Essay On Why The Drinking Age Should Be 18

Another popular argument is that 18 is the age of adulthood in the United States, and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption. Turning 18 entails receiving the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. These rights to smoke cigarettes, vote in elections, have consensual sex, get married, sign legal contracts and documents, be prosecuted as adults, and join the military. Though adulthood should entail different rights, we have to consider public health and safety. It has been proven that the adolescent brain is still not done developing at. The Development of the adolescent brain claims that ‘’Consistent with physiological and social maturation from adolescence through emerging adulthood, magnetic resonance

imaging (MRI) has revealed adolescence to be a critical period for brain development.’’ ‘’Heavy episodic patterns of alcohol consumption may make the brain more susceptible to damage, particularly at a time—emerging adulthood—when heavy episodic drinking levels peak and the brain is undergoing the final stages of maturational refinement. ‘’
Lowering the drinking age will put adolescents at harm and not only are there instant consequences but there are also long term health risks such as ‘’ poorer verbal learning and visual reproduction…alcohol withdrawal…suffer greater spatial-memory deficits… some alcohol-related memory impairments persist beyond the period of intoxication’’
A different argument is that most countries where the drinking age is 18 have smaller numbers of drunk driving fatalities.

Though this is true, countries such as China and Italy don’t have as concentrated highways and roads as the United States
It is perceived that alcoholism is a bigger problem with adolescents in America compared with those of European countries, where the minimum drinking ages vary from sixteen and eighteen. Studies show, however, that compared to the US, a larger percentage of teenagers from almost every European country reported drinking in the past 30 days. A greater percentage of teenagers from most European countries report binge drinking, which is defined as five or more alcoholic drinks in a row. Teenagers from Great Britain rank among worst in world for binge drinking.
Currently, Great Britain is suffering from an epidemic of severe alcohol-related problems. Abuse of alcohol has grown drastically in the last few years, not only in legal drinkers but also in underage drinkers who are younger than

16.

In conclusion, Congress should not restore each state’s freedom to set its own drinking age because facts prove that it would not be an effective way to end the epidemic of drunk driving and binge drinking. The aforementioned facts prove that it is medically irresponsible to allow teenagers to drink because their brains are not fully developed. Also, it is a safety issue and allowing states to lower the drinking age would cause more drunk driving accidents, as history showed. A majority of Americans agree that the minimum drinking age should remain 21. States having the power to lower the drinking age would cause even younger children to begin to drink because alcohol use can become a trickle down effect. Lastly, there is already legislation passed that make an exception for minors to drink that have special circumstances.