Drinking Age Debate

Alcohol comes in all varieties, from beer and wine to liquor and mixed drinks, and can play an important role in many social settings, from wild fraternity parties to elegant soirees. Due to alcohols mind altering affects, the drinker must make responsible decisions when it comes to how much to drink and what activities to participate in while under the influence. It has been greatly debated for many years at what age someone is old enough to make the decision about alcohol. In the United States the legal drinking age has gone back and forth between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. The debate stems from the idea that an adult should have the freedom to choose to drink vs. the idea that a higher drinking age results in less drinking related

The population that is most directly affected would be those who around the age of eighteen or nineteen. It determines what activities they can partake in, what kinds of establishments they can go into, and what the people they are surrounded by are doing. This is the category that I fit into and why this issue is extremely relevant to me. I am currently a nineteen-year-old college student who is a member of Greek life, which means I am surrounded by underage drinking. I have witnessed first-hand how kids can feel pressured into drinking just to try and fit in. Making the decision to drink or not to drink at this age can directly affect what social circle you end up in. It also directly effects parents, whose kids would possibly be able to drink while still in high school and living at home. This takes away a certain level of authority that parents are used to having over their children. There is some evidence that indicates the legal drinking age correlates with the number of drinking and driving accidents, impacting everyone who is on the roads (“Alcohol and Public Health”). With such an important issue comes many different sides and

At the age of eighteen you are considered a legal adult. You are old enough to be drafted and fight for our country, vote in elections, get married and much more. Many believe that if you are old enough to do all of these things, then you should be old enough to make the choice about alcohol (“Drinking Age ProCon”). This belief is rooted in a strong value of freedom. Others who support lowering the drinking age to eighteen believe it is safer for minors. While it is illegal, it is well known that underage drinking is quite common, especially in a university setting. People under the age of 21 account for 11% of the alcohol consumption in the United States (“Alcohol and Public Health”). If kids are going to drink, some believe it would be better to be in a safer, controlled environment. It could also eliminate the pressure to binge drink, illuminating the need to get drunk quick when more opportunities are available. This belief centers around the value of