[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he promise of being free, life with no parents, you are free to make your own decisions. Legally when you are 18 you’re considered an adult, expected to be able to make conscious decisions whether something will have a positive effect or bad ones. The legal age to consume alcohol is 21, although when you turn 18 you’re able to buy lottery tickets, enlist in the army, and vote for president. Why does being able to drink fall short at 18?

While 18-year-olds are not legally able to consume alcohol, surveys showed 72% of high schoolers have drunk more than a few sips by the end of their high school career. Statistics by SADD, say underage drinkers (12-20) that have consumed alcohol is around 26.4% and 17.4% were binge drinking alone, all in a month. The legal age of 21 is not stopping teens and young adults from drinking behind closed doors.

The Drinking and Driving Debate

Changing the legal drinking age is a hard thing to do because the biggest issue is drinking and driving. Around 1969 to 1979, the U.S it told states to raise their drinking age from 18 to 21, with some 30 states lowering it others followed quickly. This was due to Congress passing a bill in 1984, to raise the drinking age. The bill passed was called The National Minimum Drinking Age Act or loss 10% of state-federal highway funding would be taken out of state funding if they chose to keep the young drinking age of, 18. Requiring states to raise  the purchase and public use of alcohol to 21

illustration by Senior Airman Mike Meares Image labeled by good for non-commercial reuse.

In Europe, their legal drinking age is 18, with most Europeans knowing how to handle their alcohol. A big factor could be because they are exposed to alcohol at a younger age, and more open to alcohol use, not to saying some don’t binge.

Using Europe as a model for lowering the legal drinking age because of their level of respect, and control that young Europeans have when drinking.  If we look at most American colleges, many are known for or focused on drinking. While many of the students are doing the drinking illegally at a young age, it is overlooked majority of the time. When a high school student goes off to college, it is a popular activity to go out with friends and drink. Having many drinks in one sitting (binge drinking), 18-year-olds may not know their limit of when to stop. It can cause alcohol poisoning, and the number of reported cases increased from 779 people to 2,290 between 1998 and 2005 for 18-24-year-olds.

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the US. Americans don’t tend to speak about drinking habits, and what healthy choices should be made when thinking about drinking. Also what being safe should look like. Changing the age of something doesn’t just fix a problem, it holds it off.

Parents should talk to teens, and understand their child is growing up. Turning a blind eye to the real problem, only to fix it with something else does not help anyone. Taking into consideration of Europeans culture could be a great step to fixing this heated debate.

Does The Law Stop Anyone?

Most people believe states should be able to set their own drinking age, not the federal government. Today there are exceptions the laws, like Wyoming and Alaska where they allow underage consumption to take place on private premises as long as parental consent and supervision are given.

While six other states allow consumption on private property with parental consent, each state in the United States is allowed to make these type of laws. Although most states see no need too. A majority of countries around the world allow alcoholic drinks to be consumed with a much younger legal age than the US. We are one of the few to have the legal drinking age set to 21

Why it’s looked over

It may be thought that having a high legal drinking age will moderate potentially dangerous behaviors from happening, sadly it hasn’t. Most underage drinking occurs during frat parties, house parties, and beach parties. Most parties college parties are center around and drinking, and it is inevitable that binge drinking will occur. Causing other dangerous activities to occur. Many younger adults participate in this type of binge drinking behind closed doors. An article by Penn state “Approximately 1900 will die from injuries sustained while intoxicated, and 700,000 will be assaulted by a drunk student.  Alcohol is responsible for 100,000 sexual assaults or rapes every year.” The common issue is that too many underage drinking is taking place behind closed doors.

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If we look at our economy, lowering the legal age could help the economy. For the people who choose to come visit the USA, the college students on their ‘gap’ year won’t come because they cannot enjoy doing the same activities while in public, therefore choosing to go elsewhere. There is also music festivals or concerts that make the majority of the money on the presence of having a bar. Though it does not stop young people from obtaining alcohol by creating a fake ID.

The situation with the fake ID’s is not good, given the fact that the US has been dealing with many threats of terrorism, and the issue with our borders with people entering the US illegally. While legal Americans encourage the fake ID market. 

Across many states, there are not many resources that allow police to enforce the minimum drinking age causing it the law to be overlooked most of the time. Because each time an underage youth is taken in for drinking lots of time and warnings is given. As well as expensive paperwork must be filled out, this only happens in serious situations at best, that taken to court. 

Sum It Up

With each reason given it will be hard to change the minds of people that believe the age is working. Maybe 18 is not the answer though. For everyone’s main concern, highway safety is the one. “If highway safety really is the main concern, we’d accomplish much more by raising the driving age,” says an article by Laurence Steinberg.  

So torn in two directions, having twenty-one as the legal drinking age saves lives on the road, but also keeping it the way it does not stop underage and binge drinking from behind closed doors, where the law can’t stop them.

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With both these a concern maybe meeting in the middle, a compromise will work better. Laurence Steinberg, a professor of psychology at Temple University, favors lowering the legal drinking age to 19. This is because of the problem with universities, police cannot do much on the problem if half the population of students is legally allowed to drink. While it stops high school students from being able to drink, it doesn’t phase college drinkers. I would have to agree with what he is saying, because it does cut out high school students but college students are able to drink in safe and public environments, learning the right ways to control their drinking.

Featured Image by Adam Cohn