Imagine yourself at the age of 18 years old, finally you are considered to be an adult. You can vote, get married, go to college, join the army, smoke and get charged as an adult in crimes, but the one thing which you cannot do at 18 is drink.  I believe if you are considered to be an adult, you should be able do everything other adults can.

            In many other countries around the world, they have their drinking age minimum from 0 to 20 years old, America has the most restrictive drinking laws, with the minimum age for drinking at 21. In 43 countries the drinking age is 18, like England, France, China, Russia, etc… I believe that the other countries have their drinking at 18 because they believe drinking should be experienced early so that teenagers can be more responsible with their alcohol and have a better tolerance.
          There have been many doctors and scientists who think that the drinking age should be reduced to18 years old.  “ It is time to teach through trust and potential rather than through blame, accusation and guilt. It is time to open the doors to constructive debate rather than to keep them locked and continue to contribute to the consequences of the forbidden fruit syndrome. Let the discussions begin”, said by Dr. David J. Hanson, a Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Potsdam and Dr. Dwight B. Heath is Professor of Anthropology at Brown University and author of Drinking Occasions and International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture. The doctors from Brown and New York University believe that the reason for so many underage drinkers is because they are acting up because they do not believe in the drinking age.

Doctors and Scientists also believe that alcohol is good for health. “today, we have the scientific proof that drinking in moderation is actually good for most people.” said by David J. Hanson, Ph. D. The conclusion remained the same: alcohol confers protection against CHD (cardiovascular heart disease), and drinkers live longer than nondrinkers.” said by David J. Hanson, Ph.D. Doctor David J. Hanson and many other doctors believe that in moderation that alcohol is beneficial to health. Also that alcohol is prescribed to people with heart disease and stroke which are the two highest causes in death in America.  



Many people believe that the drinking age is so high because of the amount teenage drunk drivers, but the truth is that 21 to 25 year olds have the highest percent of fatalities in drunk driving. 34% of the people who died in fatal car accidents by alcohol were in the age group of 21-25, 25% for the age group of 15-20 which is the same amount as 35-44 year old group fatal car accidents by alcohol. This is evidence that 21 year olds are more likely to get arrested for drunk driving than an 18 year olds.

            At 18 years old, your world is changing all around you and you are given more rights and can do almost anything. Why don’t we add drinking to the list? Of course, only in moderation and at appropriate occasions. Many other countries have their drinking age at 18 and why don’t we? Life is short and we should  live it to the fullest, but  always make sure you’re making the best decisions you can because you are the one who is facing the consequences.