The current national drinking age of 21 years old is sensible. However, there are a number of people who are adamantly opposed to this law, demanding that the current legal drinking age be lowered to 18. While many people want the legal drinking age to mirror the legal voting age, and the legal military service age, lowering the drinking age to a mere18 years old will have dire consequences for everyone in the United States, especially teenage drivers. Each year, alcohol plays a key role in the number of deaths caused by teenage automobile accidents, killing almost one-third of teenagers behind the wheel (Stim). Thus, lowering the legal drinking age to 18 years old is ill-advised because it will cause even more unnecessary drunken driving fatalities among teenagers.
Although the law in every state prohibits those under 21 years old from drinking, many young people drink, and then drive, while under the influence of alcohol, betting against the likely odds of becoming a statistic. For example, in accidents with fatalities, the victims, typically, had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least .40% -- a number which is five times the legal limit of .08%, considered by most states to be the legal limit for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol (Stim). In addition, more than 70% of younger drivers who are involved in fatal car crashes while intoxicated are not buckled up, or restrained by some sort of safety belt during their crashes (Stim). Furthermore, after the National Minimum Age Drinking Act of 1984 was legalized, a 16% reduction in vehicular accidents was the result (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Thus, the evidence that teenagers who drive while drunk imperil their lives is statistically significant, and incontrovertible.
Furthermore, by legalizing the national drinking age to 18 years old, national leaders are showing no concern for young adults. The CDC (2016) even refers to drinking under the age of 21 as a “public health problem” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Similar to any epidemic, the statistics that have been calculated due to underage drinking are staggering. For example, every year, at least 4,300 deaths among people under the age of 21 are linked to drinking too much alcohol (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Also, excessive alcohol drinking among people under 21 years of age hit the economy hard, costing about $24 million in 2010 alone (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In addition, Americans under the age of 21 visited the emergency room about 189,000 times during 2010, with problems associated with alcohol usage – a shocking number (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Furthermore, studies have found strong correlations between those under 21 who drink, and poisoning due to alcohol, violence, suicide, accidental injuries, poor academic achievements, later alcoholism, and engaging in behaviors that put them at risk, such as unprotected sex, drug abuse, and smoking (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Therefore, there is little doubt that alcohol has the potential to destroy the lives of young people who drink illegally.
Nonetheless, there are those who argue that, similar to voting rights and military service, young people who turn 18 should have the legal right to drink alcohol – just as they have both the freedom and responsibility to marry, work, and get credit cards as well. According to Archer (2012), the right to drink alcohol should also be extended to 18-year-olds (Archer). When kids turn 18, Archer (2012) contends, they should be required to take a “responsible drinking” class, a class that is similar to sex education or driver’s education (Archer). Such a course, he reasons, would teach kids how to drink responsibly, something they do not (nor cannot do) as long as the drinking age is set at 21 (Archer). However well-intended this kind of argument is, there is an overwhelming amount of scientific data from which one can conclude that a person who is only 18 years old does not have the emotional maturity to drink responsibly, and can damage their still-developing brains if they make the wrong choice to imbibe – whether the law condones the decision or not.
Studies have confirmed that alcohol can permanently hinder the brain’s development, from an early age onward. For example, binge drinking (drinking more than 4-5 drinks in two hours) is a common behavior among young drinkers, but was previously thought to have only a temporary effect on those who participated in the behavior (ScienceNetLinks). However, a study at the University of California in San Diego found that binge drinking stunts the growth and development of the brain’s white matter – a part of the brain that assists in signal relay (ScienceNetLinks). Such a malformation can lead to cognitive impairment, which may negatively affect academic performance. Thus, a young person’s brain is not physically-developed enough to drink “responsibly”, as even so-called responsible drinking can cause permanent brain damage.
Doubtless, the drinking age should remain at 21. There are already enough needless accidents and fatalities caused by those under the national legal drinking age who drink alcohol, and our nation does not need more deaths caused by teenage drinking. Despite arguments to the contrary, responsible drinking under the age of 21 is irresponsible, whether legalized or not. Drinking alcohol is simply more dangerous for younger, inexperienced people.
Therefore, society must do its best to protect its younger, more vulnerable segment of the population, and resist the temptation to lower the legal drinking age. The law must respect the health of its younger people, and also incurs a responsibility to preserve their future.
Works Cited
Archer, Dale. “The Pros and Cons of Drinking at 18.” Psychology Today. 13 Jul, 2012. Web. 09 Apr, 2016.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Age 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age.” 18 Mar, 2016. Web. 09 Apr, 2016.
ScienceNetLinks. “Alcohol and Your Brain.” 2016. Web. 09 Apr, 2016.
Stim, Rich. “Teen Drunk Driving: The Sobering Facts of Underage DUIs.” 2016. Web. 09 Apr, 2016.
