The debate about whether the legal drinking age should be lowered in the United States has once again gained momentum. However, lowering the legal age at which people could consume alcohol will bring more negative effects than benefits. Health risks are high, criminal behavior is increased, and the risk of an even younger population participating in underage drinking is elevated.
Against Lowering the Drinking Age
In the United States, underage drinking has been cited as creating immense problems. It has contributed to numerous unnecessary youth deaths and has been the predecessor to various crimes. However, some argue that it is the illegality attached to alcohol consumption that has led to these occurrences. The latter support lowering the legal age of alcohol consumption, while opponents argue that the health risks involved are too high. Despite the support for lowering the legal drinking age, doing so will bring more danger to an already unruly group of teenagers.
A variety of health concerns are attributed to early alcohol consumption. The earlier an individual starts drinking alcohol, the more like they are to become an alcoholic (Doraiswamy). This in itself brings about the psychological concerns that are attributed to the disease. Alcohol consumers are more likely to get depressed because they can experience a wide variety of mood swings. Individuals who have started drinking during their teenage years report being more psychologically unstable than those that did not start drinking until their 20s; this presents them with a more dangerous type of living (Giaimo). Lowering the legal drinking age will in fact exacerbate an already growing problem.
Consuming alcohol at a young age interferes with the proper brain development of an individual. At the age of 18, teenagers are still developing. Their brain is still molding itself, and introducing alcohol into this process can hinder the proper development of the frontal lobes; this will interfere with organizational and planning skills, as well as with emotion regulation (Doraiswamy). The earlier that this developmental process is interrupted, the higher the risk of chronic impairment to the brain (Giaimo). This is a danger that can be avoided if the legal drinking age were to stay the same.
At the age of 21 young adults are able to more responsibly handle the responsibility of alcohol consumption. The older an individual is, the more mature they are, and are therefore more careful when consuming alcoholic beverages (CBSNews). They will be more likely to drink responsibly, as they have a better understanding of the possible negative consequences, compared to an 18-year-old teenager. It is this misunderstanding of the consequences that eventually leads to unfortunate occurrences. The lower the drinking age, the more irresponsible the decisions made will be.
Drunk driving leads to the untimely death of those who engage in alcohol consumption as well as individuals who may innocently get caught in the cross fire. Over 17,000 people die each year as a consequence of drunk driving (Nagin). There is already a significant amount of underage drinkers that get behind the wheel while intoxicated; lowering the legal age at which this can be done will only increase this already growing number. 15.1% of young adults between the ages of 18 to 20 drive drunk (Nagin); these fatalities could increase if the drinking age is lowered.
When young adults engage in alcohol consumption, they are more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors such as binge drinking. This is a problem among teenagers and college students between the ages of 18 to 23. According to Fox News, there were 157 cases of college students who died of alcohol poisoning between 1999 and 2005 (Nagin). These are 157 cases too many. If the legal age of drinking were to be lowered, the number of cases could rise even more. Preventing these deaths is simple if the correct precautions are taken.
The risk of suicide increases as an individual consumes alcohol. If this act is then mixed with the imbalance of hormones and impulsive behaviors that teenagers biologically experience, consuming alcohol will only make this worse. The consequence of the physical effects that alcohol can cause an individual, allow them to make more vulnerable and rash decisions (Cloud). Along with a loss of inhibition, a depressed state of mind, and the ability to feel as if nothing matters, the perfect ingredients for teenage suicide are established (Cloud). Lowering the legal drinking age will as a result increase the number of teenagers who end up killing themselves after a spur of the moment feeling while under the influence of alcohol.
Lowering the legal drinking age will as a result lead to the use of more powerful drugs. The Journal of Studies of Alcohol and Drugs informs readers that young adults are more likely and more tempted to use other illegal drugs once they have experienced drinking alcohol. One form of drug use is just as dangerous as the other. Engaging in these behaviors at a young age increases the probability of this happening (Giaimo). It also increases the possibility of these behaviors to continue into later adulthood and cause even more detrimental effects. Allowing for the drinking age to be lowered will only increase the number of illicit drug use and create even bigger problems.
As 18-year-olds are able to access alcohol in a more convenient form, they are also more easily able to get alcohol for teenagers and even adolescents. It is a common occurrence, especially among the college-aged population, 21 years olds to purchase liquor for themselves and for their younger teenage friends (Cloud). If this is a normal occurrence in universities, allowing 18-year-olds to legally obtain alcohol will allow this trend to trickle down to high schoolers. The older teenagers who will get legal access to alcohol will be enabled to pass it down to younger teenagers. This in itself is creating a culture where drinking alcohol will be glorified and become more accepted.
Aside from the negative consequences that drinking alcohol can have on a person's health, there is an increase in risky, and possible criminal behavior as well. Young adults who drink constantly and go out to locations where alcohol may be served are at a higher risk of involving themselves in a physical altercation (Nagin). Alcohol increases violent behaviors in people, lowers their inhibition, and makes them more impulsive; this can all lead to criminal behavior. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 86% of young adults who committed a homicide and 37% of people who participated in an assault were all under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crime (Nagin). Lowering the legal drinking age will only make this number increase.
Aside from the criminal behavior previously mentioned, about 60% of young adults become sexual offenders while under the influence of alcohol (Nagin). The risk of committing sexual assault such as rape and sexual harassment all increase as more alcohol is consumed. Studies have concluded that about 75% of young adult males and 55% of young adult females have reported being intoxicated during an act of sexual assault (Nagin). This is due to the increase in sexual impulsivity combined with a lowered sense of control (RWU). The number of young adults who become sexual offenders can possibly increase if the legal drinking age were to be lowered.
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