Drinking Age

Drinking age has become one of the most debated issues among adults and teenagers in the United States. Majority of teenagers would say that there are many cons to the drinking age being set at 21 but for every con there is a pro. The most common argument is that the age of adulthood is eighteen, so the drinking as should be eighteen as well. Eighteen is the age when you get the right to vote, marry, sign contracts, purchase tobacco, and join the military. A vary valid argument is that if you are legally allowed , and sometimes even obligated, to join the military you should be allowed to legally consume alcohol. This is argued because this includes risking your own life and putting other people’s lives in your hands. If someone is old enough to kill another human being they are old enough to make the decision to drink. It is argued that, If someone is old enough to get married they should be old enough to drink a glass of champagne at their wedding. Although this argument seems quite valid it is countered using medical studies. As stated on the site http://drinkingage.procon.org, “…it would be medically irresponsible because the brain's frontal lobes, essential for functions such as emotional regulation, planning, and organization, continue to develop through adolescence and young adulthood. Alcohol consumption can interfere with this development, potentially causing chronic problems such as greater vulnerability to addiction, dangerous risk-taking behavior, reduced decision-making ability, memory loss, depression, violence, and suicide.” It has been found that the brain doesn’t fully stop developing until the age of 25. Those who use this information are arguing that it is not safe to let people drink at to young of an age because it could be physically