Alcoholic Beverage Sales: Ban Them Permanently For Those Now Under Age 21

Evidence is mounting about the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages—even consumed in moderation.  More about this is mentioned later in this article.

I support prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages to those under age 21 permanently—even after they reach the current legal age of 21 to buy them.

It might be better to prohibit the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages to all. However, the millions of persons who currently consume them legally might seek to buy them illegally, as happened during the Prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s that is discussed in the next section.  

Prohibition of 1920-1933

The United States tried totally banning the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in the 20^th Century. The passage of the 18^th Amendment to the United States Constitution led to a ban on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages from early in 1920 to the ratification of the 21^st Amendment to the Constitution in December 1933. During the Prohibition years substantial illegal alcoholic beverage manufacture and sale took place, as well as other accompanying criminal activity.  Accurate records of how many illegal purchases occurred probably don’t exist.

Permanently Prohibiting Sales to Those Now Under 21 Is Different

Preventing persons from drinking alcoholic beverages before they start is easier than helping alcoholics or even occasional social drinkers kick their habit.

Many under age 21 currently drink illegally, occasionally at least. But even those who do so lack the years of addiction that alcoholics in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and older often have. Furthermore, the percentage of underage persons who drink such beverages is declining significantly, as reported by Responsibility[1] and other sources. A National Institute on Drug Abuse survey was cited as the source of the information on the Responsibility website.

Why Prohibition Is Beneficial

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) article [2] states: “If you don't currently drink, don't start for any reason.”

The same CDC article goes on to add: “Some past studies had suggested that moderate drinking might be good for your health. But scientists highly debate these findings. More studies now show that there aren't health benefits of moderate drinking compared to not drinking.

“Many past studies did not consider other factors that could have influenced the results.”

Similarly, a Mayo Clinic article [3] states: “Drinking alcohol in any amount carries a health risk.”

TheAmerican Heart Association states [4]: “If you don’t drink alcohol, don’t start.”

Worse is the fact that many who seek to only drink moderately end up binge drinking at least occasionally or become chronic alcoholics.

Virtually everyone I’ve asked who drinks alcoholic beverages admits to having overindulged at least once—often far more frequently. Some have vomited, driven motor vehicles drunk, forgotten what they did when they were drunk, etc.

A National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism article [5] discusses numerous harmful effects from overindulging.

Personal Perspective and Closing Thoughts

Personally, I am a teetotaler. But I have many friends who drink and/or have drunk excessively. During my college years I saw lots of other students drunk and getting drunk. I disliked seeing the vomit in dorm hallways and on sidewalks. I disliked seeing beer cans, beer and bourbon bottles, etc., littering up areas. Glass from the broken bottles is a problem, but drunken driving and chronic diseases from alcohol abuse can be much worse.

Below is a photo of a beer can I picked up from a roadway and then photographed in a safe place. 

I sympathize with persons who overindulge in alcoholic beverages. I’m grateful for organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous that seek to help with the addiction, as well as various recovery centers.

However, I’d prefer persons never get started drinking alcoholic beverages. Let’s seek to spare the next generation from the alcohol problems experienced in the present and in the past.       

ENDNOTES:

[1] "New Report Shows Underage Drinking Reaches Record Low Levels"; Responsibility.org; December 17, 2024; webpage accessed November 2, 2025;  

https://www.responsibility.org/new-report-shows-underage-drinking-reaches-record-low-levels/

[2]  “About Moderate Alcohol Use”; U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; January 14, 2025; webpage accessed November 2, 2025; https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/about-alcohol-use/moderate-alcohol-use.html 

[3] Mayo Clinic Staff; “Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits”; Mayo Clinic; June 21, 2024; webpage accessed November 2, 2025; https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551 

[4] “Is drinking alcohol part of a healthy lifestyle?”; American Heart Association; last reviewed September 30, 2025; webpage accessed November 2, 2025;  https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/alcohol-and-heart-health 

[5] “Alcohol’s Effects on the Body”; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health; updated June 2025; webpage accessed November 2, 2025; https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body

NOTE:

I work part-time at a retail store that offers beer as one of the numerous products it sells.    

 

Make Standard Time Permanent: Eliminate Twice a Year Time Changes

I dislike changing time twice a year.

Most others do too. Polls (discussed below) indicate that far more persons in the United States support eliminating the time changes than support keeping them.

I especially detest in a sense losing an hour of sleep in the spring with the moving ahead one hour. I support making standard time permanent.

Medical professionals generally also seem to feel that it is better for our health to avoid the time change and to keep standard time, as pointed out in an American Medical Association article [1] and other articles.

Eliminating the time required to manually set certain clocks back or ahead (such as the clocks pictured below) is another (though perhaps minor) reason to stop the time changes.

Polls

A January 2025 Gallup poll [2] found that a majority of persons desired to eliminate the time change. It also found person preferred standard time over daylight saving time.

An October 2025 AP/NORC poll [3] also found persons preferred eliminating the time change. However, that poll found more persons preferred daylight saving time to standard time.

My guess is that since the Gallup poll was taken while standard time was in effect and the AP/NORC poll was taken while daylight saving time was in effect, the dates of  the surveys biased the results. 

Perhaps persons preferred to keep the time then in effect, rather than changing. But that’s just my guess.     

Permanent Daylight Saving Time Was Unpopular

When daylight saving time was made permanent year round in the 1970s, numerous complaints occurred, as noted by an NPR article [4] and numerous other sources. One problem is that schoolchildren were waiting for buses in the dark. In Florida “eight schoolchildren were hit by cars in the dark” according to a CNN article [5], as well as a Time article [6]. “Permanent” daylight saving time did not last long.

Permanent Standard Time

My view is that permanent standard time will be much more popular than permanent daylight saving time was. As mentioned earlier medical professionals seem to dislike both changing time and permanent daylight saving time, citizens prefer avoiding the time change, and the 1970s experiment with permanent daylight saving time failed.

Many sources note that before the 20th century there was no daylight saving time. Standard time was standard. Let's make it that way again.

Federal law allows individual states to keep standard time year round, but it doesn’t allow them to keep daylight saving time year round. If federal legislation isn’t passed to make standard time permanent, individual states can decide to go to permanent standard time.

If numerous states do so, it would put more pressure on federal legislators to take action. Currently Hawaii and all of Arizona except the Navajo Nation are on standard time year round, as noted by numerous sources. 

Permanent standard time will provide more daylight in the morning hours as students are going to school than daylight saving time. Furthermore, it will still be daylight when the school day ends.

I strongly advocate Congress passing legislation to make standard time permanent. I’ve emailed my two Senators and my Representative urging such action. I urge readers to do so also. Together, I’m confident we can get this change accomplished.    

ENDNOTES:

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[1]  Smith, Timothy M.; “Sleep doctors’ orders: Use standard time 365 days a year”; American Medical Association; March 5, 2024; webpage accessed November 1, 2025; https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/sleep-doctors-orders-use-standard-time-365-days-year

[2] Evans, Mary Claire and Jones, Jeffrey M.; “More Than Half in U.S. Want Daylight Saving Time Sunsetted”; Gallup; March 4, 2025; webpage accessed November 1, 2025; https://news.gallup.com/poll/657584/half-daylight-saving-time-sunsetted.aspx

[3]   Hajela, Deepti and Sanders, Linley; “How Americans feel about changing the clocks, according to a new AP-NORC poll”; APNews; updated October 30, 2025; 8:54 a.m.; webpage accessed November 1, 2025; https://apnews.com/article/daylight-saving-time-clocks-back-08069f6389b26db6ee27313f116069cb

[4] Davis, Susan; ”The U.S. tried permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s — then quickly rejected it”; NPR; March 19, 2022, 5:00 a.m. ET; webpage accessed November 1, 2025; https://www.npr.org/2022/03/19/1087280464/the-u-s-tried-permanent-daylight-saving-time-in-the-1970s-then-quickly-rejected-

[5]  Hetter, Katia and Mays, Stephen; “Daylight saving time is controversial. Here’s why the US kept it”;  CNN; updated October 29, 2025, 1:54 p.m.EDT; webpage accessed November 1, 2025; https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/05/health/daylight-saving-time-explainer-wellness

[6] Waxman, Olivia B.; “The U.S. Tried Permanent Daylight Saving Time Before. Here’s What Happened”; Time; March 17, 2022; webpage accessed November 1, 2025; https://time.com/6157915/daylight-saving-time-history/