Legal Drinking Age, Lowered?

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The world would probably be a crazy place if the legal drinking age was lowered to eighteen. It would cause so many problems for people, on the roads, in restaurants, and at parties. Some believe that if citizens are old enough to fight for their country, they should be old enough to drink; however, the legal drinking age should not be lowered to eighteen because it would lead to damage of the brain and risks that could lead to death. Many people believe that if you are able to sign up for the draft to fight, you should be able to buy alcohol. In the article, “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Drink,” Reynolds notes an Alaska State Representative and also a Vietnam veteran, Bob Lynn, on his reasons behind making an effort to change the drinking age for active-duty service members. He mentions, “If you get shot at, you can have a shot” (qtd. In Reynolds). People believe that because of all the other things you can legally do at age eighteen that you should be able to drink, also. Even though the “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Drink” argument is somewhat substantial, drinking age should not be lowered because of the changes noted since the drinking age was moved to twenty one. Later in the article, Lynn states the defenders opinion on the argument. He states, “Defenders of that status claim that highway deaths have fallen since the drinking age was raised from 21 to 18…” (Lynn). Statistics prove that since the drinking age has been raised, the deaths and injuries have decreased. Many dangerous consequences would come with lowering the drinking age to eighteen. In the article, “A Nation’s Need to Protect Its Youth,” Stephen Wallace talks about the risk of lowering the drinking age. He says, “Among the key threats facing our k... ... middle of paper ... ...nd psychological disabilities in the individual as well as the community” (Fitzgerald). Excessive alcohol misuse could lead to permanent damage to the brain, causing problems in the future. The effects of lowering the drinking age to eighteen could be very harmful, such as permanent damage to the brain, and risks that could lead to death. There are enough fatalities with the drinking age being twenty-one and by lowering it, we would just be asking for more. To save lives and keep people healthy, we need to keep the legal drinking age at twenty one. Works Cited Reynolds, Glenn H. “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Drink.” Wall Street Journal: A.17. Apr 13 2011. Sirs Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Nov. 2013 . Wallace, Stephen. "A Nation's Need to Protect Its Youth." Cincinnati Enquirer. 09 May 2013: 8. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Nov 2013.

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