Essay On Raising The Drinking Age

If you’re over the age of 21, you likely remember when you finally came of age, going to a bar with your friends and drinking like it was the end of the world. This event obviously has not been around forever, this is due to the drinking age laws that state any individual must be at least 21 years of age to consume alcoholic beverages. When the US was created there was no minimum drinking age until the late 19th century when they were beginning to be introduced in the country. For the most part, the age was set to be 21 because at the time that was the voting age. Throughout the next century, the age tended to change within each state due to individual county rulings and cultural differences except during prohibition, when all individuals couldn’t consume alcohol at all, but by the 1990’s

The issue with raising the age however would be handling those who already drink under the age of 25. The 21-24 year olds would give a resistance on any move to raise the age, so this should be tested on a county level to provide a study before it see major implementation. One establishment in St. Louis, named the Zodiac Lounge is experimenting with its own drinking age requirement, with a minimum age of 35 years old. The manager of the bar, Nathaniel Chunn, says he made the age requirement to “maintain the integrity” of the place. The reason the age was put up was to maintain an environment without binge drinkers and loud partiers so there may be an older clientele that can relax without a loud crowd. This small social experiment is a means to keep alcohol to the mature crowd and remove it from the partying atmosphere that the mainstream has put it in. It may be a while before any effects of this bar become evident, but it is a fascinating idea to the idea of a raised drinking