1200 word argument essay

A recent study found people who grew up in states where it was legal to drink alcohol before age 21 are more likely to be binge drinkers later in life.

Published Feb. 6 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, the study was based on the long-term drinking behavior of more than 39,000 people who began drinking alcohol in the 1970s, when some states had legal drinking ages as young as 18.

"It wasn't just that lower minimum drinking ages had a negative impact on people when they were young," said lead study author Andrew Plunk, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis. "Even decades later, the ability to legally purchase alcohol before age 21 was associated with more frequent binge drinking."

The study found people who lived in states with lower minimum drinking ages were not more likely to consume more alcohol or to drink more frequently than those from states where the drinking age was 21.

Yet those from states with lower legal drinking ages were more likely to drink heavily, and the effect was most pronounced in men who did not attend college.

Overall, men who grew up in states with younger drinking ages were 19-21 percent more likely to binge drink more than once a month. Among those who did not attend college, the odds of binge drinking more than once a month increased by 31 percent.

Currie, Donya

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 The Nation's Health

http://www.thenationshealth.org

Source Citation

Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)

Currie, Donya. "Lower drinking age can lead to bingeing." The Nation's Health, Apr. 2013, p. 15. Gale Health and Wellness, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A326853505/HWRC?u=lincclin_tcc&sid=HWRC&xid=80eb1293. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.