Since we are deemed an adult at age eighteen, allowed to vote and fight for our country, we should also be allowed to consume alcohol. People primarily have bad experiences with alcohol simply because they don’t know their limit or lack knowledge on how alcohol affects the body. I feel if I am deemed old enough to fight and possibly die for my country, I should be able to drink. This is why I support lowering the drinking age to eighteen. I believe the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen because it would decrease drunk driving related accidents, eliminate binge drinking, and help people drink responsibly. Certainly this makes sense, doesn’t it?

Alcohol and the drinking age in the United States of America has been an issue for over seventy years. Many people have their own views and personal reasons as to why they don’t want the drinking age lowered. One of the reasons is you are still growing and drinking would damage the development of the frontal lobes in your brain (ProCon.org). Damage of your frontal lobes could result in memory loss, depression, and violence (ProCon.org). People have a tendency to forget things when intoxicated. Alcohol is a depressant and lots of people consume alcohol as a coping mechanism. Consuming alcohol can be a real downer, no pun intended.  Drinking is one of the main causes of violence such as rape (Nagin). The studies from NIAAA, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, found that up to sixty percent of sex offenders were under the influence of alcohol during the time of their crime (Nagin). Other violent crimes most likely to occur while intoxicated are assault and robbery (Nagin). 

Another reason to delay drinking until age twenty-one is alcohol dependency. According to the Mayo Clinic, alcohol consumption under the age of twenty-one increases the probability of alcohol dependence.  One of the most significant reasons is teen drunk driving accidents. In 2010, the number of individuals who died in drunken driving related accidents was 10,228, which is a decrease in the usual annual average (Nagin). However, the second highest drunk driving rate is 15.1% among people who are eighteen to twenty years-old (Nagin). 

        Binge drinking is another factor for those who support delaying the drinking age.  In 2004, Gordie Bailey, a freshman at the University of Colorado at Boulder, underwent a Chi Psi fraternity drinking initiation. This resulted in his death from alcohol poisoning later that night (CBSNewsOnline). He was only a student at the University for one month (CBSNewsOnline). This shows that the Chi Psi fraternity members were more interested in their initiation than the well-being of their pledges. At twenty-one you are a more mature and responsible adult than at age eighteen (ProCon.org).  Studies show that “forty-four percent of students who are attending a four-year college drink alcohol at the binge level or greater” (Nagin). Binge drinking is a serious problem that comes from college students who drink underage and irresponsibly (ProCon.org). People binge drinking result in at least thirty-thousand college students being treated for alcohol poisoning a year (Nagin). 

     Data supports some staggering information on the results of reducing the drinking age. The states in the US that reduced their drinking age in the 1970s caused death rates to jump anywhere from ten to forty percent (CBSNewsOnline). Chuck Hurley of MADD, Mothers against Drunk Driving, says the answer isn’t lowering the drinking age to eighteen because they would buy for younger high schoolers and possibly middle schoolers (CBSNewsOnline).  Lowering the drinking age would cause the “trickle-down” effect, the act of legal drinkers purchasing alcohol for underage peers, to start involving teenagers as young as fifteen (ProCon.org). Chuck Hurley of MADD, said that his ultimate goal is to eliminate underage drinking all together (CBSNewsOnline). “You can go to war, and you can vote but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to drink” (Nagin). Eighteen and being able to drink is not a right (ProCon.org).

The opposition presents many good arguments for why the drinking age shouldn’t be lowered. The common goals are to help people drink responsibly, lower drunk driving related accidents and eliminate binge drinking. In the arguments, they give many valid reasons on why they’re so against it. Damage of frontal lobes from drinking heavily is a very serious health issue. It can create major health problems that could affect the rest of your life. Also, the death of Gordie Bailey was a good example to show how underage drinkers react when a situation with alcohol is present and they behave irresponsibly. Another valid point was that many people underage who drink alcohol are binge drinking because they are oblivious to the effects of alcohol on their body and unaware of their limits. The most valid point of the opposition is that teenagers don’t know their limitations so they drink excessively, which results in alcohol poisoning and a trip to the hospital. All the points are completely understandable as to why someone would not want the drinking age lowered. 

There are weaknesses to their argument. The damage of your frontal lobes can happen regardless of the age that you consume alcohol (Wechsler and Nelson). The tragic death of Gordie Bailey could certainly have been avoided. His parents said they believe that if the drinking age was eighteen instead of twenty-one, the Chi Psi members would have chosen to call the police and their son would still be alive today (CBSNewsOnline). The parents had a traumatic experience with losing their son in his first month of college; however, they adamantly agree that lowering the drinking age would have made a huge impact on their son’s situation. It is strongly believed that students fear consequences of underage drinking so they do not promptly reach out for help even in dire situations. If the legal drinking age had been eighteen, Gordie would still be alive because there would be no consequences for the fraternity to fear for getting help immediately. It is known that binge drinking happens frequently because teens don’t know their limit and how to be responsible with alcohol (Fulton).  Alcohol poisoning numbers went up because underage teenagers see it as a new risk to take because it is the “forbidden fruit” that they are dying to have (Fulton). The best way for students to gain an understanding of their limit is to be introduced to it with parental advisement and to be taught about alcohol and its effects (Rogerson). 

My argument about lowering the drinking age is stronger because it is a more effective way that would help people drink responsibly, lower drunk driving related accidents, and eliminate binge drinking. Further, lowering the drinking age would result in getting students that are drinking medical attention promptly as needed in situations such as Gordie Bailey, because of fearing to seek help, it would be there first action. 

Lowering the drinking age would be beneficial to many teenagers across the country. At eighteen you are officially an adult, eligible to vote and fight for your country. The laws for drinking shouldn’t be any different. In the US, the drinking age used to be eighteen across many states and was later raised to twenty-one in 1984 (Tietjen). The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is the reason the drinking age was raised to twenty-one because they would lose some of their funding (Lewis). The states that didn’t raise the drinking age to twenty-one were going to face a ten percent cut from their federal highway funding (Tietjen). 

All the states raised their drinking age because they wanted to keep receiving funding to help improve their roads (Lewis). Despite the age limit change and funds for the state, there are many good and valid reasons for reversing the drinking age. Allowing eighteen-year-olds and above to drink supervised would decrease the amount of unsafe drinking (ProCon.org). They would be more cognizant and responsible which would result in knowing that drunk driving is irresponsible and dangerous regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed. Also, many teenagers who drink responsibly sometimes drink to relax and relieve their stress. There were studies performed on students who drank and lowering the drinking age would have a positive effect on teenagers and their behavior (Wechsler and Nelson). In Europe, the drinking age is eighteen and many teenagers drink responsibly (Fulton). The difference between European students and American students drinking habit is significant. “I can tell you the difference between the way they drink and the way we drink is akin to comparing someone who enjoys an after-dinner mint to the fat kid who dove head first into Willy Wonka’s chocolate river” (Fulton). Dr. Patrick Neustatter, a medical director, grew up in England and has lived in America for many decades (Fulton). Dr. Neustatter said the younger Europeans have a more respectful, controlled attitude toward consuming alcohol (Fulton).  Karis Rogerson is an American writer who grew up in Italy. Rogerson said “growing up and being able to drink at sixteen was just a part of life, people didn’t get drunk just for the fun”. In Italy, as a sixteen-year-old child you can drink, but your parents would be able to control with whom and how much, which would help you become responsible and help prevent binge drinking (Rogerson). The difference with America is that when you can drink you’re independent and can drink how much you want with no one there to control you and teach you how to drink responsibly (Rogerson). The two writers, Fulton and Rogerson, have seen first-hand the difference between how American teenagers’ and European teenagers’ handle alcohol. They both agree that being introduced at a younger age is significant to your responsibility with alcohol. There are fewer drunken driving related accidents in countries with the drinking age of eighteen (ProCon.org). This shows that drinking at eighteen makes you accustom to it with parental guidance there to help you become more responsible and learn your limit. Many college professors, campus police and other employees believe that lowering the drinking age will be beneficial. Chuck Hurley of M.A.D.D. believes stopping underage drinking is an unrealistic goal (CBSNewsOnline).  John McCardell, former President of Middlebury College, believes that lowering the drinking age to eighteen will make students safer (CBSNewsOnline). Mark Beckner, former chief of police in Boulder Colorado, agrees with lowering the drinking age because trying to enforce the drinking age isn’t effective (CBSNewsOnline). Beckner believes that lowering it would be beneficial because they could focus more on reducing drunken driving related accidents, students who are binge drinking and alcohol poisoning (CBSNewsOnline). This shows that college employees and police have seen that the best outcome is to lower the drinking age so they can focus more on the health aspects of students drinking.

In conclusion, lowering the drinking age has more positive outcomes than negative. It would be very beneficial to teenagers everywhere. The only reason the drinking age was raised was for highway funding (Lewis). It would benefit students’ health because they would be taught their limits, how to drink responsibly and how to maintain self-control. Binge drinking could drastically be decreased because teenagers would understand their limits through earlier exposure similarly to the teenagers in Europe. Lower drinking age resulted in less drunken driving accidents in Europe (ProCon.org). I believe the same results could happen in America when the drinking age changes. 

The best way to move forward with this is to do more research on European teenagers. A study should be conducted on how drinking legally at age eighteen makes Europeans more responsible with alcohol. Having someone teach you responsibility with alcohol would have a huge impact on how you view it and its effects. I believe that these are essential and valid reasons on why the drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. 
