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Daniel Jarrell-Rourke

3/31/14
Period 4
Research Paper Rough Draft
Everyone has the story about the friend of a friend who died in a drunk driving
accident. It happens a bewildering amount, especially in high school and college.
Coincidentally, most of these people are under the legal limit, yet are still getting
drunk and having these accidents. So here is the question: Is having the legal
drinking age be 21 years old actually saving lives? Drunk driving accidents are a
huge problem in the U.S. Every day there are people losing loved ones because of
either their negligence or anothers. I feel the need to tell people all of the facts and
let them decide whether the 21 and up rule is a necessary thing. While most
peoples reaction to the question is, of course, others disagree because they claim
that it actually makes underage people want to drink more.
Before I did any research, I knew that the legal drinking age in the United
States was 21. As a high school student, I was exposed to stories about peers
drinking at parties. I also knew many adults who were still under 21 that got
penalized for underage drinking. I understood drinking was a social activity that
didnt always happen at a wild party. I knew many people abused alcohol. But at the
same time, some people just want to have a casual drink but are not permitted to
by law even though they are an adult. Like most people, I knew what was on the
surface about the legal drinking age in America.
I decided to research this topic because I saw an issue that I had a personal
connection with. My father went through alcoholism and has now been sober for
over 20 years. My peers have been delving into drinking more and more and some

have been charged with underage drinking. But more importantly I saw the issue
from both sides of the argument. I knew that an adult under 21 can get charged for
underage drinking and it can hurt how they do in life because it goes on their
record. Drinking isnt always a dangerous thing, but it is for high school students
and thats why the notion that drinking was bad was instilled in me at a young age.
On the other side of the argument, I knew that many accidents had occurred
because of underage drinking, countless deaths because of reckless people not
having proper judgment. And I understood how big of a problem that is. So the
reason I chose this topic, is because people need to be informed about the issue.
People need to learn as much as they can and pick a side because the problem isnt
going to go away; at least not until we act on it.
During my research process, I mainly used databases to find articles and
essays on the topic. I found that the most helpful sources were the ones written
more recently and the ones that had statistics rather than just opinions, which were
obviously less helpful. One problem I faced was just having so many articles to sift
through. Another problem I found later on is that some pieces were referring to
countries aside from the United States, but all I had to do was narrow my search. I
must be honest though, after researching so much drunk driving, youth drinking,
and just alcohol in general, my opinion changed quite a few times.
We all know drinking has always been somewhat of a controversial issue,
especially when it comes to the youth. People never had a real problem with alcohol
until the Prohibition in the early 1900s. But the real argument arose in the 1970s,
when 29 states lowered their drinking ages (Scharnberg Online). Not surprisingly
that didnt last long because states that did not comply [with the National
Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984] faced a reduction in highway funds under the

Federal Highway Aid Act (Legislative Web). So the whole thing has gone up and
down and we still do not have a solution. People are still saying the same things
they did before, for both the pro and the con argument: Tens of thousands of young
servicemen and women are fighting a war for a nation in which they cannot legally
buy a beer, the [] argument that persuaded many states to lower their drinking
ages at the height of the war in Vietnam (Scharnberg Online). Now, Im not sure if
were close to a decision, or even if its a priority for the government. But I do know
that this is causing a lot of problems and we need to fix it.
There are many people that are pro lowering the drinking age because they
feel that having it at 21 is making things worse. Most of the argument is all along
the same lines: saying teenagers cant drink only makes them want to drink more.
Most people will agree that, when you prohibit drinking legally, it pushes it into
places that are uncontrolled, like fraternity houses. These are places that promote
[] rapid consumption of alcohol [] that can be fatal (PRO/CON Online).
Because of this, lowering the age supporters feel as though it is better to control
youths drinking rather than let it happen without supervision. And of course the
European argument comes up: Greeks, Italians, people from southern France,
Portugal, and Spain [] tend to drink at an early age, and there's no evidence that
it harms them intellectually or behaviorally (PRO/CON Online). This is a common
thing that people say when supporting lowering the legal age. When people say,
[youths] drinking at an early age are more likely to experience drinking problems
later in life [] this correlation appears to result from pre-existing personality
factors [] psychologists have been able to observe preschoolers and predict
accurately which will begin drinking earlier and will later have problems (Should

the Drinking Age Online). The pro side of the whole topic is generally more
unorthodox, however they still have valid arguments.
Other people claim that 21 and over rule has saved lives and that we should
not change something that is working. This is the side that is generally slightly more
old-fashioned. Statistics say that, binge drinking among eighth, 10th and 12th
graders has been steadily going down since the drinking age was raised to 21. In
2009, it was at an all-time low for 12th graders, many of whom are 18 (PRO/CON
Online). Its hard to argue with that honestly. Binge drinking is one of the huge
dangers that teenagers face. Drinking can be especially dangerous when driving is
out into the equation: According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, car
accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers. About half of those fatal
accidents are alcohol-related [it is] [] estimated that alcohol abuse on the road
kills 11 teenagers every day. (Drinking Age Online). I know about drunk driving
accidents that have happened in my area and I know it could have been avoided if
the driver was not drinking. Most government organizations are anti-lowering the
age. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that
raising the drinking age to 21 saves about 800 lives a year [] most public health
groups -- including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American
Medical Assn. -- favor keeping the drinking age at 21 (PRO/CON Online).
After researching this topic, I was very split on which side I was on. On one
side, teenagers tend to do what they are told not to do, like drink. But on the other
hand, the law has saved lives. I also cant help but want to side with lowering the
legal limit because I am a teenager and being able to drink three years earlier is
very tempting. But at the end of the day I feel as though the legal limit should stay
where it is. The fact that its saved so many lives is a very compelling argument and

I feel that if we lowered the age, instead of having 18-year-olds drinking illegally
wed have 15-year-olds doing it. Though both sides have good points, keeping the
drinking age at 21 is the right thing to do.

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