The Drinking Age

Is it fair that the legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21 when it is lower in other counties? There is much debate surrounding the legal drinking age in the United States. Some argue that it is unfair that the drinking age is 21 when it is lower in other countries. Others maintain that the drinking age should remain at 21 in order to protect the safety of young adults. There are a number of valid arguments on both sides of the issue. Proponents of a lower drinking age often point to European countries where young adults are legally allowed to drink at a younger age (Toomey). They argue that this allows young adults to learn how to drink responsibly in a controlled environment. However, opponents of a lower drinking age argue that alcohol consumption can interfere with brain development in young adults. They also point to higher rates of underage drinking and binge drinking on campuses as a concern that lower the drinking age would further exacerbate and already dangerous trend among young people to engage in heavy drinking (Saylor). Ultimately, there is no easy answer when it comes to the legal drinking age. Both sides of the issue have valid points, and it is up to each individual country to decide what is best for its citizens. However, if society is going to teach personal accountability and moderation, there should be no drinking age limit in the US and instead society should adopt the European approach to alcoholwhich is to teach through social culture needs to raise children who are responsible and accountable. The best way to do that is to give...

…made people into binge drinkersjust how college age kids are today: they cannot get it under ordinary circumstances, so they binge it when they can (Saylor). To teach moderation there has to be more acceptance and tolerance in society. Yet in America there are far too many red lines and things forbidden. To teach young people to drink responsibly, they have to be given room to actually be able to drink responsiblywhich means legallynot in hiding or at binge parties.

In conclusion, the legal drinking age is currently set at 21. However, it should be lowered. One reason for this is that the current drinking age is ineffective, and that it leads to more risky behavior among young adults. One can point to in Europe, where the drinking age is 18, and show that these countries have fewer problems with underage drinking than the US does. To teach young people how to drink responsibly, society has to allow them the opportunity to be able to do soand this means giving them…