According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, almost 80% or high school students have tried alcohol (“Alcohol”). These students are more likely to show serious drinking problems (including alcoholism) later in life usually during the middle age and adulthood. This is a problem for today’s youth, and there is public debate that the minimum legal drinking age of 21 years is not working to prevent youths from using alcohol. Lowering the legal age to 18 will make alcohol more available to those that are younger to purchase and consume. Even though 18 is the legal age of adulthood, the minimum legal drinking age should remain at 21 because alcohol damages the body is not done maturing, reduces alcohol-related fatalities, and reduces risky behavior.
This essay will be broken into sections. First, I will tell some historical information on the minimum drinking age which will include why it is still a topic debate today. Then, I will show how alcohol damages the body such as the brain. Underage drinking can cause damage to certain parts of the brain, organs, and emotional health. Next, I will give evidence that shows how continueing the legal drinking age at 21 reduces alcohol-related fatalities that include death and traffic fatalities. Next, I will prove that young adults who drink are more prone to engage in risky behaviors like
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He set up a National Commission Against Drunk Driving to help people struggling with addiction. On July 17, 1984, “Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act which requires all states to legislate and enforce a minimum drinking age of 21 or be subjected to a reduction in their federal highway funds” (“ProQuest Staff”). In this regards, most states set their drinking age 21. In 1988 after 25 years of trying to lower the minimum legal drinking age, “The minimum drinking age raised to 21 in all 50 states” (ProQuest