Argument for Lowering The Drinking Age to 18 - Essay Example

The drinking age should be lowered to 18 It seems preposterous that one can go to war at age 18 but cannot even drink a nice cold beer. A person atage eighteen is already treated an adult that he or she is already responsible for his or her actions. He or she can enter into contract at that age and can even marry and start a family and could even go to jail but still cannot buy a beer. The drinking age should therefore be lowered to 18. Banning drinking age at 18 will not stop teenagers from drinking.

It is also more dangerous when teenagers hide when they are drinking and 18 years old does not differ from age 21 in terms of judgment. Banning drinking age at 18 will not stop teenagers from drinking. Some adults may have the impression that since it is made illegal to drink at age 18, then it would stop teenagers from drinking. On the contrary, the prohibition will not stop teenagers from drinking and that will even add to the thrill of drinking alcohol. Instead of stopping it, the prohibition will even have the effect of encouraging teenagers to drink.

Banning alcohol at age 18 will just make teenagers hide when they are drinking and it is more dangerous. Adults or supervising authority may have the impression that they have stopped drinking but in fact the drinking just went underground. This time, teenagers drink without the presence of an adult supervision and this an unsafe environment for kids to drink. It is in this environment that excesses happens that often leads to fatal outcome that some college presidents have aired their concern that drinking underground contributes to alcohol excesses among teenagers (Wechsler, 2010 pg. 987). Also, it is in this environment that beer binges and fighting occurs because teenagers tend to seize the moment and drink a lot until they could no longer control themselves.

Also, 18 years old does not differ from age 21 in terms of judgment. People may argue that older is better but being 21 does not make one wiser in terms of alcohol drinking. Delaying drinking age to 21 years old does not make one a more responsible drinker. In fact, delaying it promotes an irresponsible drinking behavior because teenagers will have to hide drinking first before they can drink in the open at age 21. So by the time they are already legal to drink to age 21, they have already developed the habit of drinking excessively because they were used to drink in an unsafe environment.

In sum, delaying drinking age to 21 years old will not make 18 years old teenagers to wait until they can drink legally. Instead, they will just drink underground which is an unsafe environment for drinking and in fact promotes an irresponsible behavior. If 18 years old teenagers can be trusted enough to go to war, jail and start a family, they should also be trusted to be responsible enough to drink. ReferenceWechsler, H. F. (2010). Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences Among Youths?. American Journal Of Public Health, 100(6), 986. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.178004