Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
The Problem of Underage Drinking on College Campuses
Underage drinking on college campuses is a controversial problem because, on the one hand, universities want to provide students with the kind of independent living and respect they feel they deserve; on other hand, universities must take care to ensure that students living in dorms on the campus respect the laws and do not engage in activity that could be harmful to their health or safety. The problem is that many students who might like to drink alcoholic beverages regularly but in moderation are compelled to hide their drinking because of underage laws. Driving the activity of drinking into an underground sphere, students take what should be a moderated activity and turn it into a “forbidden” activity that can easily turn into something dangerous. Parties where alcoholic drinks are provided and where binge drinking is encouraged (because of the underground milieu in which the party is situated) and made into norms (McMurtrie, 2014). Instead of the drinking being above ground and in the open, where it is more likely to be conducted in moderation, colleges are experience an avalanche of binge drinking excesses that is harming the student body and the campus morale. This leads to an atmosphere and culture of rebellion and irresponsibility. McMurtrie (2014) points out that because of this atmosphere, “more than 1,800 students die every year of alcohol-related causes. An additional 600,000 are injured while drunk, and nearly 100,000 become victims of alcohol-influenced sexual assaults.” The solution is not to crackdown harder on drinking, because that is what has driven it underground in the first place. The solution, instead, is to respect students’ desire to drink and to promote responsible drinking. To this end, the legal age for purchasing alcohol should be lowered to 18—which is the age at which people can vote and enter the military. If persons at the age of the 18 can be deemed responsible enough to make decisions about the fate of the country or to put their lives on the line for their country, they should be viewed as being responsible enough to purchase and consume alcohol.
By allowing students the right to consume alcohol in a manner that is above board, it eliminates the…
References
McMurtrie, B. (2014). Why colleges haven’t stopped binge drinking. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/15/us/why-colleges-havent-stopped-binge-drinking.html
Throm, A. (2017). Lowering the drinking age to 18 is better than keeping it at 21. Retrieved from http://www.dailynebraskan.com/opinion/throm-lowering-the-drinking-age-to-is-better-than-keeping/article_a28eef04-983b-11e7-9da0-8fbea1f03e90.html
Parenting Style Influence on Excess Alcohol Intake Among Jewish Youth Clinical Psychology The health hazards that are associated with adolescent alcohol use are well documented, and there is growing recognition among policymakers and clinicians alike that more needs to be done to address this public health threat. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different parenting styles on alcohol consumption levels among Jewish college students in the United
This means that alcohol is made accessible to underage persons and in this way, they start consuming alcohol at a young age. It is for this reason that the legal drinking age should not be lowered, but actually increased to reduce the chances of it being made available to those who are underage. Increasing the minimum legal drinking age to at least 25 years, like India, will go a
A number of states follow sobriety roadblock rules while some states like Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin etc. have avoided sobriety roadblock techniques and their technique has been general patrolling. Minimum Legal Drinking Age: Minimum legal drinking age has been the topic of debate in this country. In the past minimum legal drinking age was reduced to 18, 19, or 20 in some states. With reducing the minimum
Psychosocial factors, such as depression, anxiety and social support, also induce drinking. This study confirmed that social cognitive factors drove college students to report on their own drinking. Psychosocial motives drove them to do so only at 1%. Social support was the only significant psychosocial predictor. The awareness of both the positive and negative consequences of drinking was quite likely behind the willingness of college students to report on
The question isn't whether there should be controls, but which controls work best. What has proven around the world to work best is a combination of reasonable laws backed by strong social sanctions. But in the U.S. we treat our emerging adults as infants and get infantile behavior as a result…if adults would learn to temper their patronizing attitudes toward young men and women, more maturity, self-restraint, and social
Accordingly, "the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that raising the drink age to 21 has reduced traffic fatalities involving 18- to 20-year-old drivers by 13% and has saved an estimated 19,121 lives since 1975." (T, 1) Conclusion: More than anything though, these statistics seem to confirm the fears of both university leaders and law enforcement agencies, who argue that age-based prohibition has made it more difficult to connect with, cooperate