Persuasive Essay: Lower Drinking Age

612 Words3 Pages
Madeleine Joynt When an American citizen turns 18, they are considered an adult. An 18-year-old can walk into a tattoo parlor and ink their entire body. They can go to Las Vegas and get legally hitched. They can serve on a jury and vote for the president. They can ride motorcycles, smoke cigarettes and get as many piercings as they please. At 18, students are sent off to college and are given complete freedom from parental jurisdiction. Eighteen year olds are trusted to serve and die for their country but are prohibited from being served at a bar. The United States should lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. The problems created by America’s drinking age go far beyond the irony of a soldier being refused admittance. The significant issues lies within the fact that underage drinking within the US is at an all time high. Alcohol remains the forbidden fruit among underage citizens. The legal drinking age does not eliminate underage drinking. Instead, it encourages it. In fact, it creates an opportunity for concealed, dangerous binge drinking. Eighteen is the predominant age among first year college students. Without normal parental control, students are overwhelmed with a new sense of freedom. No longer restricted by rules and regulations imposed by their parents, students often use their independence irresponsibly, engaging in reckless drinking habits. As a result of the high drinking age, many students face their first time drinking with no sense of how to drink responsibly. To make matters worse, the majority of college students are underage, as typical freshman, sophomores and juniors fall between the ages of 18 and 20. According to the New York Times, college binge drinking is exacerbated by the restrictive legal drinking age of 21. Relatively new, inexperienced drinkers dominate the college campus, leading to a threatening culture of extreme
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