Twenty One! Growing up, a great many of us looked forward to our first legal drink. However according to a 2013 study by the Center for Disease Control, approximately 35 percent of teens drank alcohol within a 30 day window. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that four out of five college students use alcohol. Thus it appears that reaching the age of twenty-one is less about the experience of drinking and more about a coming of age where we are now legally permitted to drink. And therein is the issue. Reaching twenty-one years of age holds no cultural significance other than the legal consumption of alcohol. In the United States, an individual is recognized as an adult at the age of eighteen years of age in all aspects except one, alcohol. If you can be entrusted with the responsibilities of being an adult in every other aspect of your life at eighteen, why not alcohol?
The Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan. Prior to this act, the legal minimum age for drinking was dictated by the states. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, in the 1970's alcohol was a factor in 60% of traffic fatalities. Two-thirds of traffic deaths among 16-20 year olds were alcohol related. After the passage of the Minimum Drinking Age Act, alcohol related traffic fatalities have seen a drastic decline. This may provide the most compelling reason to leave the drinking age at twenty-one. Yet, this reduction has not occurred in a vacuum.
The minimum drinking age has not been the only change made in stopping alcohol related alcohol fatalities. Identifying a legal blood alcohol content (BAC) and the aggressive enforcement and severe penalties have had a significant impact on the reduction in alcohol related traffic fatalities. Likewise, science based education on the effects of alcohol, strong advocacy for designated drivers, and programs put in place by colleges and the military have also helped reduce alcohol related traffic incidents in recent years.
What are some of the advantages to lowering the minimum drinking age to eighteen? First is to demystify alcohol. Rather than twenty-one being a magical age where alcohol becomes legal, the emphasis should be on eighteen being the age you are a full fledge adult citizen. The greatest responsibilies such as sitting on a jury and voting for our government are thrust upon our shoulders at the ripe age of eighteen. You are considered old enough to go into battle and die for our nation. Why then would you not be responsible enough to have a drink? Additionally, by reducing the age to eighteen, programs become available to all of our young men and women in college campuses and in the military, without fear of repurcussion for drinking illegally.
There is much to debate on this subject but the reality is that if we, at the age of eighteen are held accountable for our actions, there is no reason that we can not be responsible enough to enjoy our alcohol. Rather than having one milestone for becoming an adult and a second for being able to drink, it would be more beneficial if eighteen years of age was recognized as the age at which you became an adult. Ultimately, for this proposal to work, it would involve strict enforcement and hefty penalties regarding traffic laws involving alcohol. In a free society with a subject as subjective as this, it is better to defer to personal responsibility. Hold the individual responsible for their actions rather than restrict the entire adult population.
I really agree with your points, and I like that you weighed the pros of changing the drinking age law. I also feel that we should be able to drink at 18 because we are adults. However, doing this in moderation may be better, so then when people are 21 they dont go ALL out!
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