Teen Drinking

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Taylor Weirtz
Susan Vogel
English Composition II
1 November 2013
Why the Drinking Age should be Lowered in the United States The United Sates has one of the highest drinking ages in the world. For this reason, many citizens under the legal drinking age of twenty one find this unfair and defy the law. High school and college students ignore the rule and go overboard with excessive drinking. From 1920 to 1933 alcohol was prohibited in the United States. This occurred when President Woodrow Wilson started a temporary ban on alcohol in 1917 in order to conserve grain during World War I. Congress also submitted the 18th amendment that same year, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquors. In 1919, the amendment was ratified. This only caused many problems in the United States, as citizens still continued to consume alcohol and party. There were people who still produced, sold, an transported alcohol, known as bootleggers. In addition, the Prohibition era had increased crime rates associated with bootleggers ("Prohibition."). Before 1984, the drinking age in the United States was lower. Individual states had the power to set their legal drinking ages. However, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which stated, “If you (states) want the federal money you’re entitled to for your roads and transportation systems, then you will raise your minimum drinking age to 21 years old.” At first, a few states refused, but by 1988,
Weirtz 2 every state had raised its drinking age to twenty one. This was a way for Congress to try to reduce drunk driving ("Why Is the Legal Drinking Age 21 in the United States?"). A few reasons for teens to drink are: peer pressure, enjoyment, etc. But the main reason for doing so is “breaking the law.” Eighty percent of high school seniors have used alcohol. That means that a large quantity of teens under the age of seventeen to eighteen have used alcohol before. Just the feel that they get of breaking the law is huge. Being able to rebel and not following the rules is an important role of a teen’s life. Despite the fact that is illegal for young teens to purchase it, they are able to get it through their parent’s own liquor cabinets, unscrupulous store clerks, or older friends who purchase it for them. It is not hard for teens to obtain alcohol ("Drinking Age ProCon.org."). Teens who sneak alcohol are most likely drinking in an unsafe or secretive environment. When teens drink without adult supervision, they usually overestimate how much alcohol they can handle. This has many consequences, ranging from getting sick to going to the hospital. Some consequences are even fatal when teens under the influence try to drive home. In the United States, a person is considered a legal adult at the age of eighteen. This means that their parents no longer have to provide for them by law, they can join the army, vote, and purchase tobacco. Many citizens question why an eighteen year old can fight in the military but not purchase a glass of wine for themselves. In the United Sates, consuming alcohol is considered an adult thing to do, but an adult between the ages of eighteen and twenty cannot enjoy this privilege.
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For most European countries, the drinking age is eighteen. France does not have a set drinking age. The legal drinking age is the same in Latin America, Australia, and South America. Teens who are exposed to alcohol at an earlier age are better at controlling themselves with it. They are also less likely to get a DUI. Teens from these countries are taught to drink alcohol responsibly. With the lower drinking age, they are also less likely to sneak alcohol at a younger age ("Drinking Age ProCon.org.").
The Prohibition era was short-lived and proved futile as a means from which the social behaviors of the American people could be governed, alcohol remained central to many future policymakers' endeavors and decisions. While the legal drinking age has remained stagnant at 21 years of age throughout the United States, many individual states have taken up new legislation to broaden their control over alcoholic beverage sales. Although actions like these are viable in terms of building a more healthy population, they are not conducive to a country that so adamantly preaches liberty and freedom for all its 18 year-old citizens, thus rendering the current drinking age innately flawed ("Prohibition.").
Regardless of social and religious beliefs, there are many solid arguments that support the current legal drinking age in the United States. For one, proponents of the age requirement suggest that the drinking age has helped maintain young people's health and public safety. According to Alexander C. Wagenaar, “there are a number of health benefits associated with a higher legal minimum drinking age, and it is argued that such information should be considered in discussions concerning the minimum legal age for purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages”. Wagenaar and Traci L. Toomey also
Weirtz 4 emphasize that teen binge drinking can be catastrophic for brain development, and that serious drinking problems can arise in young Americans. While the scholars note these longstanding issues well, the most pervasive argument used by the government to establish a 21 year-old drinking age stemmed from statistical data that seemingly proved that there were too many drunk driving accidents of in young people aged 18 to 21 (Wagenaar, 2005). If the drinking age were to be lowered, it would be beneficial in the end. Teens wouldn’t sneak alcohol as much. Changing the drinking age is something that will not come easy; a great deal of federal funds rest on state assurance and compliance to maintaining a 21 year-old drinking age. However, it is important that active Americans understand their constitutional rights, and fight for an 18 year-old minimum drinking age. No one should be able to fight in war, vote, and own their own property without having the ability to drink or purchase alcohol legally.