The Legal Drinking Age
The legal drinking age is the age legalized by the law at which an individual can lawfully buy and drink alcoholic beverages. The law for minimal legal drinking age differ in various countries. Also, most laws apply only to drinking of alcoholic beverages in unrestricted locations while consumption at homes remain unregulated. Besides, some countries have varying age limits for various types of alcoholic beverages. Several debates have been done on whether the drinking age should be lowered to the age of 18. In most countries, a person is said to be an adult if they attain the age of 18. Such individuals are lawfully allowed to marry, vote, and buy tobacco among other privileges given to an adult (DeJong, William, and Jason 113). As a result, 18 being the age of adulthood, adults have the right to make their own decisions as well as reap the penalties of their own conducts. So, the government should not decide for the legal adults on what they should or should not do including consumption of alcohol. Therefore, the main objective of this essay is to explain the advantages and disadvantages of lowering the minimal drinking age to the age of 18.
Topic Analysis
There are several advantages that have been linked to lowering of the minimum legal drinking age. To begin with, permitting young adults of ages between 18 and 20 to consume alcohol in controlled locations and with observation from their superiors has been seen to decrease drinking activities that are unsafe. Studies show that prohibiting the above age groups from drinking in licensed locations makes them engage in drinking habits in unsupervised locations hence more prone to excessive consumption of alcohol as well as indulging in other perilous conduct (DeJong, William, and Jason 112). Considering the fact that teens are experiencing physical changes, new conditions and desire and peer pressure, permitting them to drink alcohol makes them vulnerable to unplanned and unprotected sex, downheartedness and drug and substance abuse. Also, lowering minimal legal drinking age to 18 diminishes the thrill of law breaking in order to get a drink. Normalizing consumption of alcohol sensibly in restraint makes alcohol consumption less of a taboo especially to the young adults. Similarly, reducing the drinking age to 18 improves the nation’s economy considering the fact that a number of individuals will legally be able to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages in restaurants, bars and any other licensed institutions. As a result, there will be increase in revenue for private business owners leading to increase in totals of tax revenue collected by the management (Carpenter, Christopher, and Carlos 101).
Disadvantages of Lowering the Drinking Age
However, despite the advantages exhibited by reducing the drinking age, there are a number of disadvantages that have been associated with lowering the drinking age. Firstly and most importantly, lowering the drinking age to 18 is considered as medically irresponsible. Consumption of alcohol affects the young adult’s frontal lobes of the brain during their development responsible for planning, organization and emotional regulation. Therefore, once the early adult brain development has been interfered with following alcohol consumption, an individual becomes vulnerable to chronic problems, memory loss, increased suicidal actions, violence, insecure risk-taking behavior as well as reduced decision-making capabilities. Secondly, lowering the age of drinking to 18 will give young adults still in high schools and colleges easy accessibility to alcoholic drinks. Besides, surveys show that newly legal alcohol consumers mostly purchase alcoholic beverages for their fellow peers who are under the recommended age as per the law. Thirdly, there is much danger in lowering the drinking age as it will lead to increase in number of young adults using various types of illicit drugs. Following various studies of Drugs and Alcohol, it is clear that indulging in early consumption of alcohol increases the chances of engaging in consumption of other types of illegal drugs. For that reason, lowering the minimal drinking age will lead to increase in number of young adults who will consume alcohol hence increase in number of youths using other types of illegal drugs (Carpenter, Christopher, and Carlos 98).
Conclusion
In conclusion, despite the fact that lowering the drinking age has both its advantages and disadvantages, it should not be advocated. Lowering the drinking age will negligently permit a big portion of population to consume alcohol in nightclubs, and bars which although legally licensed, are dangerous environments. For instance, neighborhoods located in surroundings with high densities of nightclubs, bars or any other establishment licensed to sell alcohol undergo numerous attacks and various other violent misconducts. Also, alcohol consumption at an early age possess a great chance of the person becoming an alcoholic in their future life. Besides, teens who are alcoholic mostly fail in their academic performance. Therefore, allowing young adults to consume alcohol will deleteriously affect student’s academic performance. However, failure to teach adolescents on moderate drinking at their youthful stages makes them end up binge drinking in their later days.
Works Cited
Carpenter, Christopher, and Carlos Dobkin. "The minimum legal drinking age and morbidity in the United States." Review of Economics and Statistics 99.1 (2017): 95-104.
DeJong, William, and Jason Blanchette. "Case closed: research evidence on the positive public health impact of the age 21 minimum legal drinking age in the United States." Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement s17 (2014): 108-115.
