Everyone loves a good party. I always knew how to throw an awesome party, but as I got older a new question emerged. "What kind of party is it?" It's a valid question because birthday parties have transformed from a get together at mom and pops house with a cake and streamers to a full fledged rager with alcohol and drugs while mom and pop are away. Nowadays it seems that alcohol abuse comes with the party territory, but it doesn't have to be that way. As teenagers, it's natural to get a sort of thrill from breaking the law or doing something they know they shouldn't. So what should be a glass of wine with dinner becomes a beer bong and a line of shots. Most young adults were not taught how to drink in moderation and responsibly, thus there is a lot of danger when it comes to alcohol consumption. Many are reluctant to lower the drinking age to 18, similar to our European counterparts, because of the alcohol abuse by young adults. It's difficult to pinpoint the problem exactly, but the majority of alcohol related problems are caused by a combination of the lack of alcohol education, the astronomical punishments for underage consumption, and the "prohibition era" attitude towards drinking. If we as a society can alter the way we approach these adult situations, then everyone will be more inclined to drink safely.

According to the World Health Organization, the proportion of drinkers in the United States is lower than most European countries. Europeans drink on average 12.18 liters per capita whereas U.S. citizens drink 8.67 liters per capita, yet more of our citizens 


are dying in alcohol related accidents. It is speculated that this is attributed to our high legal drinking age and lack of late night public transportation. I found this information in an article published on "The Daily Beast" online titled "Does the World Have a Drinking Problem?" The author is David Sessions, a student at Boston College gathered statistics from the World Health Organization and presented them without stating an opinion. This author is credible because he is just relaying facts that were found from a highly reliable source. The purpose of this article seems to be to convey this information to it's audience and allowing the readers to form their own opinion and to interpret the information in their own way. 

Another article called "Lower the Drinking Age to 18, and Enforce It" focuses more on the lack of education to promote responsible drinking. Personally, I have noticed this. Growing up the only alcohol education I received was a brief health lesson in the 7th grade about how drinking kills your liver, a shameful advice session from my older sister relaying her bad experiences with alcohol, and an online course required by the University. None of those lessons taught me how to limit myself; They taught me to stay away from alcohol at all costs. The author of this article is extremely credible because she is an author of a book that discusses secretive alcohol abuse, which is very applicable to underaged young adults. The author is arguing to bring awareness about this issue to hopefully form a safer version of society. 

"The Drinking Age Should Be Lowered, Fast", an article published on Newsweek online, discussed the motives for young adults to abuse alcohol. There are many social situations where binge drinking is considered normal and cool or that it is considered a right of passage. It can also be attributed to the newfound freedom of college student being 


away from home for the first time. Mainly it is because young adults of the 18-20 year old age have no been exposed to socialization where drinking is used in moderation, and it's not considered normal. This author is not particularly credible considering this is an opinion piece, but most of the claims made in this article are legitimate because it's very similar to situations I have witnessed first hand of the college drinking culture. The major values of this article is to cross examine society and to evaluate the issues we have in regards to unsafe drinking. 

This is a complex question because the problem itself cannot be pinpointed. Therefore, it's hard to identify the root of the problem and the proper solution to it. We are left to wonder whether the problem is with the drinking age, the way drinking is introduced to new drinkers, or something completely different. Some even argue that there is no problem at all and the drinking age should be left as is and nothing needs to be changed. Yet people are still dying. That should be enough evidence to signal a change needs to be made. 
