Should We Think About Lowering The Drinking Age to 18 in the United States??

Should We Lower The Drinking Age to 18?

Each person has their own opinions about the drinking age law that now is 21. Some would like to reduce the age to 18 and some are against changing the law. Turning 18 entails receiving the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, join the military--which includes taking on the responsibilities of life and death--and be prosecuted as adults. If we can do all this at the age of 18 why we are not allowed to start drinking at 18? Alcohol reduces the ability to make further choices rationally, so what is the best age to set to start drinking legally?

According to MADD website having the drinking age at 21 has saved over 25,000 lives and continues to decrease crashes by 16%. The drinking age has been based upon research on how people react to alcohol at different Ages. (MADD, 2010). Teens also get drunk twice as fast as adults and have trouble knowing when to stop. According to ProCon.org raising the minimum drinking age to 21 has decreased the percentage of fatal traffic accidents for those between 18 and 20 by 13% and saved approximately 21,887 from 1975-2002. (ProCon, Nove). Should we allow underage drinkers to raise our alcohol related deaths so they can drink?

On July 17, 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Act of 1984 was passed by Congress. This law required all states to legislate and enforce the age of 21 as the minimum age to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages. Any state that was found not enforcing this law would be subjected to a 10% decrease in the annual federal highway apportionment for that state. (Wikipedia, Octo).

Underage drinking is allowed in 29 states if done on private premises with parental consent, 30 states if for religious purposes and 13 states for educational purposes. (ProCon, Nove). Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming allow underage drinking if done on private premises such as private home, private office, or private property with parental presence and consent. California, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Wyoming allow underage drinking on private, non alcohol-selling premises without parental consent such as private home, private office, or private property without parental consent or presence. Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming allow underage drinking for religious purposes such as drinking wine during a church ceremony. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming allows underage drinking for medical purposes where a licensed physician has prescribed alcohol for medical purposes. Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina allow underage drinking for government work related purposes involving working with undercover police and participating in government research. California, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Wyoming allows underage drinkers to participate drinking for educational purposes for students in culinary school. Colorado, Florida, Montana allows underage drinking when an underage drinker calls 911 to report a medical emergency of another underage drinker. Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming allows under age drinkers to drink on an alcohol-selling premises with the consent of an adult.

What is the difference if I am an adult or underage? Maturity of the human brain is not fully complete till the age of 24. The part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex which enables us to assess situations, make decisions and keep emotions and desires under control is still maturing during the adolescent years. (Aldanese, Dece). Alcohol affects the developing of the brain more serious in adolescents than that in an adult. Children that start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to develop an alcohol problem than those over the age of 21. The younger a person is that drinks the more prone they are to binge drinking which also leads to alcohol abuse.

Would lowering the legal drinking age make alcohol less of a big deal and not so attractive for teens? Some would think that making alcohol available at an earlier age would make alcohol less of a big deal but studies have shown different. When states lowered their drinking age the underage drinking actually became worse. Before the law for drinking was 21 underage drunk drivers were in twice as many alcohol related crashes than they are today. (MADD, 2010).

What are the health problems that come with underage drinking? Approximately 5,000 people each year under the age of 21 die as a result to underage drinking. 1,900 of these deaths occur from motor vehicle accidents. 1,600 occur as a result of a homicide. 300 deaths occur from suicide. Several hundred are also injured from falls, burns and drowning. (NIAAA, Janu) Why would you want to jeopardize your long life ahead as a result from drinking and driving?

I believe that keeping the age at 21 would be safe, but lowering the drinking age would be tragedies waiting to happen. I think that instead of thinking about lowering the drinking age, what would be the harm in making it at a higher age? Even at the age of 21, I believe that some have not reached their maturity level or know when to say no. There are times where I have seen many who are older drinking still make the wrong choice, but where do we draw the line? I think that setting the age at least 25 gives a person time to grow up mentally and emotionally. Will they know when to say no? Not necessarily, but they will have a better understanding of how life can pass in minutes. Hopefully at a higher age there would be even less fatal accidents.

Why is it appealing for adolescents to drink? For some teens they find it a thrill to drink and take risks. Teens do not realize that alcohol can have consequences so they may act impulsively. If a teen finds drinking a pleasurable experience from what they have been raised around from their early to teen year may lead to them wanting to drink more. Teens may feel more at ease in a social situation where others their age are drinking. Young people who tend to be disruptive, hyperactive, aggressive, depressed, withdrawn or anxious may be at greater risk for having a drinking problem. Hereditary factors can lead to alcohol problems as well; children who were raised around alcoholics tend to be at greater risk for alcohol problems as well. (NIAAA, Janu).

The health risks of drinking are not common in adolescents but studies show that adolescents that drink heavily may put themselves at risk for serious health related issues in the future. Alcohol affects the development of the brain. Even though subtle changes in the brain may be hard to detect, it still has a significant impact on the long-term thinking and memory skills of the brain. In some adolescents who drink alcohol, elevated liver enzymes which indicate some liver damage have been found. During the rapid growth and development prior and during puberty drinking alcohol can upset the critical hormone balance that is necessary to develop normal organs, muscles and bones. (NIAAA, Janu).

Even though Turning 18 entails a person the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, join the military--which includes taking on the responsibilities of life and death--and be prosecuted as adults. The legal age should not be lowered because states that previously lowered the drinking age to 18 have experienced an increase in alcohol-related crashes among the 18 to 20 age group. Teens that drink alcohol before the age of 21 are also more likely to binge drink which makes them prone to alcohol abuse. Not only is underage drinking dangerous for the one drinking, but also for society. People who start drinking early in their life are at risk of developing serious alcohol problems as well as health related issues.