Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age At 21

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It is apparent that the legal drinking age has been a long disputed topic. Many people support lowering the drinking age to 18, while others are against lowering it. Although there are pros and cons of keeping the age at 21, it is clear that both parties are concerned for teen safety and to make sure they understand the consequences and dangers associated with the consumption of alcohol. While researching this topic online to get a better understanding of the consequences and benefits of changing the drinking age, I came across your article “Raising the Drinking Age to 21 Has Been a Disastrous 30-Year Experiment” in The New York Times about why the drinking age should be 18. As an 18-year-old college student, I understand why my peers would …show more content…

The minimum drinking age doesn’t just affect the teen safety, it also affects the safety of the general public because young adults are allowed to drive and perform other tasks that be can be dangerous to others. I agree with the logic of the argument that establishing a safe environment for drinking is an effective way to enforce alcohol safety for young people and to prevent them from irresponsible drinking. So if we can’t stop young people from drinking, it may be better to teach them how to drink safely, right? But something to consider is lowering the age to 18, could also possibly make alcohol more accessible to even younger teens. Keeping in mind that some 18-year-old are still high school seniors, it may open up alcohol as the “cool and popular drink” to juniors or sophomores set by the example of their older peers. As a society we have worked towards protecting our young from harmful substances, knowing how irresponsible teenagers and young adults can be (myself included), this may create new problems in high …show more content…

Alcohol interferes greatly with brain development. Because the frontal lobe does not fully develop until around 21, alcohol may tamper with the process and may cripple the brain in the future. In addition, like drugs, it is possible to develop tolerance to alcohol, so if you start drinking at a young age you will have to drink more to get the same “high” or effect. Lowering the age may cause young adults in their 20s to consume even more than they would have. Ms. Nugent, your article opened up supports and benefits to lowering the drinking age and compelled me to think and question my stance on the issue. While I have the utmost respect for your opinions, it is just as important to consider the effect it can have on other age groups as well. With a little bit of research, I am still leaning towards the side against it. There is still a lot of debate on the issue, but keeping the age where it is might be most beneficial until we have further research that says

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