Continuation from 582593. Unit IV Introduction Paragraph and Outline Assignment objective: In this assignment, you will begin drafting your paper, beginning with the introduction paragraph that introd
4
The National Legal Drinking Age
Jane McDonald
Columbia Southern University
Composition II
Professor Jones
6/21/2023
NOTE: The statistics, information, and sources used in this sample document are not real – they are simply intended to show the proper structure and format of the assignment, citations, and references.
The National Legal Drinking Age
There are many milestone birthdays in a young adult’s life: one can drive legally when they turn
16, vote when they turn 18, and purchase alcohol when they turn 21. Before Congress passed the
National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, which set the national legal age to 21, states had the power
to determine their own legal drinking age; the age varied among states from 18 to 21. In recent years,
however, there have been calls for the national drinking age to be lowered from 21 to 18. Proponents of
lowering the drinking age argue that at 18, a person is considered a legal adult, able to vote and join the
military, and should thus also be able to legally purchase and consume alcohol. Opponents of lowering
the drinking age counter that at 18, a person is not prepared to for the responsibility of drinking
responsibly and argue that lowering the drinking age will have negative consequences; further, since the
implementation of a national drinking age of 21, instances of binge drinking and alcohol abuse among
teenagers have decreased dramatically (Federal Trade Commission, n.d.). The national legal drinking age
should not be lowered in order to prevent a rise in dire alcohol-related issues among teenagers,
including traffic deaths, binge drinking, and potential alcoholism.
Outline
| Body Paragraph 1: traffic deaths | |
| Topic Sentence: | If the national drinking age were lowered to 18, there is significant evidence that more young people would be injured or killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents. |
| Evidence 1: | Current stats about teenagers who don’t get their licenses immediately upon turning 16 (James, 2019). |
| Explanation 1: | Stats indicate that some people would be getting their licenses very shortly before being legally allowed to drink – increase in danger due to inexperience combined with alcohol use |
| Evidence 2: | “___% more alcohol-related traffic accidents involving 18-20-year-olds occurred in the states that had lowered drinking ages before the national drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984” (James, 2019, p. 3). |
| Explanation 2: | This quote shows that lowering the national drinking age would increase the number of young adults under 21 involved in dangerous and life-threatening accidents. |
| Body Paragraph 2: binge drinking | |
| Topic Sentence: | Binge drinking, or drinking more than five drinks in a single session, is considered a grave issue among young adults 21 and over, and lowering the drinking age will increase the risk that adults 18-20 will also engage in binge drinking. |
| Evidence 1: | 3 out of 5 college seniors have reported binge drinking at least twice in the past month (Caldwell, 2021). |
| Explanation 1: | alarmingly high number |
| Evidence 2: | Quote from Dr. Smith that correlates binge drinking to incidents of alcohol poisoning (as cited in Caldwell, 2021, p. 116). |
| Explanation 2: | alcohol poisoning can lead to brain damage and death – binge drinking at young ages can literally be deadly |
| Body Paragraph 3: potential alcoholism | |
| Topic Sentence: | If the national drinking age were lowered to 18, the consequences could affect people long after they leave young adulthood by increasing people’s chances of developing potential alcohol abuse and addiction. |
| Evidence 1: | “People who begin drinking in their teens before their brains are fully developed are at a __% higher risk of developing addiction issues that persist into their twenties, thirties, and beyond” (ATF, 2020, para. 5). |
| Explanation 1: | the younger a person begins drinking, the more likely they are to have long-term problems |
| Evidence 2: | Stats comparing rates of alcoholism pre- and post-1984 national legal drinking age ruling (FTC, n.d.).
|
| Explanation 2: | Evidence shows the rates of alcoholism dropped post 1984 (i.e., correlation between higher drinking age and lower rates of alcoholism) |
References
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. (2020). Risks of alcohol abuse and addiction
among young people. www.atf.gov
Caldwell, P. (2021). Should the US lower the legal drinking age? Youth psychologists weigh in on the
potential repercussions of such a ruling. Psychology Today 4(9), 114-129.
DOI:000111222333444555
Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). The effects of instituting a national legal drinking age. www.url.gov
James, H. (2019). Alcohol-related traffic accidents among teenagers. Journal of American Transportation
3(14), 1-9. DOI:123456712345671234567
