In some cases that is 100% true. However it’s not fair to the responsible 18 year olds that are in the military, going to school, employed, pursuing their dreams, or even just working to save money for the future to have that adult right taken away. You are even allowed to get married at 18, how are you suppose to toast too a long life of happiness? It is only right for the drinking age to be lowered to 18. The legal drinking age is 21, but if you can vote, adopt children, go to war and become a pilot at 18, you should be able to have a drink.
An adult is conscious enough and has enough reason to know well from bad. This is the reason why they are allowed to choose their next president and decide to go or not to war. If the youth is given the right, and needed education since high school and at home about the consumption of alcohol just like it is done with drugs, cigarettes, and sexually transmitted diseases there would not be such a problem with people 18 years-old. Cigarettes are a more dangerous habit which causes more damage to our health compared to alcohol. So then, why is the intake of alcohol not allowed until the age of 21 and the consumption of cigarettes not?
Should the legal drinking age be lowered? There always has been great controversy in the U.S on lowered the age to drinking liquor. All 50 US states have the minimum drinking age to 21 with exceptions to state-by-state based on consumption at home, under adult supervision, for medical necessity, and other reasons. 18 year olds Americans can vote go to war, take on debt for their education, get married and yet they cannot legally have a beer. Why?
Is it right for those 18-20 to be denied alcohol consumption? Are they responsible enough to consume it? Despite the opposition insisting that drinking earlier on will only lead to potential harm for those under 21, an 18 year old is considered an adult, can serve in the military, can vote, and ultimately, should be allowed to make his or her own choices regarding alcohol consumption. As Ruth Engs, a professor of Health Sciences at Indiana University once stated, “the twenty-one year old drinking age law is not working, and is counterproductive, it behooves us as a nation to change our current prohibition law and to teach responsible drinking techniques for those who chose to consume alcoholic beverages (Eng, 1999).” To make an educated decision on the debate, however, both sides of the argument need to be evaluated. Why should the drinking age stay at 21?
Instead of trying to prevent every American under the age 21 from consuming any alcohol, there needs to be more government programs to educate younger people on the problems that alcohol can have, if inappropriately consumed. If the drinking age is lowered and mandatory classes on alcohol consumption are made, Americans would start making smarter decisions about alcohol in general. On the other hand, a lot of people say that if the drinking age were lowered to 18 people would abuse it. Americans aren't used to the idea of drinking casually. Drinking in the US has become an abusive activity that some people cannot control.
Reasons the legal drinking age should be lowered are the fact that eighteen is the age of adulthood meaning as an adult you should be allowed to make your own responsible decisions about alcohol usage. Lowering the age would remove the fear of legal punishment when seeking help for injuries for self or others while intoxicated. One of the biggest reasons to lower the minimum age is to prevent hiding from the law and parents to engage in “Binge” drinking that is an enormous problem with young adults and college students. At eighteen whether headed off to college, the military, or just living on their own the
Whether the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen or remain at twenty one is a big issue right now to lots of people. The younger crowd will most likely argue that it should be lowered to eighteen, but they have many legit reasons why it should be. The legal drinking age should be lowered because it is already easily accessible to them, the percentage of reckless teen alcohol abusers will be reduced and also because at the age of eighteen you are legally considered an adult. Almost all teens between the ages of 14-17 have tried alcohol before. Majority of the time it is given to them by someone between the ages of 18-21.
The first point people have against lowering the drinking age make is that most 18-year olds are mature enough. They believe that young adults do not know when to stop and that they will just drink until they have alcohol poisoning. The second point opposes make is that lowering the drinking age will create alcoholics. They believe that even at 18-years old people are susceptible to gaining a dependence on something like alcohol. If the drinking age is 21 then by that time they will have a strong mind to not be dependent.
Every year in the United States, countless college students acquire underage drinking citations and are eventually charged with underage drinking. These charges are a black spot on the permanent record of said students and greatly affect their ability to get a job after they graduate. The fact that the number of students charged with underage drinking do not change from year to year clearly indicates that students who are not of legal age are going to continue to consume alcohol regardless of the law. That being said, why haven’t we considered lowering the drinking age to eighteen? I believe that this reason and many other reasons should steer us as a country to consider finally lowering the legal age of consumption of alcohol.
However many of them had opinions, but no facts to back it up. I realize that many people under the age of 21 cannot handle alcohol. I believe that at the age of 18 you should be able to consume, and purchase alcohol. If you’re able to smoke cigarettes or fight for your country there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to drink. Substance abuse is a huge factor, but that is the choice the user made.