After my research I came up with the conclusion that the drinking age should be lowered to the age of 19. As I read in an article titled "Why Drinking Age Should be Lowered" , if the drinking age was lower we would see much lower percents of of dangerous binge drinking since it would no longer be the "forbidden fruit" to young drinkers. Also, it does not seem right to me that a person should be able to go to war and fight for our country and not be able to have a drink for their troubles. Furthermore, I chose the age 19 becuase at that age a person is generally graduated from high school and is moving forward with life on their own, of course there are exceptoins, but for the most part this is the age at which people start living their lives for themselves. If the drinking age was to be lowered, there would be much fewer binge drinking problems, and when a person turns 18 they are only one year away from having all of their rights instead of three.

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Binge Drinking

As many of you know, binge drinking is a serious problem people have with alcohol. Binge drinking happens when someone consumes too much alcohol too fast. Todays standards state that it is considered binge drinking when a male consumes at least fice drinks in a row, and for females, four drinks. Many people may not want to be binge drinking, but get caught up in whats going on around them and don't realize just how much they've drank. When you choose todrink, you must try to be resposible and therefor aboid binge drinking. Although binge drinking sometimes comes off as "fun" from the people you are partying with, there are many reasons to watch how much you are drinking. Binge drinking is very unhealthy and bad for you body. Aside from having a hangover the next day, there much more dire consequences as well, such as alcohol poisoning which cas result in death; impaird judgement, htat could cause yu to hurt yourself or someone else; and damage you mental health as well, by disrupting your sleep patterns, making it harder to concentrate on daily tasks. Alcohol can be a fun way to socialize, but must be taken seriously and responsibly to avoid the devestating consequences of binge drinking.

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Adolescent Binge Drinking

Although drinking is a very social thing, there are, as you know, many health risks involved with binge drinking, especially as an adolescent. A major issue with youth drinking binge drinking is the behavior of the kids while under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol lowers decision-making skills of the consumer. Also, if the youth has trouble at home or other mental issues, drinking at a young age may have some disastrous consequences including depression, suicid, or even homicide. Although theses cases are rare, there is still potential for children and young adults to perform some of these behaviors if they have been binge drinking. There are also biological health risks for young binge drinkers. Studies on rats have shown that binge drinking at a young age may delay puberty and even slow bone developement. As long as teenagers are taught at a young age not to binge drink, they will drink responsibly for the rest of their lives.

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There are a lot of arguments amoung many underagers about what the legal age of drinking should be. According to George F. Will in the article Drinking Age Paradox, he believes, like a majority of young teens, the drinking age should be lowered. This has been a nation wide problem for quite some time now and is something even elders are thinking about. It is not a suprise to many young adults now-a-days to hear their friends say they are going out to a party where drinking is the main attraction. In fact, lots of house parties host drinking games to help add to the social atmosphere. It is often brought up that a person at the age of 18 is allowed to serve their country, but not allowed to have a drink with their friends. The punishment for underage drinking is considered no more than a slap on the wrist to a lot of teens who particapate in underage drinking. There is no national drinking age, so technically a state is allowed to set the drinking age to whatever it pleases. The punishment for states who lower the drinking age is a cut in their federal fundings for highways. The drinking age is not a life or death matter but should be a consideration because as long as teenagers are around along with alcohol, consumption will occur. Moderation should be the main focus of young teenagers today.