Why We Should Lower the Drinking Age

Ancient civilizations dating back to the Neolithic period around 10,000 B.C. have fermented and consumed alcoholic drinks. The Egyptians believed that the god of wine, Osiris brewed the first beer with the most fundamental essence of life, and the alcoholic drink was essential to their survival. Whether it be with the purpose of getting drunk, to appease the gods or as primitive medicine, every developed society throughout human history has held alcohol to be an important aspect of life in some way. Only now, in the modern day United States of America alcohol carries much more controversial social implications. The authorities, our government, and worried parents see it as the devil’s drink, bringing with it only irresponsibility, self destructive habits, and a general decline in standard of behavior. Meanwhile it is held up by social media and marketing to cater to our adolescents, flooding their malleable minds with images of fame, fortune, sex appeal, care-free living and artificial maturity that will presumably accompany the use of alcohol. This duality that the consumption of alcoholic beverages holds brings a difficult question to the table. Where do we draw the line? How old is old enough to be trusted with a drink that can so drastically warp one’s conscious thought? As of now, 21 years old is that line, in an effort to discourage young drinkers, stop drunk driving and binge drinking. But the attempt to constrict and criminalize alcohol is a primary source of these issues in and of itself. Allowing individuals to drink earlier on in their lives, but under safe, regulated conditions will teach our youth the dangers of alcohol and how to consume it responsibly early on. It will significantly diminish the thrill of breaking the law to consume alcohol, and it will not promote general disrespect and disobedience in other aspects of the law. That being said, it is important that we consider the benefits of lowering the age that it will be legal for an individual to consume alcohol. You need look no further than the nearest university campus to find thousands of young adults binge drinking every weekend, bordering on alcoholism, and often getting behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. Any 19 year old in college will no doubt have had his or her fair share of experience with alcohol in high school, and now living on their own, surrounded by those of like mindset, the desire to consume alcohol in social settings will be at its greatest. These college kids will seek that thrill with reckless determination, and alcohol is now easier than ever for a minor to obtain. The only aspect of this young man or woman’s drinking that the law can truly control is the setting in which they will drink. The fear associated with underage drinking will no doubt drive them to places “safe” from the reaches of the authorities. Shady house parties and fraternities where binge drinking is encouraged and trivialized into games. Unsupervised and inexperienced, they will be far more prone to driving home drunk and engaging in other unsafe behavior. If the age of legal consumption was lowered to 18, the average college student would not fear the law. He or she would not have to drink in unsafe situations. Rather, they would be far more encouraged to drink in common bars and restaurants where there are rules and supervision in place to protect those who drink and those around them. Giving our adolescents that opportunity to consume alcohol under safer conditions is important to their development as adults and their understanding of alcohol. They will need to learn safe drinking practices and be monitored to prevent drunk driving. But if they are denied that learning period, they will seek and obtain alcohol regardless, gaining experience under much more negatively influenced circumstances that will only lead to bad drinking habits that may be long-lasting, extending into adulthood. Changing the drinking age and allowing for our youth to respect alcohol and its dangers is vital to protecting against irresponsible drinking behavior. Much as is demonstrated in the biblical story of Adam and Eve, humanity has proved in many aspects that for whatever reason, that which is denied us becomes more appealing. Hence the phrase, “forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.” This concept is affirmed in the discussion of underage drinking. As of now, the legal age to consume alcohol is 21. Thus, during the time period in which an individual crosses over into adult-hood and is granted the ability to vote, serve in the military, smoke, call the toll free number in infomercials, and is yet still prohibited the privilege of drinking, that final forbidden fruit now will taste that much sweeter. Alcohol has become a trademark of rebellion and youth, cast into the public eye as an outlet for social tension and sexual anxiety, guaranteeing only fun and popularity. TV shows depicting wild house parties and drinking games, feeding the social stigma of a raging alcohol driven collegiate lifestyle. Music videos of rappers drinking Grey Goose from the bottle in the back of a limousine, scantily clad women on each arm, fueling young adults’ fantasies of fame, fortune, and sex appeal, with the added bonus of alcohol dependency. Violence, drugs, and sex sell, always have, always will. Why? Because they are seen as illegal, risqué, edgy. The forbidden fruit. Alcohol is no different. The criminalization of alcohol consumption has only made it that much more desirable to our youth. Rules were made to be broken, after all. So many underage persons will be do whatever is necessary to reach the branches from which that fruit hangs, seeking alcohol with no inhibition, partaking whenever possible and with very little self-control, resulting in drunk driving and wide-spread binge drinking. If the frame of mind of the adolescents in this country towards alcohol is ever going to change, it is going to begin with the lowering of the legal drinking age, eliminating the rebellious aspect of drinking and developing a mature and responsible view of alcohol consumption that respects the dangers that it can pose. The Century Council, an organization of distilleries devoted to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking reports in 2011 that nearly 10,000 youths between the ages of 15 and 20 report having consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. That’s nearly 55% of the age group. Given these statistics it can be assumed that a large number of our youth are going to consume alcohol before reaching the age of 21, perhaps even on a regular basis, regardless of laws that declare it illegal. Which leads us to wonder, if kids can so easily disregard the laws concerning alcohol, what laws will they break next? The influence of seeing so many others choosing to drink while underage has trivialized the code of law in our country and encouraged disrespect towards authority and non-compliance in other areas of the law. Committing crimes is a slippery slope of justification, and watching his peers violate drinking laws all around him may be the push that sends a young man down that slope. What crimes will come next? Theft, illegal drugs, prostitution, if I’m willing to drink underage, where will I draw the line? If the legal age for drinking were to be lowered to 18, then the number of kids breaking the law to drink will decrease drastically. Trusting our youth to behave responsibly and within the boundaries of the law, while compromising and allowing them to enjoy that privilege earlier on in life will promote a general respect for the law and will not serve to further decay the distinctions between right and wrong in the minds of our youth. The image that alcohol holds in our society is the root of the drinking problems that we have. Drunk driving, binge drinking, and alcoholic dependency are a result of the counter-culture that has taken dominance in our lives through social media and un-realistic expectations. Underage drinking is clearly an important issue that doesn’t have a cure-all quick fix. Adolescents need to experience alcohol in a safe environment where they can learn to behave responsibly. The idea of alcohol being a forbidden commodity denied them will only promote its use. The only way to develop respect for the law in our youth is to end the criminalization of drinking. No law will change the way we view alcohol as a state and as a country. That will only come with time, maturity, and learning to trust the young adults of our society to behave responsibly. Changing the legal drinking from 21 to 18 isn’t going to solve all of our problems, but it’s a very good place to start.