Should the Legal Drinking Age be Lowered?

The drinking age has been a major issue, especially in today's society, with the many people who enjoy drinking underage and over age. This targets young adults who should be informed about both sides of this issue and underage drinkers and critics who believe the drinking age should remain at age 21.

There has been many conflict theories and talks on whether the legal drinking age should be lowered. So many people state their opinions and pros and cons to both sides of the issue. People who believe keeping the drinking age at 21 think that if the law changed to 18, teenagers would continue to drink at a lower age. "As children move from adolescence to young adulthood, they encounter dramatic physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes."(Underage Drinking) This statement is associated with binge drinking. The risk taking consequences also play into effect of drinking at age 18. Eighteen year old's brain is not fully developed until well into the twenties. The brain is not capable of knowing when to stop drinking as well as a 21 year old. Eighteen year olds brains are still establishing "...important communication connections and further refines its function." (Underage Drinking) The adolescents brain is still maturing and the studies that have been done to test if alcohol effects the brain have been extremely complex. Critics also say lowering the drinking age would increase drunk driving and accident rates due to alcohol. Supporters of the drinking age at 21 are worried about the health effects and safety effects in adults as well as the maturity level of handling alcohol.

Many critics believe that the drinking age should be lowered to 18.  Since age 18 means you are legally an adult and that gives you rights to vote, get married,  and serve in the military, people believe that they should be able to have a drink. It is said that it is not right that 18 year olds can make every other important decision in ones life but can not drink.  Drinking is also known to be a rebellious act for teenagers but critics strongly believe that if the law was changed to lower the drinking age, it would take away the rebellious act of underage drinking " Lowering the drinking age will make alcohol less of a taboo, take away the thrill that many young people get from breaking the law..." (ProCon.org) A recent argument of pro lowering the drinking age is that teenagers often drink more when they get the chance too because of the uncertainty as to when they might have the chance to drink again. Since the drinking age has been set at 21, it has not stopped teens from underage drinking, it has only pushed them to drink in unsupervised places which to some critics, is a lot more dangerous. Teenagers have been forced to drink in isolated places where officials and administrators do not have any control and it leaves the teens unsupervised. Sometimes it can even lead to teenagers being afraid to seek medical attention because of fear for legal consequences.

There are many pros and cons to both lowering the drinking age and keeping the drinking age the same, but this issue has been a controversial issue since the drinking age was set at 21 in 1988.

This video explains the debate of lowering the drinking age and keeping the drinking age the same. It questions whether keeping the legal drinking age at 21 is effective and safe.

The graph to the right was taken in 2007 and it shows the number of people who use alcohol current, binge and heavily. This graph is separated by gender.

The graph to the left was also taken in 2007 and it shows the percentages of people who are in favor of lowering the drinking age and who oppose lowering the drinking age.


Studies show that underage drinking is associated with academic failure and parents and critics who do not support lowering the drinking age are worried that if we do lower the legal drinking age, teenagers school work and grades might slip. Alcohol has a negative effect on teenagers academic performance some say. Parents and reviewers also have said that the earlier children start drinking the more likely that that child will become an alcoholic later in his or her life. It is not a secret that alcohol is not good for the brain and simply almost ever organ in ones body, but it is especially bad for the brain and body when the children are still growing and the brain is still developing parents argue. Opposers of keeping the drinking age the same say that the earlier one starts drinking the more that child is taught how to drink in moderation and the less they suffer from binge drinking. It is better to teach the youth how to drink responsibly and that comes with holding teenagers accountable on their actions such as driving and drinking.

All fifty states in the United States have had their minimum legal drinking age at 21 since 1988 and even though the drinking age has been talked about and debated on. There is benefits on both sides of the argument and for years underage drinking has been a major problem.

Work Cited:

“The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age”.  CBS News. Web. 1 March 2010. 3 July 2011. 

“Should the Drinking Age be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?”. ProCon.org. Web. 15 July 2011. 23 July 2011.

“Why do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented?”. NIAAA (National Institute On Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Web. January 2006. 23 July 2011.