Drinking Age

The Legal Drinking Age

How is that an eighteen year old male or female is allowed to get married, vote, go to war, drive a car, and assume full responsibility for whatever crime they have endured, yet he or she is not allowed to consume alcohol? The drinking age has been questionable since prohibition in the early nineteen hundreds into the nineteen twenties. Some feel that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years of age so society will not be segregated and others feel it is irresponsible considering how many tragedies have resulted already from drunk driving.

An eighteen year old may feel the urge to drink because of its sense of being forbidden. Being able to do everything but drink is very attractive to individuals of this age group. Even though the drinking age is of twenty one years of age, many youngsters begin drinking at an early age of sixteen or even younger. Colleges and high schools have had many cases of binge drinking and their students having alcohol poisoning. Psychologically, alcohol is seen as forbidden fruit and is desired by many teenagers. If

the legal drinking age were lowered, this yearning for alcohol would no longer exist and would be handled with more responsibility.

However, would there be an increase of car accidents as a result of being under the influence? There is no doubt that underage drinking occurs mostly in our nation's colleges. Excessive drinking is used to initiate individuals in fraternities and sororities among many others. Underage drinking is very popular at parties and is an environment in which it is hard for authorities to access unless notified. Even after these parties are over, many drive home intoxicated. There have been innumerous amounts of deaths and car accidents due to drinking and driving which could have been obviously avoided.

Personally, I believe