By Ariana Farrington ’27
Should we decrease the drinking age? How could it affect younger drinkers?
Around 4,000 underage people die every year from drinking in the U.S. (“Why A Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 Works”). This has become a big problem with our youth, which needs to be solved for our younger generations before it’s too late. The drinking age in the U.S. was originally 18 but was changed in 1988 to 21. The debate about the drinking age has been going on for around half a century: many people believe that 21 is a reasonable age to start drinking, and although others oppose that idea, keeping the drinking age at 21 will avoid more problems. If it is lowered, drinking may seem like a normal thing for youth and they may feel pressured to drink more. This could lead to more accidents and health issues. It’s better to teach kids to make smart choices without making alcohol super easy to access. Keeping the age higher shows that drinking is a serious decision and not just something you do for fun when you’re young. This way, we can help create a safer and healthier space for everyone.
Keeping the drinking age at 21 helps protect young people from serious problems. Every year, too many teens die or get hurt in accidents, develop health problems, or are involved in car crashes because of alcohol. Back in the 70s, when 27 states lowered the drinking age, “scientists found that traffic crashes increased significantly among teenagers” (Toomey et al 213). This shows how risky it can be when teens can get alcohol more easily. Plus, “alcohol use among youth is related to many problems, including traffic crashes, drownings, vandalism, assaults, homicides, suicides, teenage pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases” (Toomey Et al 213). That’s why keeping the drinking age higher is important to protect teens from these terrible things. Furtermore, “research has demonstrated effectiveness of a higher MLDA in preventing injuries and deaths among youth” (Toomey et al 213). Also, remember that “impaired driving crashes kill thousands of young people each year (they remain the leading cause of death for young people ages fifteen to twenty, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and injure many more.” (Wallace). Making the drinking age lower would just make these problems worse for young people and show an increase in youth death rates.
Youth addiction is a serious problem that often starts early. Drinking at a young age can lead to addiction later in life, and it can change how a young person thinks. “Binge drinking during college may be associated with mental health disorders such as compulsiveness, depression, or anxiety, or early deviant behavior” (Wallace). These issues can hurt a person’s future and make it harder for them to live a healthy life. “Nearly one out of every five teenagers (16 percent) has experienced ‘blackout’ spells in which he or she could not remember what happened the previous evening because of heavy binge drinking” (Wallace). This shows how dangerous drinking can be for teens, both mentally and physically. We must take youth addiction seriously and work to prevent it before it begins.
Drinking alcohol can lead to many dangerous and harmful situations, especially for young people. When someone is under the influence, they might do things they wouldn’t normally do, which can hurt others, even people who weren’t drinking. This can include serious problems such as sexual assault, spreading STDS, and other criminal experiences. “Although the minimum legal drinking age’s (MLDA’s) effect on youth alcohol consumption is important, a key consideration is whether the MLDA ultimately affects the rates of alcohol-related problems. Alcohol use among youth is related to numerous problems, including traffic crashes, drownings, vandalism, assaults, homicides, suicides, teenage pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases. Alcohol use is reported in one fifth to two thirds of many of these problems” (Toomey et al. 214). These problems are common and affect a lot of people. “Though sexual assault cases tend to be underreported, researchers have been able to conclude that one out of five women in college experience sexual assault and a majority of those cases involve alcohol or other substances. In fact, nearly 700,000 college students reported being assaulted by another student who had been drinking” (Greamo et al.). This shows how dangerous alcohol can be and why it’s important to understand the risks involved.
Some people think that lowering the drinking age could actually save lives by making alcohol use less secretive and dangerous. These people believe younger adults would drink more responsibly if it were allowed in safer environments. However, this idea doesn’t fully consider the real harm alcohol is already causing toward our youth. There’s no real proof that letting younger people drink would actually help to reduce alcohol-related problems. As Greamopoints out, “Allowing young adults to experiment with alcohol in a safe environment prior to entering college would not automatically lead to a reduction of these cases, but it could help change the narrative and expectations surrounding heavy alcohol use in college-age students.” Still, although this may be true, it still feels risky when serious issues are already being faced. Wallace further explains this issue, “At the other lectern is a broad slate of citizens, experts, and public servants who believe that lowering the minimum legal drinking age to eighteen will only exacerbate a national crisis of staggering proportion…78 percent of Americans do not believe that lowering the minimum legal drinking age is such a good idea.” This helps to further show the fact that even most of America does not agree with this.
Drinking at a young age can lead to serious health problems later in life, and it’s just not worth the risk. Since the brain isn’t fully developed until about mid-20s, drinking too early can cause long-term mental health issues and physical damage. That’s one reason why having the drinking age set at 21 is so important. According to the article “Why A Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 Works”, “The MLDA of 21 years helps lower the risk of developing alcohol and other substance use disorders, for those who drink alcohol.” Adding onto that, it is explained that “these deaths among young people happen, in part, because of underage drinking and its direct health effects.” (“Why A Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 Works”). This clearly shows that underage drinking is already dangerous without making it easier to access alcohol. Also, other countries with lower drinking ages have seen worse results. “Several studies have demonstrated that, in part as a consequence of these different laws, levels of underage drinking are higher in European countries, alongside higher death rates from cirrhosis of the liver, a fatal disease tied to excessive alcohol use.” (Greamo et al.). All of this proves that drinking young is not just risky at the moment, it can cause damage that lasts a lifetime.
We need to keep the drinking age at 21 to avoid more problems for young people. If the age is lowered, teens might feel more pressure to drink and think it’s normal, which could lead to health problems and dangerous situations. As the article “Why A Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 Works” says, “After states raised their MLDA to 21 years in 1984, the percentage of people who drank before turning 21 went down.” This demonstrates that the law actually helps keep young people from drinking too early. By keeping the law as it is, we can help to protect kids and teach them to make smarter choices without making alcohol easier to get.
Works Cited
Greamo, Nicolas, et al. “A Difference of Opinion Editors: Should the legal drinking age in the US be lowered?” Daily Bruin, 11 February 2025, https://dailybruin.com/2024/02/11/a-difference-of-opinion-editors-should-the-legal-drinking-age-in-the-us-be-lowered. Accessed 1 May 2025.
“Minimum Legal Drinking Age Saves Lives.” Alcohol Justice, https://alcoholjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MLDA2014.pdf. Accessed 1 May 2025.
Toomey, Traci L., et al. “The Minimum Legal Drinking Age History, Effectiveness, and Ongoing Debate.” ALCOHOL HEALTH & RESEARCH WORLD, vol. 20, no. 4, 1996, pp. 213-218. National Library of Medicine, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6876521/pdf/arhw-20-4-213.pdf. Accessed 1 May 2025.
Wallace, Stephen G. “The Over/Under: A Back-Story Behind the Drinking Age Debate.” American Camp Association, American Camp Association, January 2009, https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/over-under-back-story-behind-drinking-age-debate. Accessed 1 May 2025.
Wechsler, Henry, and Toben F. Nelson. “Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences Among Youths?” American Journal of Public Health, 2011. APHA Publications, https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2009.178004. Accessed 1 May 2025.
“Why A Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 Works.” CDC, 15 May 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/underage-drinking/minimum-legal-drinking-age.html. Accessed 30 April 2025.
The Raider Press 