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Stephen Windt
Professor Lynn Taylor
English 1010
22 April 2015
Alcohol: death in a bottle
Should teenagers be allowed to drink just because they turn eighteen and are now
legally adults? It is estimated that nearly 24% already do. Which can lead to major health
issues and consequences, from operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, to a
higher chance of addiction and eventually death.

Alcoholism affects many people in the United States. There are a select few states
that allow a person under the age of 21 to enjoy a drink, if they are accompanied by a
legal guardian or parent who is present, providing permission. However, the majority of
states have a strict policy for underage drinking. The national drinking age should remain
at age 21,this law significantly reduces alcohol related traffic fatalities, the amount of
alcohol related deaths and it helps keep the risk of alcoholism to a minimum.

For all federal purposes, in the United States, eighteen is the age of maturity. An
eighteen year old is given all the rights of a legal adult- except the right to buy and
consume alcohol. An eighteen year old has the rights to vote, to obtain medical care
without parental consent, to make a will and power of attorney, to personally sign a
contract, to apply for credit, to be independent from parental control, and to enlist in the

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armed forces without parental consent. It is ridiculous that while eighteen year olds are
given the above legal rights, they are still not given the right to drink alcohol. If eighteen
year olds are considered mature enough to vote and to personally sign a contract, they
should be considered mature enough to consume alcohol responsibly. Allowing an
eighteen year old to vote for the leader of our country is a much bigger risk than allowing
them to legally consume alcoholic beverages

For over three decades, the drinking age has been a major issue across the nation.
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was passed making it illegal for
persons under the age of 21 to consume alcohol or purchase it. This sparked many heated
debates across the country. Should it stay at 21? Or return back to 18. The drinking age
should remain as it currently stands. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984
required all states to raise their minimum purchase and public possession of alcohol age
to 21. States that did not comply faced a reduction in highway funds under the Federal
Highway Aid Act. The U.S. Department of Transportation has determined that all states
are in agreement with this act.
However, since 1984 there has been a significant cut back in the amount of
accidents and deaths caused by people drinking and driving. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration estimates that minimum drinking age laws have saved
18,220 lives since 1975. In 1998 alone, over 850 lives were saved. In addition, as the
years progress, the numbers of lives saved by raising the drinking age, continue to rapidly
increase.

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In addition, now a person acts in school often determines how they will be the rest
of their life. So if teens are out drinking and partying, they will academically suffer or
worse. Alcoholism is a serious medical and social problem in this county. Furthermore,
Criminal justice experts estimate that at least 75-80% of defendants involved in felony
crimes or serious misdemeanors were under the influence of alcohol. Moreover, the
majority of crimes committed are to obtain money, drugs or alcohol. Often its people
who have become alcoholics and lost everything that once made them financially
independent.

However, Ive found that n many European countries drinking is part of their
heritage for holidays and special occasions. The majority of people in these countries are
very responsible with alcohol and I believe it has to do with their upbringing, what their
parents taught them about drinking and allowing them to drink at a young age so it
doesnt feel like it is something evil and exotic you have to do behind your parents
backs. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism did a survey and found
that on average the first time young boys experiment with alcohol is 11 years old and 13
for girls. When drinking is introduced at a younger age, its often found that those certain
individuals do not abuse alcohol or binge drink they usually think more logically and
learn to moderate there drinking.

Also, its true that the United States has the highest drinking age of any country in the

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world. The most common age is 18, with 43 countries. Next most common is 16, with 13
countries including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland among those.
And even 10 have no legal drinking age, including China and Portugal. However, the
truth is that between 1985 and 1997, heavy alcohol use among people in the U.S., 17
years of age or younger, actually dropped by 65.9 percent. Similarly, alcohol-related
traffic injuries and fatalities among young people have dropped nationally also.

The drinking age should not be lowered to 18 for many reasons. High school
students that have never drank throughout their whole high school career seem to have a
better future and did not tend to struggle in school as much as those teens that drank
every weekend just to have a good time. If the drinking age was lowered there could be
many teens that drop out of school, either during high school or during college. Some of
these teens that party every weekend do not know how to control themselves and could
potentially become alcoholics later in life. The poor choice of drinking all the time, could
eventually lead to teens doing stupid things and making very poor choices when they are
intoxicated.