Drinking Age Should Be Lowered | Teen Ink

Drinking Age Should Be Lowered

May 18, 2008
By Anonymous

People use alcohol for numerous reasons; peer pressure, celebration, anxiety, sadness, boredom, rebellion and insomnia are just a few. Teens fall under the category of “people”. The legal drinking age is currently twenty-one, but illegally drinking age is as low as zero. Why? Is the main question asked. I can assure you the under age drinking age percentage would drop if the age is lowered.

Few reasons for teens drinking are: peer pressure, enjoyment, etc. But the main reason for doing so is “breaking the law.” 87% of high school seniors have used alcohol. That means that a large quantity of teens under the age of seventeen to eighteen have used alcohol before. We all know why teens drink, I mean is common since. Just the feel that they get of breaking the law is huge. Being rebel and not following the rules is an important role of a teen’s life. Consequences are the one that change them, but we don’t want them to experience the consequences of being under the influence of alcohol because we know them and they are fatal. Dying in a car accident and killing others is a mess that we don’t want to clean.

Despite the fact that is illegal for young teens to purchase it, they are able to get it through their parent’s own liquor cabinets, unscrupulous store clerks, or older friends who purchase it for them. As we all see, is not hard for teens to obtain alcohol. Why not lower the drinking age then? I mean any way you put it, they are getting it.

We have all heard of the famous saying “we want you to join the military and protect your country.” Blah blah blah. Well, you are telling me that I can legally kill someone at the age of eighteen, while I sign up with the military and go to war but I can’t have a sip of alcohol. Due to this none senseless situation, age should be equaled. In other words, if voting and military sign up is eighteen, then drinking should also be eighteen. Besides at the age of eighteen you are legally an adult. Why can’t we drink then?

Drinking age in Australia is eighteen, and in UK is as low as sixteen in restaurants. Studies have showed that those teens/adults are perfectly fine. In fact, Dr. Ruth Engs; professor of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University in Bloomington, uses this examples to propose the following: “……the drinking age be lowered to about 18 or 19 and permit those of legal age to consume in socially controlled environment such as restaurants and official school and university functions” (direct quote from Dr. Engs).

Drinking age should be lowered, and I know that by lowering it we can drop the percentage of reckless teen alcohol abusers. It is worth trying it , and if everything goes the opposite then change the law once more (which is done lots of times, for dumb reasons) and raise the drinking age back to twenty-one. Changes are always good (most of the times), and I know this one in particular is an excellent one.


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This article has 740 comments.


on Nov. 17 2010 at 9:52 pm
I would have to dis agree with u!

jessie112 said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 9:38 pm
not true, we are NOT stupid just cuz of our laws. im aussie and just cuz another country has different laws that doesnt make them stupid. and anywayour country is considering rising the legal age.

jessie112 said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 9:34 pm
i think they should leave it. im from australia and our drinking age is 18 and it is a baaaad idea cuz more deaths are caused from alcohol at 18. it will also ruin the devolping brain, if anything they should raise it to 25 cause thats when a man's brain fully matures/develops, true fact.

fishy said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 7:53 pm

YOU ARE TOTALLY CORRECT!! I WAS WATCHING THE NEWS ONE DAY AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY SAID!!!

 

no i dont think at all that it should be lowered. WE HAVE OUR ENTIRE LIFE TO DRINK!  what is the rush??

 

im 14 and i dont drink and i wont until i am 21. :)

 

yes it might be different in other countries but there stupid they dont know the permanent damage to the brain!

 


YoohooE said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 7:38 pm
YoohooE, Bayside, New York
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I disagree with JRA

niaya said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 6:10 pm
"Most people" dont start drinking at age 13.just because your 18 means your an adult,and your brain is no where near fully developed by age 21,and definitly not 17!If the drinking age is lowered to 17,then 15 year olds will start to drink

on Nov. 17 2010 at 5:58 pm
AgnotTheOdd GOLD, Aptos, California
17 articles 0 photos 315 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The reason for your unreasonable treatment of my reason so enfeebles my reason that I have reason to complain of your reason" ~ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

If anything, the drinking age should be owered and the driving age should be increased.

on Nov. 17 2010 at 5:56 pm
AgnotTheOdd GOLD, Aptos, California
17 articles 0 photos 315 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The reason for your unreasonable treatment of my reason so enfeebles my reason that I have reason to complain of your reason" ~ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Oh don't worry, you don't have to feel sorry for me.  My role models include: Obama, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Matt Damon (hes a smart guy), oh yeah and James Bond.  Whatd you expect me to say?  None?  Kim Jong Il, Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Sadam Hussein,  George Bush, and Satan?

 

How is the way I approach things idiotic or immature?  Ive been here, patiently (albeit annoyed) explaining my position and backing it up and all that jazz, while youve been insulting my moral fiber, calling me an idiot, and then have the audacity to include me in your prayers.  Just because my opinions dont jive with yours.


numbernine said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 3:58 pm
but that wouldn't change anything...if the age limit was lowered to 17 then kids even younger would start and if it were lowered again it would continue on...it would seem just as cool or rebellious to a 12 year old as it does now to a 17 year old...

on Nov. 17 2010 at 1:59 pm

When people use another situation to explain or ratify (sp?) a focus, it is uncreative and doesn't truely mean anything.  Driving IS different, a 12 yearold may not be old enough to make certain decisions when operative a motovehical due to the lack of experience and lack of observince others.

The big picture, people need to realize that the reason the cat runs from the dog is because it is being chased by it.  Same goes for rules, if consuming alcohol was legal for a 17 yearold in the U.S., they would be less inclined to drink it because they aren't rushed and they don't jump on every chance they have to do so.


Melanie said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 1:27 pm
The drinking age should not be lowered. It is there for a reason. Would you give some one who is 12 their driving permit and a car, I dont think so. Lowering the Drinking age is not safe and it is not responsible. The point of placing rules and restrictions is not to be mean it is to keep people safe.

6poke9 said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 12:28 pm
i agree with AgnotTheOdd. in other countrys there are lower drinking rates and in some there are no drinking rates at all. america makes it a huge deal about drinking. if we were to make it less of a big deal i honestly think that less people would abuse drinking. i also like the idea one of the other people suggested. (sorry i dont rememeber who it was) but they had a good idea about making it legal for 5 years and then seeing what happenens and if things get batter then make the drinking limit 18. but, if it ends up just being a bigger problem then make it the way it is now at 21 or higher.

JRA401 BRONZE said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 12:06 pm
JRA401 BRONZE, Plaquemine, Louisiana
2 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
ummmhmmm.!

no, the drinking age should be where it's at now. then the teenage death rates will raise extremely. If anything the drinking age should be raised and only be only allowed for responsible adults.

happyface234 said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 11:55 am
I'm 14 and theres about 60 people in my year that drink .. every weekend! Like, twice a weekend! It's ridiculous ! Lowering the age will just make them think it's even more ok to do so , they feel guilty about it but they still do it ! It makes me angry, they don't need any encouragment in this awful act! DO NOT LOWER THE AGE.

TrinityCreed said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 9:44 am
Well said and, I agree. The drinking age should just stay the same.

on Nov. 7 2010 at 2:00 pm
Stargirl212 GOLD, Atlanta, Georgia
13 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"No matter how dark the sky, you'll always have the stars."

I'm sorry, but lowering the drinking age is a really bad idea. The reason the drinking age is 21 is because your brain is not fully developed until age 25. Actually, it's pretty low right now! If we allow teens to drink, sure, they'll learn about the consequences, but they will also have the oppertunity to ruin their lives. They could damage their brain, get into a wreck, become addicted faster and eaiser than at 21, do something stupid, or end up falling into a depression. The legal age for things are set where they are for a purpose. You can only drive at 16 because that is when you should be responsible enough. You can vote at 18 because you are done with your schooling and therefore considered a legal adult. And you can enlist in the army at 18 because they need you to be physically mature, and you aren'y until 18. And sure, you can drink before you're 21. Tons of people do. But the legal drinking age is set where it is because that is when we think their bodies can handle alcohol. It's not a maturity thing or a "need to be rebellious." It's about their safety.

Worrier GOLD said...
on Nov. 2 2010 at 11:11 am
Worrier GOLD, Spring Valley, Wisconsin
17 articles 0 photos 4 comments
I agree with you, and although my teachers won't admit it... I think they agree too.

on Nov. 1 2010 at 7:12 pm
Kristin.......... BRONZE, Louisville, Ohio
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
When you are not paracticing, remember someone, somewhere is practicing and when you meet them...
They will win.
-Ed (Louisville Speech and Debate team)

Maybe it should be lowered....you make a good point about the killing thing too.

Statistics have shown the teens that have a a few sips (or a glass or too) don't feel the need or want to drink. I feel it's because they had a chance where they were aloud to drink, there wasn't any rush of breaking the law to start with.

I guess I'd say lower it to 18 but then you have the college and maturity issue. My brother was 23 when he was nearly killed because he was immature and decided to drink and dirve...then he went and did it again...but anyway and partying in college dorms. It's hard to filter out the immature with the mature.

But I'm still debating what I feel in this issue


on Nov. 1 2010 at 11:05 am
JamieBrowning321045, Dont, Utah
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I think that it should be lowered because when you are 18 you are considered an adult! You can vote, most of us live on are own support ourselves except for college. I think it should be lowered cause you are an adult and should be able to make decisions for your self and if you are 18 and know you can handle alchol the don't! you are being an adult by saying no and doing whats best for you!

xEmii said...
on Oct. 28 2010 at 7:49 pm

First of all, as its stated above, whether the age stays the same or is raised as you want it, people are still going to drink. If the drinking age is lowered, kids wont feel the thrill of breaking the law, and really will actually wear out there desire to drink before it actually can be of any serious consequence. Such as when they have work and bills to pay and get fired from missing too much due to hang overs and the other reasons or whatever. 

Lowering the drinking age is a better idea than raising it. Because whatever the law says, teens are still going to drink, and theres not much to be done about it.