The Legal Drinking Age - Essay Example

 The Legal Drinking Age Introduction The legal age of drinking is something that should be set considering the maturity level of individuals in society. Most countries in the world believe that individuals reach their maturity level by the age of 18 years and so does the United States of America. However, the difference is that the rest of the countries excluding the USA, Indonesia, Mongolia and Palau have legalized drinking when an individual turns 18 and has gained the maturity level to indulge or avoid it. The USA on the other hand does not allow its citizens to drink before they turn 18. The country does allow its citizen to do everything else like voting or marrying but they are forbidden to take alcohol until they turn 21. The legal age has always been a subject of discussion but it seems right to believe that if a person is old enough to take part in a war then is definitely old enough to drink as well. Discussion In the US, a person is considered adult when he turns 18 years of age. However, it is not legal to drink until a person turns 21. This does not make much sense. When a person can own a car, marry at will and make up his or her mind to adopt or abort children at the age of 18 then he or she should be given the right to drink at the same age where he or she can perform all these different activities as mentioned above[Han13]. Adults can make the right and wise choices for themselves. It is not right and fair that the government has placed a restriction on drinking up to the age of 21 when people are considered mentally and physically matures at 18 years of age. At 18 years of age young adults can vote and go to war in the United States of America. This means that the government believes that they have the ability to think in order to choose the right candidate or politician to run the country[Thi11]. If people have the ability to understand the vision of the politician and they are in the position to understand their body and to consume alcohol to their needs. Placing restrictions on young adults who can vote for the better future of the United States of America by voting but cannot consume alcohol only contradicts the judgment of the law-enforcing agencies in the country. If they are big enough to vote then they are big enough to drink alcohol[Thi11]. More confusing is the fact that in the United States of America an 18 year old young adult could go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan but cannot drink a mug of beer. Surprising is the fact that the authority expects these young adults to shoot and take down top enemy targets but they cannot allow them to have beer or vine. The condition in Iraq and Afghanistan is much more dangerous than to drink a glass of wine or a can of beer. The government should realize that soldiers who are fighting for the honor of their country on intense battlegroundcould definitely handle a mug of beer[Thi11]. The legal age for drinking was set 21 in the 1980s with an aim to stop young adults from getting drunk and driving[Cho13]. This attempt to stop accidents and other casualties from happening still does not support the restrictions placed on young adults. Since the legal age was set, more accidents have been caused by the people belonging to the age group of 21 years and above. For this, there can be several reasons identified, for example people over 21 years of age have more access to cars than people under at the age of 18 or 19 as the closer a person gets to his professional life the easier it becomes for him or her to afford a car. People with cars in the age group of 18-20 are much fewer than people in the age group of 21-25. More accidents between the age group of 18-20occur because of reckless driving rather than being drunk and driving. There is no solid evidence that young adults of 18 years of age are always drunk and a menace to society when driving. They are of equal threat like the people belonging to the legal age of drinking[Eng14]. There are more problems penetrated when young adults are not allowed to drink alcohol by the government. It is in the rebellious nature of young adults to try things out that are prohibited. Because there remains a restriction on alcohol up to the age of 21 people younger to this age just try it for the fact it is illegal. If it was permitted to drink alcohol and to get drunk then many young adults would not even have bothered to challenge the authority[Thi11]. For this reason the authority should consider legalizing alcohol at the age of 18 onwards. It is a better idea for young adults to drink alcohol in a controlled entourage as they would be able to learn how to drink responsibly. Role models like parents and teachers could be a great help for young adults. Mostly these young adults develop a habit of drinking in their college life when they are between the age of 17 to 18. If these adults are allowed to drink in college parties then there is a high possibility that they would drink alcohol more responsibly in future[Thi11]. If professors could help give students knowledge about other aspects in life like business, sex or psychology then alcohol is something that cannot be overlooked as it remains one of the problems in society[Thi11]. Conclusion There seems to be greater benefits associated with bringing down the age limit of drinking. Young adults could learn how to drink responsibly from their parents and teachers. Moreover, it is not the age the age that really matters or stops incidents from happening. A man is considered fully matured when he is 18 and because he can do everything else like voting and using guns in a battlefield that drinking a mug of beer or a glass of wine seems very reasonable. It is best that young adults are left with the choice of drinking or not drinking as they are fully matured to make up their own mind. Reference List Han13: , (Hanson, 2013), Thi11: , (Thio, 2011), Cho13: , (Choose Responsibility, 2013), Eng14: , (Engs, 2014), Read More