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Maintaining the Minimum Legal Drinking Age
Jane Smith
Columbia Southern University
Composition II
Professor Jones
01/10/2024
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Maintaining the Minimum Legal Drinking Age
There are many milestone birthdays in a young adult’s life: one can drive legally when they turn
16, vote when they turn 18, and purchase alcohol when they turn 21. Before congress passed the
National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, which set the national legal age to 21, states had the power
to determine their own legal drinking age; the age varied among states from 18 to 21. In recent years,
however, there have been calls for the national drinking age to be lowered from 21 to 18. Proponents of
lowering the drinking age argue that at 18, a person is considered a legal adult, able to vote and join the
military, and should thus also be able to legally purchase and consume alcohol. Opponents of lowering
the drinking age counter that at 18, a person is not prepared to for the responsibility of drinking
responsibly and argue that lowering the drinking age will have negative consequences; further, since the
implementation of a national drinking age of 21, instances of binge drinking and alcohol abuse among
teenagers has decreased dramatically (Federal Trade Commission, n.d.). The national legal drinking age
should not be lowered in order to prevent a rise in dire alcohol-related issues among teenagers,
including traffic deaths, binge drinking, and potential alcoholism.
Body Paragraphs
If the national drinking age were lowered to 18, there is considerable evidence that more young
people would be injured or killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents. According to James (2019), “20%
more alcohol-related traffic accidents involving 18-20-year-olds occurred in the states that had lowered
drinking ages before the national drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984” (p. 3). History offers a clear view
at the deadly consequences of lowering the legal drinking age. Furthermore, many young people do not
get their driver’s licenses immediately upon turning 16; James (2019) shows that higher numbers of
teenagers are waiting until they turn 17 or 18 to get their licenses. On its own, this trend is not
particularly worrisome, but it would be if the legal drinking age were lowered to 18: it would mean that
drivers’ inexperience could be combined with alcohol use, resulting in an increase in deadly accidents.
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While an increase in traffic deaths might be the most immediate and alarming argument against
lowering the national legal drinking age, changing the legal drinking age to 18 would also have increase
the potential for dangerous instances of binge drinking.
Binge drinking, or drinking more than five drinks in a single session, is considered a grave issue
among young adults 21 and over, and lowering the drinking age will increase the risk that adults 18-20
will also engage in binge drinking. A recent statistic indicates that 3 out of 5 college students have
reported binge drinking at least twice in the past month (Caldwell, 2021). This is an alarmingly high
number, especially given that the current national legal drinking age is 21, and most college students are
ages 18-22 (i.e., there are greater numbers of students who are not yet 21). If the drinking age were
lowered to 18, that would mean that an even greater number of young people would be able to legally
purchase alcohol, and the already high binge-drinking statistics would increase even further.
Given that binge drinking can lead to incidents of alcohol poisoning, which can cause brain damage or
even death (Caldwell, 2021), it is critical to prevent incidents of binge drinking from increasing;
otherwise, the results could literally be deadly. The immediate dangers of increased binge drinking are
clear, but lowering the national legal drinking age could also have catastrophic long-term effects and
lead to increased rates of alcohol addiction.
If the national drinking age were lowered to 18, the consequences could affect people long after
they leave young adulthood by increasing people’s chances of developing potential alcohol abuse and
addiction. “People who begin drinking in their teens before their brains are fully developed are at a 26%
higher risk of developing addiction issues that persist into their twenties, thirties, and beyond” (ATF,
2020, para. 5). Thus, the younger a person starts drinking, the more likely they are to have long-term
problems. Further, rates of alcohol dependence among adults dropped consistently in the years after
the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984 (FTC, n.d.). Thus, statistics show a
correlation between a higher drinking age and lowered rates of alcoholism.
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Counterargument
While there are many arguments in favor of maintaining the national legal drinking age of 21,
many people champion a lowered national legal drinking age of 18, the age at which a person legally
becomes an adult. Proponents of this argument claim that if a person is legally an adult, that person
should be able to buy a drink; these arguments also imply that lowering the drinking age would actually
encourage responsible drinking. Author and New York Times columnist Gabrielle Glaser heralds this
idea, noting that “American 18-year-olds have the right to vote, marry, buy guns and join the military.
They're astute enough to defend their country, decide elected officials and serve on a jury -- but not
regulate their own appetites? They deserve the chance to learn” (Glaser, 2015, para. 5). This argument
indicates that society deems 18-year-olds responsible enough to make choices affecting their own lives
and lives of others and should thus be able to legally purchase and consume alcohol. While it is indeed
true that society grants incredible responsibilities to 18-year-olds on the basis that they are indeed
legally adults, the majority of these responsibilities do not involve the consumption of a chemical that
can permanently alter the brain, the frontal lobes of which are still in development into a person’s early
20s. Alcohol use by those whose frontal lobes are still developing can result in chronic trouble managing
emotions, calculating risky behavior, and making decisions (New Health Advisor, n.d.). Thus, a legal
drinking age that is even a few years lower can result in people having life-long troubles; 18-year-olds
may legally be able to do many things, but purchasing alcohol should not be one of them.
Conclusion
The minimum legal drinking age has remained unchanged since Congress instituted the National
Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, but recently, there have been calls to lower the minimum age from
21 to 18. This proposed change to the law would have dire consequences. Lowering the drinking age
from 21 to 18 could endanger the lives and long-term health of young people, making them more
susceptible to deadly traffic accidents, dangerous incidents of binge drinking, and potential alcohol
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dependence later in life. History has shown that these results would be inevitable. It is vital that the
national legal drinking age remain 21 in order to prevent these consequences and safeguard the
country’s young people and their future health.
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References
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. (2020). Risks of alcohol abuse and addiction
among young people. [Link]
Caldwell, P. (2021). Should the US lower the legal drinking age? Youth psychologists weigh in on the
potential repercussions of such a ruling. Psychology Today 4(9), 114-129.
DOI:000111222333444555
Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). The effects of instituting a national legal drinking age.
[Link]
Glaser, G. (2015). Return the drinking age to 18, and enforce it. New York Times.
[Link]
drinking-age-to-18-and-enforce-it
James, H. (2019). Alcohol-related traffic accidents among teenagers. Journal of American Transportation
3(14), 1-9. DOI:123456712345671234567
New Health Advisor. (n.d.). Why shouldn’t the drinking age be lowered?
[Link]
