Should the national drinking age be lowered to 18?

by D Par

Created on: July 20, 2009

Despite the possible merits, the drinking age should not be lowered to 18. This is because there is so much to lose, and not as much to gain.

The first and most important reason is the slippery slope that would be created if this age were to be lowered. Just like 21 years provide alcohol for 18 year olds now, 18 year olds would provide alcohol for 15 year olds. Alcohol in more abundance would have a negative affect on the community. On a high school campus, some seniors would be able to drink, while everyone else would not. This line could be easily crossed if alcohol is distributed, hurting younger teenagers.

If 18 year olds get to drink, who's next? Who's to say 16 year olds won't ask for the right to drink or feel a sort of entitlement?

At these young ages, the body is still developing, so legalizing alcohol isn't the right way to help teens. Also, addiction is more likely at an earlier age. The last thing anyone wants is a nation of young Americans who are alcoholics. A somewhat similar parallel can be seen with smokers, where 80% of lifetime smokers started in their teens. Studies have shown that people who start drinking early do worse in school and suffer in all areas.

A core question in this debate is: can we condone this behavior? The answer is, of course, no. Young drinking isn't something we should consider acceptable. We need to have a moral compass in society. Sure, millions of teens will drink anyway, and those individuals are a lost cause. But we must maintain a societal expectation that this is not what one should do with his or her life. If the age is lowered, it may cause people, who may not otherwise drink, to start drinking because it is legal. This opens up more hazards to society.

Potentially the most grave reason to keep the drinking age at 21 is drunk driving. When there was a lowered drinking age, there was a rise in drunk driving incidents. Young members of society who drink and drive pose a great risk to society. Everyone on the roads is at risk. One driver in one car driving drunk puts hundreds of people on that road at risk. Everyone and anyone could be hurt by one person's mistake.

Society has to protect its best interests as a whole, and that means the drinking age should stay at 21.

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