Riley warner

Riley Warner English 1 Period 1 3/5/12 Should the Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered: CON There is a huge problem with underage drinking in the U. S. Some states have already lowered the drinking age such as Maine, Massachusetts, and Michigan. One main point on why it shouldn’t be lowered is because of a higher chance of depression in teens. Second, it increases health and educational problems in teens also. Lastly, it would increase the amount of alcohol related accidents because of teens brains not being fully developed. The first main point of not lowering the legal drinking age is teen depression. Teens deal with a lot of stress, drinking will turn into binge drinking and then depression (ProCon. org “ Drinking Age“). Also, it is a depressant so it slows you down and makes you have no urge to do anything and withdrawal yourself from life. Lastly, the majority of teen suicides is because of alcohol consumption, which led to depression and then suicide (Manali Oak “ Consequences of Underage Drinking“). Depression is a huge consequence of drinking under 21. The second main point of not lowering the legal drinking age is health problems. Drinking as a teen will affect your education because your brain and your body aren’t done growing (ProCon. org “ Drinking Age“). Also, it can result in unprotected or unplanned and possibly resulting in an STD or HIV. Lastly, alcohol causes the brain to go numb which results in brain damage (“ Prairie View A&M University “ Under-Age Drinking“). Health problems from alcohol are major problems for teens. The last main point of underage drinking is alcohol related accidents. Massachusetts, Maine, and Michigan lowered it but then raised it back to 21 and saved approximately 21, 887 lives (13%) that year (ProCon. org “ Drinking Age“). Also, just one drink can impair your driving ability and slow reactions just enough to possibly end someone’s life, especially if you’re an inexperienced driver (“ Prairie View A&M University “ Under-Age Drinking“). Lastly, alcohol related accidents is the number one cause of death among teenagers. If the drinking age was lowered, more and more teens would end up in accidents resulting in jail time and possibly a coffin. The legal drinking age should not be lowered because more and more teens would end depressed and possibly committing suicide. Also, teens education and health would go right down the toilet. Lastly, there would be millions of irresponsible teenagers driving drunk everyday and causing accidents. It’s your choice if you want people to drink under 21, but think about the consequences that the teens would experience, especially the innocent people around them.