Should the national drinking age be lowered to 18?

by Brandon Zubek

Created on: July 05, 2009   Last Updated: July 07, 2009

Alcohol is a drug. Alcohol is a depressant. Alcohol destroys lives.

Since 1984, the national drinking age has been 21, despite a few short-lived exceptions. This is for a reason. Alcohol is a dangerous toxin that affects young people more than it does older people. People under the age of 21 (i.e. 'young drinkers') have a smaller quantity of water in their bodies, meaning that alcohol takes its toll faster and more severely in these younger people.

Due to the 'special' effects those between 18 and 21 receive due to alcohol, many end up doing something they regret. An Australian study found that young drinkers were more likely than young abstainers to develop high levels of psychological distress. That same study also found young drinkers between 18 and 21 were the most likely group to receive short or long term harm from their drinking compared to drinkers in other age groups. Additionally, another Australian anti-drinking campaign conjectured that one in two young drinkers who become intoxicated will do something they regret, and one in four hospitalisations of people under 21 occurs because of alcohol.

Moving away from the statistics point of view, there is also a human biological argument to be found here as well. The human body is constantly developing under the age of 21, and contrary to popular belief, the brain continues to mature until around the age of 20. It takes less time for alcohol to damage a young drinker's brain than it does to damage an older drinker's brain.

Alcohol affects two parts of the human brain; the frontal lobe and the hippocampus. These parts of the brain are responsible for memory and human emotion, meaning that their destruction can result in memory loss, addiction, learning difficulties, depression and speech impairment. These effects are not short term; drinking between the ages of 18 and 21 can stay with you for life.

It is said that we should lower the drinking age to 18 because of personal liberty. However, those who argue this forget about the massive burden to our society young drinking is. The 'personal liberty' argument is the same idea that supporters of the legalisation of marijuana use, but this is quickly rebuffed by rattling off statistics that show marijuana's effect on society. Sure, Americans should have liberty to do what they choose. However, when this liberty infringes on others' rights to mind their own business, this liberty needs to be restricted.

What drinking age lowering supporters neglect to say

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