In the 30 years since the legal drinking age has been set, no monumental outcomes have surfaced, comparable to the days of Prohibition, it has led to far more dangerous alternatives. It hasn’t stifled the need or want for alcohol it has simply “driven it underground” out of the public eye (Source A).” Adolescents are going to want to explore the world of alcohol at any age which is evident in the image on Source F but by making alcohol more accessible at 18 it would rob alcohol of “it’s taboo allure (Source I).” By eliminating this appeal and instead coming up with educated incentives to underage drinking, would lead to educating teens rather than encouraging them to drink. Take the process of getting a license for example, one must complete drivers-ed and a monitored driving test, so why couldn’t this be the same concerning alcohol. By doing this the teen would not only be educated on how to drink responsibly they would also understand the consequences of reckless drinking. This “forbidden fruit syndrome” (Source I) concerning alcohol is not deterring teens away rather it is growing their desire to consume alcohol. However, if mandated that a teen would first have to complete an alcohol education course before legally being able to drink would result in eliminating all the unsafe undergrad parties because the fear of getting caught is no longer present (Source A).
Many will argue that during adolescence “the brain is still undergoing considerable changes” and adding alcohol to the mix would only have negative consequences (Source G). Those who agree with this statement are correct and justified in their reasoning because alcohol can be such a shock to a growing body. This is why alcohol should be introduced at a much younger age, responsibly. This doesn’t mean letting your 10-year-old get drunk on the weekends it is merely just following a successful system that countries like France and Italy have already adopted. A system that successfully introduces alcohol at a young age through small increments at dinner (Source I). The reason this system has seen such success is due to the fact that children are able to learn about alcohol in the comfort of their home under the watchful eye of their parents rather than walking blindly into a high school party and fall in the hands of peer pressure. It also gives their maturing brains and bodies a chance to adapt to alcohol rather than be overwhelmed one night when a teen decides to act out and “binge drink” to look cool (Source J). (moved up to bak up before sentence)
Another argument against the consumption of alcohol by adolescents is the fact that many feel it could destructively affect the brain in one of its most critical stages. While it has been proven that these two are related it is left up to opinion whether or not alcohol is a direct causative of damaging brain growth. This is why the statement that claims alcohol “decreases educational attainment” is false in some aspects (Source J), the outcome is quite the opposite actually. For the United States to claim that we are the number one country in the nation we fail to hit the mark of number one in one of the most important categories, education. Whereas many countries far less developed than our own have a stronger education system. By looking at the map on Source C it is evident that over 90% of the country has a lower drinking age than we do. These same countries like China, whose drinking age is 16, are also leading us significantly in reading, math, and science scores. Not to say that drinking doesn’t affect the brain but to say that it adversely effects education is quite false once presented with the facts.
Since 2008 the nations economy has been in a steady decline, which is why many states are hesitant to lower the legal drinking age due to the fear that they will loose the national highway income (Source D). However, many fail to realize that although they might loose that money, it would actually increase other areas of the economy. By legalizing drinking at a younger age, the days of teens sneaking alcohol out of their parents’ liquor cabinets would be over. This means that a new era would prevail, a time were young adolescents could gather together and be served alcohol at a local pub without the stigma of it being morally wrong. This increase to small businesses would be greatly beneficial to the overall economy of the nation. With this new influx of economy more jobs would become readily available which in turn would lead to a lower reliance of alcohol for comfort.
By definition an adult is “a person who has outlived the age of maturity specified by law” (Source D). So if they are mature enough, by law, to make life changing decisions such as marriage, voting, and even enlisting in the army, it seems odd that this legally defined “adult” should be treated like a child when it comes to alcohol. If a person has gained the age of maturity by law, then they should be able to make mature decisions concerning alcohol. Simply delaying the date to a later time when adolescents can take their first drink is not saving lives rather its “just redistributing them to a later year” (Source D).
On the other hand, the hazardous action of drunk driving is a prime example of reckless actions that 18 year olds would be more likely to act upon. Given that 18 year olds have not had the life experiences to guide their decisions, especially in an altered state, they would be too confident in their ability rather than ask for help. However, 18 year olds are still living under their parents’ roofs. This would result in safer drinking as opposed to a 21 year living in a college dorm and being influenced by their surroundings and peers. It is even proven scientifically that “44% of students attending college drink at the binge level” (Source F) which leads to alcohol poisoning and other dangerous outcomes. Whereas an 18-year-old living at home would want to stay sober enough as to not disappoint or worry their parents.
Since the passing of the minimum drinking age in 1984 it has become a heavily debated topic. Due to the sensitivity of the outcome and with either side not wiling to budge on the topic it has become a stalled matter oppressing the ability to progress forward. This stalled oppression is nothing new in our society. Women’s suffrage occurred almost 100 years ago and while now may seem like a rather ridiculous argument to some at one time it was an accurate representation of peoples’ mind sets. Much like the argument over the morality of consuming alcohol, women’s right to vote was also a heavily debated topic on both sides but when finally passed it had only positive outcomes. While women’s right to vote was more of an ethical debate compared to the age of alcohol consumption being a moral debate they both at their simplest forms is merely a debate over human rights. It seems odd that our society values an adolescents social over their actual life.