Should the Drinking Age be lowered to 18?

Should the Drinking Age be lowered to 18?

Introduction

In countries such as the United States, different states have set their legal drinking age. In some states, the drinking age is 18 years, 19 years, or 21 years. Currently, some states with drinking age of 19 and 21 years are proposing the drinking age to reduce to 18. It is important to understand that reducing the drinking age to 18 years is likely to bring some benefits along with challenges. This paper answers the question of whether the drinking age should be lowered to 18 years or not.

Advantages of lowering the drinking age

Some people propose that reducing the drinking age to 18 is a good decision. Young adults should only be allowed to drink in a controlled environment (Otte, 2020). Examples of controlled environments include restaurants, pubs, official school, as well as university functions. Such circumstances can encourage responsible drinking. This is because young adults can be taught on responsible drinking through educational programs together with role modeling. By doing this, young adults can be expected to demonstrate sensible drinking behaviors. One advantage of reducing the drinking age is that it can reduce binge drinking. Many people believe that reducing this age can increase accessibility to alcohol for young adults (Otte, 2020). By doing this, young adults would not have to use illegal means of accessing alcohol, such as using fake identity cards, which makes them drink excessively whenever they get a chance. Therefore, if states reduce the drinking age, it would be hard to find young adults drinking alcohol excessively. This decision can encourage responsible drinking.

Another advantage of lowering the drinking age is that it can create a safe drinking environment compared to when the age is 21 years. This is because young adults can easily call the police if they need help in situations whereby their friend demonstrates signs of alcohol poisoning (Glaser, 2020). They can also ask for help if they want to be driven safely to their homes. Therefore, this can help to create a safe drinking environment for young adults. Additionally, reducing the drinking age can be just for young adults. This is because, at the age of 18, the law recognizes them as adults (Matsubayashi & Yoshikawa, 2018). At this age, young adults can vote and even join and serve in the military. As such, it is unjust for a young adult to serve his or her country, but he or she cannot be allowed to drink. Therefore, at the age of 18, a young adult should be allowed to drink because he or she is already an adult.

Challenges of reducing the drinking age

The decision to reduce the drinking age to 18 years is likely to bring several challenges. One of these challenges is increased reckless driving. The reason behind this is that at this age, young adults lack driving experience (Engs, 2020). This can increase the dangers on the road. A study conducted regarding how legal drinking age affects traffic accidents discovered that a high legal drinking age contributed to reduced traffic accidents (Glaser, 2020). Therefore, it would be advisable if the legal drinking age remains unchanged. Besides, at the age of 18, one’s brain is not fully developed. Studies show that a human brain is fully developed at the age of 20 years (Engs, 2020). This indicates that above 20 years, one is likely to make serious decisions. At 18, young adults cannot make wise decisions because their brains are not fully developed. Young adults can engage in risky behaviors if the law allows them to drink alcohol. This shows that consuming alcohol at the age of 18 alters brain development, which is risky.

Furthermore, lowering the drinking age has been associated with increasing school dropouts, especially among high school students. Between the 1970s and 1980s, the legal drinking age was reduced to 18 (Matsubayashi & Yoshikawa, 2018). This highly increased the rate of high school dropouts. This is a clear indication that reducing the drinking age is not a wise decision. If the government passes this law, the same issue of the increased rate of high school dropouts is likely to be experienced.

Reasons why the drinking age should not be lowered to 18

Many people believe that maintaining the legal drinking age at least 21 years is the best decision states and nations across the world should consider. A minimum drinking age of 21 years brings various benefits, such as saving lives and protecting health (Matsubayashi & Yoshikawa, 2018). Most of the states in the United States have set their drinking age at a minimum of 21 years. This minimum age is the best according to studies conducted on the benefits of setting the minimum drinking age at 21 years. One of the benefits is that it reduces the number of vehicle crashes related to alcohol consumption and driving (Otte, 2020). Since various states implemented a minimum drinking age at 21, they have experienced a decline of 16% when it comes to motor vehicle crashes (Otte, 2020).

Additionally, setting the minimum age of drinking at 20 or 21 years decreases drinking. Between 1985 and 1991, all states in the United States adopted a 21 drinking age set by MLDA (Engs, 2020). After adopting this law, drinking among youths aged between 18 and 20 years reduced drastically. Also, drinking among youths aged between 21 and 25 years declined dramatically during this period. Other outcomes associated with setting a high minimum drinking age include protecting drinkers from depending on drugs such as alcohol, homicides, suicide cases, together with adverse implications (Glaser, 2020). Despite setting the minimum drinking age at 20 or 21 years, the issue of minors purchasing alcohol continue persisting in many communities. Governments should enforce strict laws to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors (Glaser, 2020). Some countries have already implemented such laws and have encountered a big decline in the purchase and sale of alcohol among minors.

Conclusion

Irrespective of whether to reduce the minimum drinking age or to increase it, people should understand that young adults, as well as teens, will use other methods to access alcohol. Some of them can even start engaging in binge drinking. Most importantly, people should recognize that young adults require proper education to help them make wise decisions regarding the way they behave. As the debate on drinking age increases, governments, schools, and parents should continue monitoring and educating young adults along with teens on dangers associated with alcohol abuse. This can greatly help in encouraging responsible drinking among young adults.