​The Drinking Age

Another consideration one must take when considering this issue is how alcohol can affect the health of an individual.  Most know of the affects that alcohol induces on the mind and body: “difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, [and] impaired memory.” (Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain) Blackouts and memory lapses are of course more serious affects of the over consumption of alcohol. In a study conducted by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism fifty-one percent of a sample population of 772 college undergraduates had reported experiencing a blackout, and forty percent reported experiencing a blackout in the year prior to the study. An even more alarming statistic was the nine point four percent that reported experiencing a blackout within two weeks prior to the study. (Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain)  Another study conducted in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in tandem with the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism looks at underage drinking as a whole and further discusses the health risks involved.  The study shows that there are “subtle changes in the [developing] brain [] that have a significant impact on long-term thinking and memory skills.” The study also shows that “consuming alcohol during puberty adversely affects the maturation of the reproductive system.”  This is rather concerning as of 2003, the average age of first use of alcohol was about fourteen, compared to about seventeen and a half in 1965. (Underage Drinking) Of course there are a number of factors that can influence the extent of the affects of alcohol such as: “how much and how often a person drinks; the age at which he or she first began drinking, and how long he or she had been drinking; the person’s age, level of education, gender, genetic background, and family history of alcoholism; etc.”   (Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain) With today’s current prevention strategies there is over course the requirement of a license to purchase alcohol, and the consequences for breaking any alcohol related laws. However how are those policies informing the United States’ youth and young adults on alcohol and the potential health risks involved?  When does prevention occur? The only prevention programs that exist today are those that are school base. These programs are not standardized and are not required which means that not everyone one will be provided the information.  The more informative programs are saved for those that are dealing with the consequences of breaking an alcohol related law.  Shouldn’t these policies be more proactive?