Lowering the Drinking Age in the United States The topic of lowering the drinking age in the United

States has been a growing concern to many. This is a very heated topic, since lives have been lost because of alcohol. The minimum drinking age in the United States was raised from eighteen to twenty-one years of age over twenty years ago when the number of alcohol-related fatalities involving teenagers kept rapidly increasing. Since then, the number of fatalities involving alcohol has significantly decreased in amount. Although the statistics do not lie, this view of attributing the decrease of fatalities to the increased drinking age is not universally accepted. Many believe the decrease in the number of drunk driving fatalities involving teenagers is related to better education on the subject, not the drinking age. Because of this, an ongoing national debate on whether the drinking age of twenty-one is still effective has sparked many interests. Although the drinking age has been lowered before, doubts as to whether the age of twenty-one is still beneficial, or if underage drinkers just need to make smarter decisions while under the influence of alcohol, are now surfacing. Some believe it may be more reasonable to find a compromise between these two sides. However, for the sake of the health of the underage drinkers in the United States, I believe the minimum legal drinking age should be lowered. Those who are proponents of lowering the drinking age argue that since turning the age of eighteen entails receiving the same rights and responsibilities of adulthood, such as being able to vote, serve on juries, and join the military, adults who are eighteen should also be allowed to legally make their own decisions about alcohol consumption. Since this age group encompasses college students, the topic of underage binge drinking becomes a major reason as to why many believe the drinking age should be lowered. In

many cases, college students who are under age are afraid to seek help when a friend is found lying unconscious one night after drinking too many beers at a party. This persons life could have been saved if it were actually legal for these students to possess and drink alcohol (ProCon.org). The drinking age should also be lowered because prohibiting underage drinkers from consuming alcohol in restaurants, bars, and public locations has the effect of forcing these youth to drink in unsupervised places such as house parties or fraternity houses. Besides making criminals of millions of young people, the 21 law encourages the young to binge in secret (Too Young To Have Fun). Because of this law, teens are more likely to pregame before going out to a bar, which involves downing as many shots and beers as they can, since they are not allowed to drink legally in public. When minors do decide to drink illegally in public, it seems as though law enforcement officials are more concerned about catching minors who have alcohol in their possession, rather than stopping those who are driving under the influence of alcohol (Wechsler and Nelson). Many believe that it would be more effective to spend money on educating youth about alcohol than to spend it on enforcement of drinking laws for eighteen to twenty year olds (ProCon.org). Another proposal, which is gaining followers who are advocates of lowering the drinking age, is the Amethyst Initiative. Since the overall lack of progress in reducing underage binge drinking and related problems among college students is continuing to increase, presidents and chancellors of over one hundred universities have started a petition called the Amethyst Initiative, which calls for a public debate about lowering the minimum drinking age to eighteen years. This initiative, suggests that the observed

declines in drinking, traffic fatalities, and related harms since the minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one years became law are a result of other factors, such as improvements in motor vehicle safety, and not the change in the minimum legal drinking age (Wechsler and Nelson). I believe that minors will always find ways to get around the twenty-one year old age limit when it comes to alcohol, and since they are not allowed to drink in regulated areas, it leads to a greater risk of them breaking a larger amount of laws and putting their life and other lives in danger. John McCartle, one of the main leaders in the Amethyst Initiative, states, the law has created a dangerous culture full of irresponsible and reckless behavior, encompassed with a nation full of unsupervised binge and extreme drinking amongst minors in the United States today (Clark). A group called Choose Responsibly, whose sole aim is lowering the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen years old, also is a supporter of this Initiative. On the other hand, it is also easy to see why many people are opposed to lowering the drinking age. Those who are against lowering the drinking age argue that it would cause an increase in alcohol-related fatalities amongst those who are in the eighteen to twenty age groups. These beliefs focus primarily on the statistics of alcohol-related fatalities that have occurred over the past three decades, and also on personal stories of friends and relatives who have died from alcohol-related incidents. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), a nationally known nonprofit organization, which is determined to keep the drinking age as-is, work to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. This organization believes the twenty-one law continues to prevent tragedies, decreasing crashes by an estimated sixteen percent and keeping young people safer from many risks (MADD). Although these statistics do not lie, I think the decrease of crashes

in the United States is due to the tougher driving laws and safer cars that have been implemented over the years. The decrease in accidents could be attributed to the lower Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limits, stricter rules on automobile safety standards and mandatory seat belt laws. Other factors could include the stricter consequences of alcohol-impaired driving laws, sobriety checkpoints, the use of designated drivers, and an increase in public awareness of the risk of drunk driving (Too Young to Have Fun). I think the most recent advancement of technology regarding the manufacturing of cars and other stricter legislative changes are the reason for the decrease in accidents over the years, not the higher minimum legal drinking age. With all of the information given on this topic, there seems to be several discrepancies in the facts different organizations are providing, and there are also several different ways to argue each issue on the subject, based on opinions and statistics. The organization Choose Responsibly, which are advocators of lowering the drinking age, argue that the only study researchers have found which compares drinkers who started drinking either before twenty-one or after twenty-one states indistinguishable differences between the two groups in terms of long-term cognitive impairment. On the other hand, MADD believes that teens are more likely to suffer memory loss, blackouts, and alcohol poisoning from drinking, as well as the possibility to cause damage to long-term cognitive impairment in the future. Since both of these statements are contradictory claims, I think more research on this topic would need to be performed in order for me to believe that any of these organizations claims are true. But, even if the drinking age were to stay the same, teenagers would still find ways to get around the law and would continue to consume alcohol. Because of this, MADDs claim about the effects of alcohol

on teens is irrelevant with regards to the minimum legal drinking age. Since the statistics have nothing to do with whether the drinking age is twenty-one or eighteen, I dont believe that MADDs statistics would get any worse if the drinking age were to be lowered. Many believe that since teens are still undergoing physical changes, peer pressure, and different situations and temptations, allowing them to legally consume alcohol can tend to make them more vulnerable to substance and drug abuse, unprotected sex, depression, and violence. Another study found that those who were legally able to purchase alcohol before the age of twenty-one years were more likely than those who could not to meet criteria for alcohol use disorder or another drug use disorder later in life (Wechsler and Nelson). It is also known that teens are more susceptible to engage in actions and substances that are against the law while under the influence of alcohol. I believe that teenagers will still come into contact with these substances and temptations with or without being able to legally consume alcohol. Most underage people engage in these actions while intoxicated just for the thrill they get from breaking the law. If the minimum legal drinking age were to be lowered to eighteen, I believe alcohol would be less of a taboo for young adults. I think a lower drinking age would make teenagers less susceptible to participate in illegal actions while intoxicated because it would make alcohol consumption a more normalized activity done in moderation. Lowering the minimum legal drinking age would lead to healthier and safer decisions made by teens, along with a greater amount of lives being spared in the process. The decrease in alcohol related fatalities over the years should be credited to better technology and stricter laws, not because of the higher drinking age. I believe by

lowering the drinking age, teens would be able to drink in regulated environments, which would significantly help prevent the growing problem of underage binge drinking in the United States.

Works Cited Choose Responsibly, 2012. Web. 4 March 2012 Clark, Charles S. Underage drinking. CQ Researcher. Vol 2 (1992), 217-240.. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. Drinking Age ProCon.org. Drinking Age. ProCon.org. ProCon.org. 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 2011. Web. 30 Jan 2012. "Too Young To Have Fun." Economist 387.8576 (2008): 43. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. Wechsler, Henry, and Toben F. Nelson. "Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking And Related Consequences Among Youths?." American Journal Of Public Health 100.6 (2010): 986-992. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Jan. 2012.