Thoughts on Change Legal Drinking Age

There are a lot of controversies when it comes to raising or lowering the legal drinking age. The drinking age in America as of the year 2021 is twenty-one years old. Many believe that twenty-one is a good age and the law should remain the same, some believe that the legal drinking age should be raised, while others think that the drinking age should be lowered down to eighteen years old. Personally, I believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years of age for many reasons, the drinking age being set at eighteen in the United States in the past is one of those reasons. There are also many studies and facts that have been found throughout the years about the consumption of alcohol and the age as to which it is safe to consume it. There are also many other reasons to be discussed about lowering the drinking age.

In the year 1984, the drinking age in the United States was changed from eighteen to twenty-one. Many people that are against the drinking age being lowered are the people that grew up during the time when the drinking age was set to eighteen and not twenty-one, and I guarantee they probably didn’t have a problem with the age being eighteen when they were getting to indulge and have their fun. That being said, if the drinking age was already eighteen years old, people shouldn’t make it sound like it is the worst thing that could ever be done, because it is not. There are many benefits to lowering the drinking age back down to eighteen.

In the United States, a person becomes a legal adult at the age of eighteen. When a person reaches the age of eighteen, they are allowed to buy or rent a home, pay bills, pay taxes, get a credit card, be sent to prison, get married, enlist in the military, and much more. An eighteen-year-old can be responsible for that much but still not be allowed to consume alcohol. I think many find it ridiculous that one can go fight and serve our country at eighteen years old, but not be allowed to have a beer if they wish to. In my opinion, there is so much wrong with this logic. How can the government treat these eighteen-year-olds like adults and expect just as much from them but not allow them the same freedom as someone a few years older? That is something many people cannot wrap their brains around.

Another reason I believe that the drinking age should be lowered back down to eighteen years old is that one reason the age was raised to twenty-one is that the government thought it would save more lives and prevent more deaths due to alcohol, and in reality, raising the drinking age has not saved lives. Peter Asch and David Levy showed that raising the drinking age did not stop drunk driving deaths from occurring, that the age from which they occurred transferred from the age 18- 20 to the age 21-24. Both men said the real risk factor for drinking and driving is being an inexperienced drinker, not being under 21. There will be alcohol-related deaths and drunk drivers no matter what the legal age of consumption is, and many are quick to say that eighteen-year-olds are just not responsible enough for consumption. Eighteen-year-olds may not be responsible, but no matter what age someone is, alcohol can make anyone be irresponsible.

It has also been said that alcohol is no worse for young people than other legal drugs. Many studies have found that alcohol is somewhat safe for humans compared to some of the new prescription drugs that are being handed out to children to consume daily. Many know what the long-term effects of alcohol are and what they can do to our bodies, the effects of the new prescription drugs such as Ritalin, cough medicines, and some anti-depressants, are still unknown or just as bad, if not worse, for your body than alcohol. Alcohol also doesn’t stay in someone’s system for very long either. It has been reported that the body eliminates alcohol very quickly at the rate of one drink per hour. These new prescription drugs can stay in someone’s system and have effects that last many hours, and sometimes even days. There are children that some of the prescription drugs are prescribed to which can cause underlying health problems but they are still being handed out. Don’t get me wrong, alcohol can cause underlying health problems to some people as well, but it is the fact that alcohol has been considered safer than some of the prescription drugs that doctors prescribe.

Raising the drinking age from eighteen to twenty-one stopped people from the ages of eighteen to twenty years old from consuming alcohol legally, but that does not mean that it stopped underage drinking from happening. Lowering the drinking age back down to eighteen would create a safer environment and make it to where people from the ages of eighteen to twenty-one can consume alcohol more safely. Since the legal drinking age is twenty-one, many underage drinkers consume alcohol in a place that is unsupervised and “hidden” which can be very dangerous. To lower the deaths of underage drinkers due to alcohol, they should be in an environment that is monitored so that if something goes wrong, like alcohol poisoning, they can receive the help that they need. Also, many underage drinkers do not wish to receive medical attention when they feel that there is a problem, no matter how little it may be, because they fear the consequences and trouble they will get into because they are not of legal age to consume alcohol. To make alcohol consumption safer and reduce the deaths caused by alcohol, the drinking age should be lowered back down to eighteen so that underage drinkers can be monitored and not fear asking for help when they feel as if something is wrong.

Since the legal age of consuming and purchasing alcohol is twenty-one years old, many underage drinkers sometimes tend to drink very heavily at one time before going out, instead of drinking over a long period of time because they cannot purchase alcohol. Consuming too much alcohol at one time can be very dangerous and is not very smart. If the drinking age was lowered, it may help put a stop to this. I also feel as if lowering the drinking age can help put a stop to sexual assault. The reason I feel this way is because, if the drinking age was lowered, young girls wouldn’t have to ask older guys to buy their drinks for them. When a young girl persuades an older man to purchase her alcohol, she opened the door for him to be able to slip something in her drink and ultimately put herself at risk. If the drinking age was lowered, it could help stop underage girls from being drugged because they would be able to get her own drink.

When in school, many kids students attend a presentation about alcohol consumption at some point. Many of these presentations just simply tell underage people to just not consume alcohol and tries to scare them about telling them the risks and what could happen if they consume alcohol. That is the main problem, they try and scare younger people into not doing it. People that are underage will consume alcohol, it is inevitable. Instead of just telling them not to do it, they should teach these students about safe consumption and teach them what to do if they get in certain situations. They should be teaching young people what to do if someone becomes sick and starts to throw up, or if someone gets alcohol poisoning, but since the legal drinking age is twenty-one, they are not going to go over that. Another thing is that many underage people fear their parents finding out that they have been drinking, and instead of calling their parents to come to get them and bring them home, they try and drive, or get into a vehicle with someone else that is intoxicated. Because they are underage they fear asking questions and therefore lack knowledge of alcohol. One of the main reasons people feel that the drinking age should remain the same is because they believe eighteen-year-olds are not responsible enough to consume alcohol and will make bad decisions. In reality, underage drinkers are aware of the right decision to make, they are just afraid to get caught by their parents or in trouble with the law. If the drinking age was lowered, younger people could receive the knowledge they need and consume alcohol more safely.

Teenagers and young adults account for less alcohol-related deaths in the United States. Approximately 75 percent of deaths due to alcohol poisoning happens between the ages of 45 and 54. Given this evidence, younger drinkers are not as harmed from alcohol as older drinkers. Alcohol consumption is not necessarily safe for anyone despite age, but with this information, it is shown that older people should be very cautious while consuming alcohol because they are more likely to be harmed by it. The government can not stop alcohol from killing people or being unsafe, therefore the drinking age remaining at twenty-one seems to do no justice. It has also been shown that younger people are just simply more physically resistant to larger amounts of alcohol and that alcohol tolerance decreases with age. Given that information it is safe to say that alcohol consumption doesn’t become safer the older you get, it actually becomes more dangerous and people should be more aware of how much they can consume.

Many people feel that if the drinking age is lowered that it could cause alcoholism and addiction. There are very many countries where the drinking age is set at eighteen years old and they also have higher rates of consumption than the United States. Even with the legal age set at twenty-one in the United States, the U.S still has a higher prevalence of alcohol-related problems than other countries with the legal age of consumption set at eighteen. That being said, it is not about the age as to which one consumes alcohol. I can understand how it is easy to think that if the age was lowered that it could cause more people facing alcoholism, but the statistics show that that is not true. With the drinking age set at twenty-one, it causes bad drinking habits to underage consumers. Many underage drinkers consume alcohol in private and in secrecy, which can be psychologically damaging. This secrecy can tend to make someone feel depressed, anxious, and have negative thoughts. When feeling that way, many people think if they can have a drink it will simply fix the emotions they are feeling, which could possibly lead to addiction. It is just like going around in a circle and it all stems back to the drinking age not being lowered. If it was lowered, then many people wouldn’t feel the need to hide it and live in secrecy, which would ease many minds and lead to safer drinking habits.

Overall, the drinking age in the United States is set at twenty-one years old to this day and there are many organizations that are working to try and get it to be lowered. There are many facts and statistics that prove lowering the drinking age will not cause any more harm to the people of the United States than alcohol already does. It is very scary and seems ridiculous to many people, but facts have shown that it can result in safer consumption to the younger people consuming it in the United States. Many people are aware of the fact that underage drinking is a real problem, and wish something would be done to provide safety for these individuals. Underage drinking is going to occur no matter what the legal age is set at, but lowering the drinking age to eighteen would provide more safety to people between the ages of eighteen and twenty. If an eighteen-year-old is seen as an adult and is expected to have all the responsibilities of an adult, then the government should allow them to consume alcohol. I strongly believe that the drinking age should be lowered back down to eighteen years old in the United States, and hope people choose to become more open-minded and learn more about the facts and science behind why it should be.

Citations

1. Carpenter, Christopher, and Carlos Dobkin. “The Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Public Health.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives : a Journal of the American Economic Association, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpmcarticlesPMC3182479.
2. Hando, Lauren. “Why the Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered to 18.” The Badger Herald, 26 Nov. 2019, badgerherald.comopinion20191125why-the-legal-drinking-age-should-be-lowered-to-18.
3. Mandal, Saunak. “Reasons to Challenge the Drinking Age.” NYRA, www.youthrights.orgissuesdrinking-agereasons-to-challenge-the-drinking-age.
4. Otte, Kynslie. “Lower Drinking Age Could Mean Safer Consumption.” University News, 17 Sept. 2012, info.umkc.eduunewslower-drinking-age-could-mean-safer-consumption.