Many proponents of a lowered drinking age blame the above behaviors on the fact that drinking is a taboo for most young people and, therefore, an act of rebellion. As Americans, our society treats drinking as a way to relieve stress, as a fun element of society, and rewards the irresponsible behavior that follows from binge drinking.
If the drinking age were to be lowered to 18, young people would perhaps feel less compelled to drink in secret and to binge while doing so. They would be allowed to drink in bars and restaurants where behavior, as well as the amount consumed, can be regulated. While it may be absolute fact that young people drink and flaunt the age restrictions, evidence that raising the drinking age would negate dangerous behaviors is limited.
A lowered drinking age would need to be accompanied by shifts in alcohol education and the manner in which society in general treats alcohol consumption. Those on the other side of the issue are prone to the same sentimental reasons for keeping kids from drinking even longer.
The statistics do not lie and they are scary. That young people drink so much may be related to the drinking age, but some believe that the restriction should be raised even higher, to the age of Many proponents of this idea cite the excessive drinking, not of high schoolers, but of college students.
On college campuses, it is rarely a prerequisite to be of drinking age to find and consume alcohol. Parties and fake identification lead to plenty of drinking among the first, second, and third year students who have not yet turned According to the Core Institute, almost 73 percent of college students drink at least sometimes, and the average male freshman in college drinks an average of 7.
Reach out to Retorno and begin to live. Why choose Israel for your rehab program? Your … [More]. In addition to our residential rehab … [More]. Residential rehab program for adults Detox facility for young women Mifgashim outpatient center. Find out now Addiction Alcohol addiction Gambling addiction Prescription drug abuse Drug addiction Food addiction Sex addiction Codependency Internet addiction Shopping addiction How resilient are you? Raising the legal drinking age to prevent addiction The earlier teens start drinking, the more likely it is that they will become alcohol dependent later in life.
Please share this post! About us Retorno puts shattered lives together and prevents addiction from taking hold. The policy might increase illicit drug use among young people due to drug subs titution : Cross-national studies do not support this concern. Available data show that rates of adolescent alcohol use fell steadily in the US after age laws were introduced, without a subsequent rise in other drug use.
The policy is no longer relevant , as targeted strategies now reduce alcohol-related road tr auma among probationary drivers : The New Zealand experience argues against this. In December , New Zealand lowered the minimum purchasing age from 20 to A study of the effects on traffic crash injury included an age comparison group 20—year-olds as a control for the effects of simultaneous introduction of beer in supermarkets and Sunday trading, and for other coincident but not age-specific road safety interventions that might have affected the likelihood of road traffic crashes.
The study concluded that more people were injured from alcohol-related traffic crashes involving 15—year-old drivers than would have occurred had the purchasing age not been reduced. Although there is no consensus regarding effective knowledge translation strategies in public health, good-practice guidelines can be identified from a systematic review 18 and a Cochrane protocol.
Based on these considerations, we propose a four-step strategy for effectively advocating for the introduction of age laws in Australia. A politically challenging policy change could involve the federal government brokering a coordinated agreement to amend all relevant regulations in all states to increase the legal purchasing age to 21 years.
The approach taken in the United States in could be adopted, in which the US Government required that states pass some form of age legislation before receiving highway funding. Provenance: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed. Sandra Jones declares money paid to her institution by the ARC for a future fellowship. Ian Hickie is a National Mental Health Commissioner, and has received remuneration as a board member of headspace , from Bupa Australia for serving on a medical advisory board, and from Servier, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Pfizer for lectures and speaking engagements.
He also declares grant money paid to his institution by DrinkWise and by NSW Health for reports relating to alcohol misuse and young people. Publication of your online response is subject to the Medical Journal of Australia 's editorial discretion. You will be notified by email within five working days should your response be accepted.
Basic Search Advanced search search. Use the Advanced search for more specific terms. Title contains. Body contains. Date range from. Date range to. Article type. Author's surname. First page. Issues by year. Article types. Research letters. Guidelines and statements.
Narrative reviews. Ethics and law. Medical education. Volume Issue Should the legal age for alcohol purchase be raised to 21? Med J Aust ; 10 : Evidence and support is increasing to raise the minimum age for buying alcohol in Australia Harmful alcohol consumption is a prevention priority in Australia. Public health, law enforcement and other concerned professional and citizen organisations should be approached to endorse the policy as part of a comprehensive approach, and to develop a coordinated advocacy program at national, state and territory levels.
There should be continuing public focus on research evidence concerning the vulnerability of young people and the likely benefits of this legislation.
0コメント