What led me to the issue of whether the drinking age should stay at 21 or be lowered to 18, are personal experiences. As a freshman college student I am exposed to a lot of underage drinking and the affects that it has on students. One of my friends got into some legal trouble because she was drinking under the legal age. She got in trouble with the school, the state, and had thousands of dollars' worth of charges. If the drinking age was lowered to 18 she would have not gotten into as much trouble (Marsh). I talked to my parents about when they were younger and how the drinking age used to be 18. They felt like drinking back then wasn't as big of a deal, which also increased my curiosity on this topic and how the drinking culture has changed over time. I have friends that in the past, have gotten in trouble with alcohol because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of my friends was in a dorm room with other people and they were all drinking except her but a resident monitor walked in and got all of them in trouble. Due to University of South Carolina's alcohol policy, my friend and all of her friends were given a fine of $250 and had to do community service. Also at a school like USC, with a party scene downtown, it has been known to get other students in trouble for using fake IDs to try to get into bars. Since I am 19 years old, the legal drinking age issue surrounds my age group of 18-21 year olds. If the drinking age in the United States were to be lowered back to 18, then it would benefit society in more ways then one.

Binge drinking is a social norm on college campuses especially with large Greek life, sporting events, and less enforced drinking policies (Degutis). Some students feel the need to drink to fit in or to be a "normal college student". With heavy drinking on campuses there is a more likely chance of students getting MIPs, public intoxication charges, fake ID charges, etc. These charges impact future opportunities and reputations by affecting scholarships, job opportunities, funds, and so much more. Binge drinking is a dangerous habit that is occurring on college campuses. According to the National Institute Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse about 40 percent of college students binge drink, and this is a statistic from the past two decades. Also 1,800 students die every year from alcohol-related accidents, 600,000 are injured while drunk, and about 100,000 students are victims of sexual assaults influenced by alcohol (Mcmurtrie). If the drinking age would be lowered to 18, then it would cause college campuses to become a safer drinking environment. Bars are more closely monitored than house parties or other places people go to drink when they have to hid it (Engs). When young adults have the urge to drink, they will find a way to do so. If the drinking age was lowered and binge drinking decreased, then less accidents would occur, such as deaths and sexual assaults. One in four college women report being raped or attempted rape. In controlled environments people could practice responsible drinking behaviors.

There are 115 countries that have a minimum legal drinking age of 18-19 and only 12 countries in the whole world that have a drinking age of 21. Some countries that have a legal drinking age of 18 are Australia, Canada, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, and many more (MLDA in 190 countries). In Canada, the different provinces have different drinking ages of either 18 or 19. According to Sarah Rafson, a U.S. college student, went to Canada and had her first legal drink and observed that when it's legal it's "not that big of a deal" and saw "fewer peers slamming down drinks" (Schackner). Due to the lower drinking age, consuming alcohol to college students in Canada isn't as enticing as it is for college students in the U.S. My friend, Helen, went on a trip to Italy when she was 16, and it so happens that the drinking age is 16 there. "I felt like everyone was drinking more responsibly there because we were able to enjoy our drinks out in public instead of hiding it and binge drinking it all at once. And since we were of age we were able to try new things and experience the culture instead of being in fear of getting a charge for holding a drink" (Wilson). Since alcohol was more accessible to them alcohol wasn't seen as such an exciting thing anymore. Because they were of age they were able to savor their drinks and just enjoy them and didn't drink for the sole purpose to become intoxicated. In the United States, the drinking culture for high school and college students is mainly revolved around binge drinking and the goal of being under the influence. If the drinking age was lowered to 18 in the United States, then it would have the same effect.

Underage drinking is considered a "forbidden fruit" since it is not legal. Having the drinking age lowered would take away the excitement of it and would cause minors to not hide it as much. This drinking culture change would also create people to have better drinking habits (Engs). Peer pressure is a major contributor to underage drinking so with it not being as big of a deal there would be less influence to do it. Whether it's in high school or college, students are feeling pressure from their peers to drink because "it's fun" or "it makes you cool". Also, social media, TV shows, and movies make drinking seem more cool and the social norm even for underage kids. As a college student, exposure to peer pressure for consuming alcohol is a constant thing. ]]At such a defining age, you wouldn't want to get set down the wrong path and affect your future, considering that alcohol is a gateway drug and could lead to the possibilities of using harder substances. If lowering the drinking age to 18 would take away the excitement and change the drinking culture for high school and college students, why wouldn't we?

There are dangers to consuming alcohol at young age. Brains are not fully developed till mid to late twenties and alcohol is a neurotoxin that affect parts of the brain. The developing parts of the brain that are being affected are responsible for learning, memory, decision making skills, coordination, planning inhibition, emotional regulation, and complex thinking. "Young people who drink are at bigger risk to be depressed, violent, and have suicidal thoughts" (Mooney). Since the brain is not fully developed by the age 18, it does raise questions if it is safe enough to lower the drinking age to 18. Also, if kids start drinking at a young age then they are more like to form a dependency on alcohol or have alcoholism. There is also the danger of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning among 18-24 year olds has tripled between 1998-2005 (Glaser). The effects alcohol has on your brain makes you wonder if it effects your academic performance. In a study from 2013, showed that there was no association between usage of alcohol and motivation and achievements of academics. The study was conducted by analyzing the relationship between five alcohol consumption measures and three academic achievement indicators (Ansari). The United States is already lacking behind in academics internationally. The leading countries in the world are Finland, Hong Kong, Canada, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. In a recent comparison of academics between 57 different countries, the United States fell in the middle of the pack (Wilde). All of the leading countries of the world in scholastics, obtain a drinking age lower than 21. According to the study, Finland was the most successful and they have a drinking age of 18. As a country we need to look at other components that would actually help our educational progress, instead of keeping the drinking age at 21 which has no affect. Even though alcohol has neurotoxins that can effect parts of the brain, unless controlled responsibly, alcohol still does not have an effect on our academic performance.

Drinking and driving is a major concern when it comes to lowering the drinking age. The legal minimum drinking age was changed to 21 to prevent drinking and driving. The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is what started this movement. The MADD's mission is "to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking" (Our Mission).  Since the drinking age has been raised to 21, the amount of deaths caused by drinking related accidents has decreased. The number of young people killed in crashed involving drunk drivers has nearly been cut in half. By the end of 2005, having the drinking age at 21 had saved nearly 25,000 American lives -- approximately 1,000 lives a year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that raising the drinking age decreased the number of traffic fatalities of 18-20 year olds by 13%. Although a 2002 meta-study proved that there was no correlation with the minimum legal drinking age being higher with lower rates of suicide, homicide, and vandalism. Overall, the minimum legal drinking age has made the roads safer by decreasing drinking and driving (Mooney). Although the drinking age has made the roads safer, it is not the only contributor. As the years have gone by, our technology advancements have increased. There are many devices out there that have made the roads safer by decreasing distractions, for example, the Android Auto which is a dashboard that displays all the features of the driver's phone while allowing the driver to keep their eyes on the road (Agrawal). It's almost impossible to guarantee that drinking and driving will never exist no matter what the legal drinking age is, so the best we can do is to continue to make advancements to keep our citizens out of harm's way.

All in all, lowering the drinking age to 18 would be a positive thing for society. It would make college campuses safer by not making the students hide it and also by creating more of a controlled environment. It is a possibility that college students could get into less trouble if they were legal. If majority countries in the world have their drinking age at 18, why couldn't the United States? And if it were to be lowered then drinking would not be as big of a deal to young adults and they would feel less pressure from their peers. Although since there are some dangers of consuming alcohol especially at a young age, safe and responsible drinking habits need to be enforced. If the drinking age were to be lowered we would need raise awareness for binge drinking, alcoholism, and other alcohol dangers to prevent that from occurring more often. We would need to start spreading this information in the beginning of high school, so they learn smart decisions early on. They could learn this information through programs they have to take to get their license since drinking and driving is such a major issue. We would really need to stress the dangers of binge drinking on college campuses because of the affects it has on other things such as sexual assault. Their first semester enrolled at any college, students should be required to take a class on alcohol safety.  Also when you're growing up and still living it home, drinking with your parents could have a positive effect. Your parents could set a good example and show healthy drinking behavior. It would also create a more trusting relationship between the parents and their kids, since their kids wouldn't have to hid it and they could have more open conversations about drinking. Drinking and driving is a major epidemic in the United States but there are other ways to stop it other than raising the drinking age. Nowadays there are many different types of transportation offered to the public such as ubers, taxis, hiring a designated driver, etc. Even some colleges offer transportation for their students at night. For example, at The University of South Carolina there is a shuttle that drives from downtown to other parts of campus for their students for free. Also with the technological progress we have been making in the past few years with the new cars, car accidents will occur less often. For example, how it is now possible for cars to stop on their own when another car is sensed. There are solutions to these problems, so overall lowering the drinking age to 18 would be beneficial for the United States. 

If 18 year olds are allowed to serve in the military, vote, get married, serve as a jury, and so much more why can't they enjoy a beer if they please? If majority of other countries are able to function properly with a drinking age below 21 then the United States is more than capable. Once people turn 18 they are given more responsibility and considered adults but at the same time told they can not consume alcohol. Adults should be given the right and responsibility of drinking alcohol. It would cause young adults to have to make smart decisions and healthy drinking patterns. If the minimum legal drinking age were to be lowered back, then it would change college campuses for the better, create smarter drinking habits, cause less peer pressure and overall have a positive impact on the US.  The drinking age should be lowered back to 18.

