DUI, Drinking Law, Legal Drinking AgeNo Comments »College Drinking Statistics DUI Legal Drinking Age NIAAA

Legal Drinking Age Debate – What Age Should Alcohol Consumption Be Legal?

Posted on Sep 27, 2010

Currently there is a debate in the country brewing to change the age when someone can drink alcoholic beverages legally. What age should alcohol consumption be legal?

Using To Mark Milestones

When a child becomes 13 in America it is considered a milestone; it marks the onset of the teenage years. 16 is another milestone because it is the time in most states when a teenager can drive a car and in many states they can legally marry. 18 is the last of the teenage years when it becomes legal to marry in most states, vote in national elections, volunteer for military service and it is the legal definition of an adult. This marks the time when children become legally responsible for their actions in American society. This is when they are considered adults.

Current Legal Drinking Age

The legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21 years old. It was raised to this level nationally in the 1980s. This was because of a law called the National Minimum Age Drinking Act, was passed by congress and signed into law in the 80s. It forced states that had lower legal drinking ages to raises the legal drinking age or be threatened with the reduction of highway funds provided by the federal government.

When Is Mature Mature?

The main thrust of the debate is when a person is mature enough to be able to drink alcohol responsibly and can almost arbitrary number predict when someone has reach this level of maturity or can reasonably be considered mature. At what age is someone mature enough to be able to alter their consciousness and still be able to make good decisions? Sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? Does the fact that your consciousness has been altered almost automatically mean that you have lost the ability to make mature decisions?

Opponents Say Binge Drinking Need to be Regulated

Some argue that the drinking age should be kept at 21 because of binge drinking. Binge drinking is currently being reported in the media as reaching alarming levels recently. Binge drinking is used as evidence that those below the age of 18 are just too immature to be allowed to make a decision about their consciousness.

Proponents Say Binge Drinking Needs To Be Regulated

While on the other side of the debate those proponents of lowering the drinking age use the increase in binge drinking as evidence that the legal drinking age should be lowered. They say that because the legal drinking age is 21 it promotes binge drinking because the prohibition forces underage drinkers to drink in places without regulation.

Should The Legal Drinking Age Be The Debate?

Both arguments seem rather circular in their logic and it seems to the clear thinkers that the ultimate societal concern should be why society produces so many people that need their consciousness altered by a chemical substance alcohol or otherwise just to be able to function socially.

Drinking Debate Continuing Infinites

What needs to be examined is not the arbitrary age or mythical maturity level which allows a person to be able to drink responsibly but what is wrong with us that we need to drink responsibly at all and until this is understood this circular debate can continue until the age is lowered, than after a few decades raised, then lowered again when someone comes along with a better sounding speech or argument. Until the scientific or societal cause is determined nothing will really be solved at all.

Legal Drinking AgeNo Comments »Alcohol Consumption Legal Drinking Age

Top 8 Alcohol Controversies

Posted on Jul 29, 2010

Many controversies surround alcohol and it consumption. Alcohol controversies are many and ramifications of the nation at large are critical. Here are the top 8 alcohol controversies facing the nation.

8. Drunk Driving

Driving under the influence or drunk driving is both controversial and dangerous because those driving with increased blood alcohol levels are more likely to be involved in traffic accidents, highway injuries and vehicular fatalities. Controversial methods reducing drunk driving include creating drunk driving courts, taking away driving privileges, impounding and confiscating offenders cars, banning open containers, tough penalties and fines, incarceration, and alcohol abuse education.

7. Binge Drinking

When people think about binge drinking, they think about self-destructive and excessive drinking that lasts for a weekend and after that a person is so drunk that they cannot work or, take care of responsibilities, waste money, and other dangerous activities. This controversial habit has been in the news frequently and in the media as the society seeks ways of curbing this type of alcohol abuse.

6. Underage Drinking

Alcohol abuse is a controversial issue in America’s underage population and ways to fix the problem are always being discussed. Controversial prevention programs and identifying good ways to reduce alcohol abuse in young people, with focuses on secondary schools, colleges, and universities always stir up heated discussions.

5. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a controversial alcohol and health problem which harms the abuser and their offspring; however it can be completely prevented. Alcohol abuse in pregnant women causes babies to be affected with fetal alcohol syndrome and it is a form of child abuse that affects a person throughout his or her it lasts lifetime. Children born with fetal alcohol syndrome have learning problems, growth development issues and deformities.

4. Alcohol Advertisements

Many Americans believe that alcohol advertisements cause citizens to abuse alcohol studies have proven this. When and where alcohol advertisements can be seen continues to be a controversial issue in the United States.

3. Alcohol Dependency

Alcohol Dependence is a problem that known for its harmful consequences. It is when repeated alcohol abuse causes a physiological dependence on alcohol that this problem could considered the root of many of the controversial issues mention above and is a major concern when the issues of alcohol and health are discussed.

2. Work place Drinking

Alcohol abuse in the workplace has become one of the most controversial alcohol issues businesses and industries currently. Even though the exact yearly cost in productivity because of alcohol abuse has not been determine, the estimates are enough to cause alarm. The figure that is often thrown out is in the billions of dollars for productivity and the alcohol and health cost could be in the same ballpark. Impaired employees are a matter of grave concern not only for employers but co workers in genera l too.

1. Lowering the Permitted Drinking Age

The lowering minimum drinking age is the biggest alcohol controversy currently. Recently proposals have been being made to lower the minimum legal drinking age that allows a person to drink. Many academics, intellectuals and pundits have proposed this as a solution to many ills involved with alcohol and the debate rages in the press and media.

Alcohol Abuse, Drunk Driving, Drunkorexia1 Comment »Alcohol Abuse Alcohol Controversies Drunk Driving Legal Drinking Age