Alcohol Age Limit

Alcohol is amongst the world’s most severely abused and neglected drug by young adolescents, in order to stop this Australia should call for a raise of age limit to 21. The substance in beer, wine and spirits which promotes intoxication is alcohol; the chemical name goes by either ethanol or ethyl alcohol. Alcohol is a common form of beverage consumed in Australia on social and cultural grounds, which is being exposed to young individuals under the age of 21. A standard drink for wine would be 100mL however, consuming five times this amount can be deadly. The symptoms that can occur are nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and poor muscle control, which can eventually lead to critical conditions if consumed continuously. This can be very hard to control when it comes to adolescents as they have trouble controlling their intake. Young people under the age of 21 are not mature enough to understand the consequences that could come from drinking as they lack drinking experience. The three main point’s that’ll be argued are the accidents caused by individuals under the age of 21, the health issues and ways to control and overcome underage drinking. This essay will argue that the federal government should be urged by a coalition of Australian physicians and researchers to raise compulsory drinking to 21 years, this can be achieved by providing evidence of how many accidents have minimized when the age limit was set to 21 in America.

The intoxication of alcohol increases the urge to commit crimes and serious accidents. Alcohol is capable of reducing the barrier of self-consciousness, undermining young individual’s discretion and increasing the likelihood of acting inappropriately. Violent acts can intensify rapidly into potentially dangerous circumstances, which can lead to jail time. Carol Galbicsek (2019 p.3-4) the lead writer for Alcohol Rehab Guide states that 40% in prison have committed crimes under the influence of alcohol. As a result, violence and crime associated with alcohol are increasing across the country. According to the article, Impaired Driving: Get The Facts (2019 p.1) the possibility of a collision is higher for adolescents than those that are older than 21. Young teenagers are more likely to drive while on high levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) as they may have more difficulty controlling themselves. There are many difficulties that can occur when a person is driving while intoxicated such as; not having the ability to maintain the speed limit, their perception can be affected, steering the wheel can be challenging, they cannot detect any movement from other vehicles or people and in their eyes the visual structures of a fast travelling object can degrade. Therefore, it is best for a sober person to safely drive the car to lessen the risks of a collision. Alcohol has caused an incredible number of accidents at people’s residence. Destiny Bezrutczyk (2019 p.7) a digital content writer has stated that around 30% of accidents that have occurred at homes are caused by the influence of alcohol. Several of these accidents are usually from falling and burning themselves and for some minors these accidents have lead to death.

Studies from The Queensland Health (2019 p.1) advises the brains progression can delay or hinder the proper growth cycle when alcohol is consumed at a young age, which can cause possible damage to the brain continuously. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is held liable for the person’s learning and memory obligations. The reason people have blackouts and memory loss is due to the fact that the cells in the hippocampus are being destroyed. Cancer is very common among those who drink, especially the young as their bodies are not as strong. The threat of cancer can rise in relation to the ingestion level of alcohol. According to the article reported by the Cancer Council (n.d p.1) in Australia indicates that in 2010 over 3,200 patients including adolescents had been diagnosed with cancer, this was due to the consumption of alcohol. Heart diseases are caused by alcohol, which harms the cycle of the cardiovascular system. The article by Alcohol Think Again (2014 p.1) warns that going beyond the recommended intake of alcohol will continue to raise the heart rate and impairing the muscle of the heart and rapid heartbeat. These can raise the likelihood of experiencing a stroke and heart attack.

According to the article by, The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (n.d p.1) indicate that it is safer to avoid giving the introduction of alcohol to adolescents as it is a threat to their health. As a parent, it is essential to inform their young about the consequences of drinking and to be able to motivate them into not doing it until the age of 21. When they are old and mature enough they can decide whether they want to drink or not. In most states, it is unlawful to supply alcohol to adolescents without parent’s approval in public places. However, this law should also be performed at home as well, since many parents allow their kids to drink while behind closed doors which put their health at risk.

According to the journal, Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age? Professor Paglia (2017 p.1) argues that young Americans turning 18 is known as an adult, who have a range of obligations and rights. These lawful rights include being able to vote, buy drinks and cigarettes, attend clubs, own land, marry and be able to get a tattoo. Being able to do these but not being able to drink alcohol would not make them feel as if they were an adult. This law also applies to Australians that turn 18 however, they have the right to drink, unlike many countries. If they are mature enough to have those rights then why should they not be allowed to drink? Furthermore, what Professor Paglia (2017 p.1) believes is; “What this cruel 1984 law did is deprive young people of safe spaces where they could happily drink cheap beer, socialise, chat and flirt in a free but controlled public environment.” This means that teenagers may be at more danger than they were before since they are not being supervised when consuming these drugs. However, this may not happen if their parents educate them at a young age to not drink. Raising the age limit is not so similar to the fact that they can vote as alcohol is a drug damaging young individual’s lives.

Alcohol is widely supported in Australia and is a common aspect of social and cultural activities. Nonetheless, many people have reported having issues related to alcohol. To this day, alcohol is still distributed and actively sold among the youth of Australia. Several Australians still consider consuming alcohol is socially acceptable as part of their growth by their culture. Intoxicated people are not only harming themselves but, also to those around them. This is quite obvious by the number of people that have been injured from several incidents involving alcohol. Young teenagers are more likely to experience a number of negative effects on their bodies as alcohol is a harmful drug and their bodies may not be able to handle it very easily. The dangers of alcohol can be reduced once there is a law to increase the age limit to 21 years, this will also protect those around them from awful accidents.