The United States of America is a nation founded by the ideas of freedom and independence, a nation noted for providing its citizens “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The United States of America prides itself on these rights granted to its people, although some of these rights are constrained with an age limit. While in some cases these age restrictions are vital (operating a vehicle is not ideal for toddlers), others seem to intrude on America’s notions of freedom. Turning the celebrated age of 18 is accompanied with many new freedoms, as well as being granted the title of an “adult” In America, “eighteen-year-olds can vote, operate a motor vehicle, pay taxes, marry, become a legal guardian, own a gun, fight and die in a foreign country, and even become governor of the great state of Rhode Island”, (Fulton). Not granted in the turning of 18 is the legal right to consume alcoholic beverages. I believe that a mixed sense of adulthood is presented to American youth as they have the right to fight and die next to the beloved stars and stripes, yet are deemed too young to purchase and consume a beer. The legal drinking age within the USA is a nationwide dilemma that is violating America’s upcoming generation’s legal rights. The United States, to this day, has the highest drinking age in the world. The majority of countries hold their legal age at 18, some as low as 16. Countries with a lower drinking age allow for parents to “educate their kids about alcohol and rob drinking of its taboo allure, which can make rebellious teenagers sneak off to basements and backwoods to binge drink far from adult supervision” (Griggs). Having a lower drinking age makes the intake of alcohol less of a stigma, more a social normality. The legal drinking age within the United States of America should be lowered to 18; in turn granting parents the right to educate their children, and providing America’s youth the opportunity to participate in safe drinking styles.

Being a 19-year-old American citizen gives me the capability to look at this topic first hand. I attend a university that witnesses underage drinking within the grounds of its campus, and the local bar scene. The University of South Carolina sits next to an area known as “Five Points,” which is strip of bars. The vast majority of people that attend these bars are underage. In August of 2016, the Columbia Voice published an article that stated, “Last year on Oct. 26, the number of alcohol-related hospital transports of USC students was 50, the Office of Student Conduct reported. On that same date this year, the number was 129, a 158 percent increase. Much of the population of USC is under the legal drinking age of 21, suggesting the illegal consumption of alcohol continues to be a problem” (Columbia Voice). This quote shows that the legal drinking age is being disregarded by younger generations. I believe that if the drinking age was set at 18, students would have already had exposure to alcohol, and would know their limits. They would also avoid legal troubles involving a ticket for underage consumption.

In 1984, the “National Minimum Drinking Age Act” was put into action by the states; disregarding this new act would result in the loss of highway funding to said state. Before this, the drinking age varied across states, causing miscommunication along the borders of states regarding alcohol transportation and consumption (Fulton). After the act was put into place, every state was compliant with the age being 21 

Granting 18 year olds new freedoms also brings new curiosities. 18 is full of new adventures; some graduating high school, others entering the work force, others deploying to foreign lands to fight for our freedom and safety. The beginning of adulthood begins with these steps and freedoms, yet the legal drinking age will not allow these individuals to drink for three more years. Camille Paglia, a journalist from Time magazine states that, “Learning how to drink responsibly is a basic lesson in growing up — as it is in wine-drinking France or in Germany, with its family-oriented beer gardens and festivals.” I believe that a raised drinking age deprives young citizens of a safe place to consume alcohol, as well as strips away the possibility to learn safe drinking techniques. This lack of learning how to drink then presents a new concept; binge drinking.

The installation of the 1984 law took away this education aspect, instead pushing minors to drink behind closed doors. In the 1980s “we immediately got the scourge of crude binge drinking at campus fraternity keg parties, cut off from the adult world. Women in that boorish free-for-all were suddenly fighting off date rape” [citation?]. Binge drinking can be found in great amounts within the lives of college students. At first, this was the solution to legal variance among states, yet soon became a completely disregarded law. 

As previously mentioned, college campuses are infamous for underage drinking, as well as drinking in excess amounts. Although the United States of America deems these citizens as “adults”, safe drinking is not accepted due to the legal minimum age is 21. “Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing ‘forbidden fruit,’ a ‘badge of rebellion against authority’ and a symbol of ‘adulthood’” (Engs). The backlash towards the drinking age results in college students drinking in secretive settings or in mass amounts. The lack of education on drinking and the stigma that is placed on it results in curiosity within young adults: “Those under the age of 21 are more likely to be heavy -- sometimes called "binge" -- drinkers (consuming over 5 drinks at least once a week). For example, 22% of all students under 21 compared to 18% over 21 years of age are heavy drinkers. Among drinkers only, 32% of underage compared to 24% of legal age are heavy drinkers” (Engs). The raising of the drinking age has created elevated levels of drinking among minors. The CDC reports that “alcohol is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths annually among underage youth. The CDC also found that young people between the ages of 12 and 20 drink 11 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the U.S., and more than 90 percent of this alcohol is consumed during binge drinking” (Cary). 

These levels of drinking can be dangerous, rather life threatening. Young people are moving towards prescription drugs to accompany their binge drinking. The abuse of substances such as Vicodin, Xanax, and Valium is becoming much more prominent within college students and teens (Cary).  Mary Kate Cary, a contributing editor for U.S. News highlights the idea that she would, “rather see [her] kids sipping beer out of a red Solo cup at a well-patrolled fraternity party than drinking shots and popping a Vicodin in someone’s basement off campus. Lowering the drinking age will help slow the need for pre-gaming and bring the college fake ID business to a dead stop. It can’t help but reduce the binge drinking, drug overdoses and sexual assaults” (Cary). Lowering the drinking age will erase the secrecy that college students pursue; whether it be the purchase of a fake ID, underage drinking, or taking rather unidentifiable supplements. Young adults have found ways around the law, making drinking much more dangerous.  On the other hand, people with opposing views believe that raising the drinking age saves lives.

Citizens who believe that the drinking age should remain at 21 are focused on the fact that lower levels of drunk driving are correlated to a higher drinking age (Gholipour). The 21 age law has “saved up to 900 lives yearly on the road, according to estimates from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration” (Gholipour). Increasing the drinking age has reduced the number of drunk drivers across the nation; which in turn provides safer roads for other citizens. Bahar Gholipour, a staff writer for Huffington Post expresses that “Teen drinking and driving rates have dropped over the last two decades, and the biggest declines were seen between 1982 and 1995, a period which included changes in the Federal law that pushed all states to increase their drinking age to 21”. Statistics also show that although there has been an increase in binge drinking, a decrease in overall nationwide drinking has occurred. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that “[After all states adopted an age 21 MLDA, drinking during the previous month among persons aged 18 to 20 years declined from 59% in 1985 to 40% in 1991” (CDC).  Along with saving lives, people also argue that the drinking age should remain 21 because the brain is not fully developed until that age or older (Arnold-Burger). Alcohol is known to impair judgment and alter the brains decision making process, therefore, allowing undeveloped brains to be exposed to alcohol can be detrimental. Although these are valid reasons for keeping the drinking age at 21, I believe the reasons for lowering the age are stronger.

The United States of America is taking away rights from young citizens. Reasons for lowering the drinking age overpower those for keeping it as is. Lowering the drinking age will allow young adults to learn safe drinking habits and will remove alcohol’s negative connotation. If the right to consume alcohol was granted at 18, college students and young adults would have more knowledge and boundaries, rather than test their limits each weekend. 
