Should We Change the Drinking Age?
When someone goes wrong, it is right for his real friends to move him,
even by force, to do the right thing.--Siddharta
Electronic Resources—Internet
The internet has tons of information about alcohol abuse, teen drinking, and drunk driving.
Be smart about gathering information from worthwhile sites. Who created the site? Does that
person know enough on the subject to be an authority? Is the site up-to-date? Is the information
on the site objective, or was it selected to sway your opinion? Sometimes it is hard to tell. Here
are a few sites to get you started. Some of these sites are designed to support one side of the
issue. Be sure to read them with a grain of salt.
http://www.youthrights.org/drinkingage.php
National Youth Rights Association. This group advocates lowering the drinking age, as you might
expect. Look to the left under ‘research’ for links to laws, legislation, and statistics—all supporting
a lowered drinking age.
www.debatabase.org
International Debate Education Association. This is a debate database prepared by college
debaters on a variety of subjects. Under “search debatabase” type ‘drinking age’ and follow the
links. You will find a summary of pros and cons, as well as links to articles on both sides of the
issue. This is a great starting point.
http://www.madd.org/
Mothers Against Drink Driving. This group wants the drinking age at 21, and offers statistics and
information in support of a higher drinking age.
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/
This site is maintained by Professor David Hanson at the State University of New York, Potsdam.
He is in favor of a lower drinking age—or an abolished drinking age—and makes no bones about it.
Professor Hanson offers plenty of good information, but be aware that he uses it to try to convince
you to think his way.
http://www.dontserveteens.gov/
This site is offered by the Federal Trade Commission, part of the U.S. government. Click on
‘dangers of teen drinking’.
http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/
Alcohol and public health, from the Centers for Disease Control, part of the U.S. government.
Click on Alcohol related disease impact. It’s a neat feature that estimates alcohol related death
and estimates years of life lost. Check it out.
Electronic Resources—Databases
Did you know you can read newspapers, magazines, and many reference books online? If you
can perform a decent Google search, you can manage this. Databases give you access to thousands
upon thousands of resources you can’t get on the free internet. Give them a try.
1. www.sailsinc.org
You need to login to access databases. Please see Ms. Love or Mrs. Tucker
for your own library card (required to request materials from other libraries or access your
account) if you don’t already have it. Otherwise, use the following number.
User ID: 22870010024669
Pin: 9999 (This pin works for your card, too.)
2. Click on “online resources” in the blue bar at the top of the page.
3. Click “online magazines & research tools” in the middle of the page.
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Okay, now you’re facing a list of forty-something databases and eBooks. Where you go now depends
on what kind of information you seek. Here are some suggestions for magazines and newspapers.
Magazines
Health Reference Center
Use this database to find articles from hundreds of health magazines and journals on fitness,
pregnancy, medicine, nutrition, diseases, occupational health and safety, alcohol and drug abuse, etc.
Infotrac Student Edition (great for popular magazines!)—Designed for high school students,
Infotrac includes magazines, newspapers and reference books covering current events, the arts,
science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.
General Reference Center Gold—A general interest database containing articles from magazines,
reference books, and newspapers, many with full-text and images. Find the latest current events,
popular culture, the arts and sciences, sports, hobbies, and more.
Newspapers
Proquest—Includes Quincy, MA Patriot Ledger, New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
Newsbank—Includes Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Springfield Union News, Worcester Telegram.
Helpful hints
--Next to the search box, select “only documents with full-text”. You may have to
choose advanced search to get to this option.
--Many articles can be emailed to your home computer
--Look for a print option that reformats and uses less paper.
East Bridgewater High School Library
Links working as of September 23, 2008