Should the Age Allowed to Drink Alcohol be Lowered - Free Essay Example

This has been an ongoing debate in the US for a couple years now. Some people think it would be better if it was lowered, while others do not. Underage kids drink all the time whether its legal or illegal. There are many sides to this argument but the one that has me most interested is the one that allows eighteen year olds to drink. The drinking age should be lowered because an eighteen year old is technically an adult in the US, they could teach how to drink properly in universities, and in other countries the drunk driving safety rate is higher than the US. Once you turn 18 in the US you are no longer considered a teen or kid. This is the age of a young adult. As an adult you are now given many rights and are allowed to do much more. You can vote for the next president, sign contracts, and even enlist in the military(Amethyst Initiative). All of these are allowed except drinking alcohol. Why? They say you are mature enough to risk your life for your country but you cant go to the bar and get a drink if you want. This makes underage kids break the law by drinking without supervision or making fake IDs to go buy alcohol. Not only would this help them not break the law but it would also stop them from binge drinking. If the law was changed to reduce the age to 18, teens would no longer have to binge drink. Binge drinking is when a single person consumes a large amount of alcohol in one session (Binge Drinking). If this were to happen universities could hold programs and classes to teach students about responsible drinking. Instead of sneaking out and binge drinking every time, five shots or more, they could just go to the bar get a drink and they would be regulated there. Now they will not sneak around and do it because it is legal. Since it is legal they probably wont even drink heavily anymore because now they know they can easily walk in a bar or restaurant and order a beer. If they could go to the bar and get a drink there would be a lot less on campus drinking, less crime trying to get drinks and less accidents. Other countries already have this law set in place where eighteen year olds are allowed to drink alcohol. It is has shown that this is better. In the US 31% a road traffic accidents are caused by alcohol. This percentage is higher than all the other countries that allows eighteen year olds to drink alcohol. In France the percentage is twenty-nine, In great Britain the percentage sixteen, In Germany the percentage is nine, and in China the percentage is four.