The Drinking Aga

The Drinking Age

Alcohol has played a role in human history for centuries. Whether in medieval times or during the American Revolution, alcohol has been associated with celebrations, libations and self medication. Regardless of the time period, alcohol has always served the same purpose, however the way in which people have controlled the distribution of alcohol has changed dramatically especially over the course of the last century. America has experienced the greatest variations in its opinions towards alcohol distribution, the greatest change being the rise and fall of prohibition. Our current drinking laws prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from buying alcohol. America is currently the only country holding an over 21 drinking age and is also completely mistaken in upholding this law. The current drinking age is detrimental to our society and should be lowered to 18 to ensure responsible drinking.

Many people feel exactly the opposite way and strongly support the current drinking age. Buddy T. who writes for About.com's alcohol and substance abuse page is a strong supporter of the over 21 drinking age. In his article "The Lower Drinking Age Debate Renewed" he sites startling traffic reports and accident histories to support his claim. During the Vietnam War the government experimented with an 18 and older drinking age. The change in drinking age resulted in an increase in alcohol related car accidents among people ages 18-20. It is also observed that since the drinking age was raised, highway fatalities have fallen 13 percent. Buddy T. sees the current drinking age as a simple and straightforward way to save lives. The highway safety committee lends supportive evidence to Buddy's claim estimating that since the drinking age was raised over 19,000 lives have been saved and many more alcohol related accidents have been prevented. Recent studies have also shown that teenagers who are binge drinkers are more likely to be alcoholics as adults. For Buddy T. and other proponents of the 21 and over drinking age, the law is a no-brainer. Then how can it be that the current drinking age is actually detrimental to society?

Firstly the current drinking age does not eliminate the desire for alcohol. Because the current law does not change people's desires America's law actually serves to encourage bad drinking habits and petty crime. Being the only country to hold a 21 and over drinking age, America is engaging in an odd social experiment of sorts. The highway safety statistics are inconclusive and can easily be refuted by looking at the larger picture. Almost every other country with a lower drinking age has fewer alcohol related deaths than America. American teenagers have developed habits of "underground" drinking and binge drinking that have proven fatal many times over. Clandestine house parties involving underage drinking are extremely dangerous because