Alcohol sale and consumption laws have changed drastically throughout American history and the results of these changes have been a major influence on today’s debate over the drinking age.  For most of American history, the drinking age throughout the states have varied between 18 to 21.  From 1920 to 1933, Prohibition was in effect in the United States and the sale, transportation, and consumption of alcohol throughout the country was prohibited.  This period led to an increase in crime rates as organized crime arose with mobs taking control of the illicit alcohol market which involved bootlegging and violence.  On 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, repealing Prohibition.  The drinking age throughout the states in the country continued to vary between 18 and 21 until the 1960s.  During the late 1960s and 1970s, nearly all states lowered the drinking age to 18, leading to increased drunk driving fatalities.  On July 17, 1984, as a response to increasing alcohol-related traffic fatalities and the effort of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to prevent drunk driving, President Ronald Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act.  This law mandated that states raise the drinking age to 21 or they must forfeit 10 percent of their federal highway funding. Due to economic reasons, all states complied and adopted the higher drinking age (Tietjen, Denali).  Ever since, the debate on the drinking age in the United States has been very popular amongst Americans.  There will be more benefits to teens than risks of lowering the drinking age.  Although drinking at lower ages such as 18 leads to increased learning deficiencies, mental problems, and increased drunk driving fatalities, the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.  It makes sense to lower the drinking age to 18 because that is the age of adulthood and maturity, and lowering the drinking age will lead to a reduction in underage binge drinking and safer teenage drinking behavior as teenagers are legally able to drink out in public (Drinking Age ProCon).  The current drinking age is also difficult to enforce because teenagers can easily find ways around it.  The drinking age in the United States should be lowered to 18 because enforcement of the current drinking age has been a failure and lowering it would stimulate the US economy, reduce the rate of alcohol-related emergencies and allow teenagers to learn to drink responsibly in safe, supervised, and controlled environments, instead of being pressured to binge drink in secluded, unsupervised environments.

Underage binge drinking is a major issue the United States.  Binge drinking occurs when teenagers drink heavy amounts of alcohol in one sitting, which is considered five or more drinks in a two-hour period (Kardaras, Nicholas).  Teenagers tend to binge drink because alcohol is an addictive substance and it is seen as a taboo, meaning whenever they get the opportunity to drink, they tend to drink heavy amounts of alcohol.  Binge drinking is also perceived as an exciting, adrenaline-fueled activity amongst teenagers and young, amateur drinkers.  It is therefore very prevalent in parties, bars, and wild raves.  Binge drinking can lead to fatal alcohol poisoning.  Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include vomiting, slowed breathing, cold body temperature and unconsciousness.  “Death from alcohol poisoning can occur from seizures, hypothermia, severe dehydration or from one’s heart stopping. One can also die from choking on his or her vomit while passed out because alcohol depresses one’s gag reflex.” (Mayo Clinic).  The age group consisting of 16 to 21-year-old teenagers are most susceptible to alcohol poisoning because they are underage and at an experimental, curious age group.  Underage drinkers are less likely to call for help if one of their friends develop alcohol poisoning because they are already breaking the law.  In most cases of alcohol poisoning involving underage drinkers, friends will usually not call for help, but would instead watch and allow them to sleep it off.  This is often a fatal mistake because one could end up dying from alcohol poisoning instead of simply waking up from an unconscious state.  The prime binge drinking ages are between the ages of 18 and 21, and therefore, lowering the drinking age to 18 will greatly reduce the rate of underage binge drinking and the risk of alcohol poisoning due to the fact that teenagers in that age group will not feel pressured to engage in this risky, unsupervised drinking behavior (Griggs, Brandon).

One horrific tragedy that occurred from underage binge drinking happened in California on December 2008.  17-year-old Shelby Allen was staying over at a friend’s house for the night.  She and her friend were taking shots of vodka.  They wanted to have some fun and see how many shots they could each take.  Shelby ended up taking 15 shots. According to her friend, Shelby felt fine at first, but about two hours later, she passed out.  Her friend was very concerned and didn’t know what to do.  She was too afraid to call 911 for help because they were underage.   Instead, she called a friend for help and her friend just told her to watch Shelby and let her sleep it off.  It was a fatal mistake because Shelby was found the next day in the bathroom next to the toilet.  She had died from alcohol poisoning.  Her family and friends were horrified that someone so young and close to them had died.  (Heffernan, Kevin).  What happened to Shelby is every parent’s nightmare.  This horrific tragedy most likely wouldn’t have occurred if the drinking age had been lowered.  If the drinking age was lowered, the teens wouldn’t be pressured to hide their drinking behavior from their parents.  They would also know how to drink in a controlled manner and would not have drunken so much because alcohol wouldn’t be that much of a taboo to them.  The flaws of the enforcement of the current drinking age are very evident in this story.  The teenagers had very easy access to alcohol in the house and nothing stopped them from taking shots.  The privacy of their homes allows underage drinkers to easily break the law.  If the drinking age is lowered, however, there will be no point in one sneaking alcohol in their homes. 

The taboo on underage drinking pressures teenagers to drink in secluded and unsupervised environments, such as in house parties or on the streets.  These risky and wild drinking environments often lead to dangerous and negative consequences such as fighting, violence, arrests, accidents and alcohol poisoning.  In some cases, using fake ID’s, teenagers are able to drink illegally in bars or nightclubs.  Underage teens drinking at bars and nightclubs is still risky, however, because although it is supervised, they still tend to binge drink since it is a new, exciting experience for them and because they have easy access to alcohol.  Also, most bars that serve underage drinkers with fake IDs are crowded college bars that are only concerned with selling teenagers large amounts of cheap alcohol to make a profit.  They are not concerned with the well-being of teenagers.  Five Points at the University of South Carolina is a perfect example of an area filled with underage teenage drinkers in a dangerous environment.  Underage drinkers go wild at Five Points because they have very easy access to alcohol with lenient fake ID policies and often end up vomiting, getting pickpocketed, jaywalking, and engaging in risky behavior, such as fighting or drunk driving.  I have observed all of this happen in Five Points throughout my freshman year of college.

Many European countries have a drinking age of 18 and have fewer alcohol-related problems than in the United States.  Most of Europe has a drinking age of 18 and European teenagers tend drink more responsibly than US teenagers because they are allowed to drink in controlled, supervised environments, such as restaurants, at home, and at bars.  European teenagers are raised into a culture that teaches them how to drink and therefore, learn to drink in a safe and responsible manner.  This often includes learning to drink at home with parents and at restaurants.  Teenagers in the United States, however, often learn to drink in irresponsible manners, which often includes parties and unsupervised environments.  Lowering the drinking age in the United States will remove the taboo on teenage drinking as it becomes legal and the pressure to drink in secluded environments.  Removing the taboo will allow most teenagers to learn to drink in safe responsible manners, such as at home with parents or at restaurants (Fulton, Wil).

One is mature, responsible and independent at the age of 18 and is expected to bear with adult responsibilities.  People are legally an adult at the age of 18 and are allowed to vote, marry, own a gun, go to war and give consent at that age in the United States.  One is capable of making responsible decisions at that age.  So, does it make any sense that one can fight for his country at the age of 18 but cannot simply have a beer at a bar?  Because they bear all these adult responsibilities, they should also be able to drink at that age because they are at the age of maturity.  Drinking alcohol is not as risky as going to war or smoking cigarettes and requires less responsibility than marriage, voting or owning a gun (Fulton, Wil).

Lowering the drinking age will also improve the US economy.  It will stimulate the US economy as bars, liquor stores, restaurants, and establishments selling alcohol obtain more profit from alcohol sales to teenagers and younger adults.  Teenagers and young adults love to drink and that age group tends to binge drink more often than any other age group.  Therefore, allowing those between the ages of 18 to 21 to purchase alcohol will greatly increase profits to all alcohol-related establishments, such as bars, restaurants and liquor stores, and will greatly improve the US economy.

The national minimum drinking age of 21 is ineffective because it does not prevent teenagers from drinking due to lack of enforcement and drives underage drinkers into underground and unsafe environments.  (Griggs, Brandon).  Teenagers have very easy access to alcohol and often have little problems obtaining it.  They often obtain it from their home, through older siblings, lenient, fake IDs, or by paying adults over 21 to get it for them.  “About 50% of underage teen drinkers obtain alcohol from an adult over 21.  Half of them get alcohol from their parents or family members, while the other half get it from someone not related to them over the age of 21.  About 10% of underage teen drinkers obtain alcohol from their home and another 10% obtain it through fake ID” (MADD). Access to alcohol is much easier in college because alcohol is more widespread throughout college campuses in America.  It is so widespread that it is viewed as part of the college culture and experience.  “According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, four out of five college students drink alcohol and more than 90 percent of this alcohol is consumed through binge drinking.” (Tietjen, Denali).  Most teenagers who obtain alcohol illegally are not caught and it can therefore be concluded that law enforcement is not successful in stopping underage drinking.  Instead of preventing underage drinking, the drinking age should be lowered to 18, allowing law enforcement to regulate teenage drinking behavior.  With the lower drinking age, law enforcement would now be able to monitor teenage drinking behavior in public places.  It is easier to regulate drinking than prevent it, so lowering the drinking age to 18 will allow law enforcement to regulate teenage drinking because most will actually be drinking in safe, public environments such as restaurants and bars.

History also proves that strict laws prohibiting alcohol don’t work.  The Prohibition period between 1920 and 1933 in the United States is a classic example of this.  Prohibition was very ineffective because people found ways around it and it led to higher crime rates and worsened the US economy.  Prohibition led to the rise of organized crime, bootlegging and Speakeasies. Speakeasies were illegal, secretive drinking establishments.  They were widespread throughout the United States and run by organized mobs and criminal gangs.  These gangs mass produced and transported liquor to these bars through bootlegging.  Bootlegging led to the rise of organized crimes as gangs wanted profit from the illicit alcohol market.  These gangs were often in conflict with one another and violent turf battles often ensued.  Violence in the United States, therefore, escalated because of these mobs.  Al Capone, a famous mob leader from Chicago, had tremendous power during this period and was in control of most illicit bootlegging operations throughout the United States.  He used tremendous power and violence in order to be in control of the bootlegging operations during Prohibition.  The US economy also suffered as a result of prohibition because bars, liquor stores and establishments selling alcohol were forced to shut down.  The failure of Prohibition led to its repeal in 1933 with the signing of the 21st Amendment (The Editor).  Prohibition is very similar to today’s drinking age of 21. Prohibition was a failure in America because it did not prevent people from transporting and consuming alcohol, and led to increasing violence and worsened the US economy.  Likewise, the current drinking age is a failure because it does not prevent underage drinking and has led to increasing underage binge drinking, higher rates of alcohol poisoning, emergency room visits and fatalities due to alcohol.

Lowering the drinking age to 18 does have risks associated with it.  Drinking at lower ages such as 18 leads to impairment in cognitive development, higher risk for mental problems, and increased drunk driving fatalities.  The teenage brain is still developing at the age of 18 and drinking at that age can hinder cognitive development and is evident in learning deficiencies and memory problems (Haella, Tara).  “The prefrontal cortex of the brain, involved with judgement and decision making, experiences the most rapid changes during the teenage years, and drinking during those years can cause impairment to one’s judgement and decision making abilities” (Tietjen, Denali).  Drinking at 18 also increases the risk for violence, alcoholism and mental problems, such as depression and anxiety (Fact Sheets).

The main reason the national minimum drinking age was raised to 21 was to reduce the number of drunk driving fatalities.  The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 has been very successful in terms of reducing the number of drunk driving accidents.  According to the NIH, the number of drunk driving accidents decreased by 50 percent since then drinking age was raised to 21 and the majority of this decline was among 16 to 20 year olds.  Approximately 37 percent of traffic fatalities in this age group were alcohol related in 2013 compared to more than 75 percent in the 1970s (Tietjen, Denali).  Drunk driving fatalities will increase if the drinking age is lowered.

The drinking age in the United States should be lowered to 18 because it will reduce the rate of alcohol-related emergencies and fatalities.  Lowering the drinking age to 18 will allow teenagers to drink in safer, more supervised environments.  It also makes sense to lower the drinking age to 18 because that is the age of maturity and one is legally considered an adult and able to vote, marry and go to war.  Although the current drinking age reduces the rate of drunk driving fatalities, it is not very effective in preventing underage binge drinking.  Overall, lowering the drinking age will lead to more benefits than risks.
