Everyone knows that it is illegal to consume alcohol until the age of 21. Many people are in agreement with this legal restriction. Some would even say that it should be raised. However, the legal drinking age sometimes causes more problems than it prevents.

First, it is necessary to question this law. Why is 21 the "magical" age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol? In an alcohol summit held in Boulder Colorado, Boulder County Sheriff George Epp said "There's a general belief that immature people are less likely to handle the effects of alcohol, so our Congress has chosen to set an arbitrary limit (at age 21). We all know some people under 21 who can drink responsibly, and some over 21 with no hope of ever drinking responsibly,". Why isn’t the limit 18 or 35 or 40? This seemingly arbitrary number is associated with adulthood, as if the day a person turns 21 they know everything and are mature.

The drinking age used to be 18 in some states. Many parents of today's teenagers were legally allowed to drink at 18. Today's teenagers face more responsibility and are treated more like adults than their parents were. This makes the 21 restriction seem out of date. At 18, people are considered adults. It is the opinion of many people whose sites I visited that if it is legal for 18 year olds to drive cars, fly planes, vote, marry, pay taxes, take out loans and risk their lives in the armed forces then it should be legal for them to drink alcohol. I also am in agreement with this statement.

Today's legal drinking age is unrealistic. Prohibiting the sale of liquor to young adults creates an atmosphere where binge drinking and alcohol abuse have become a problem. Banning drinking for young people makes alcohol a tantalizing forbidden fruit. Teenagers look at drinking as something glamorous. It is viewed as an adult activity; and teenagers want to be adults as soon as possible. In order to get a drink, teenagers will carry fake I.D.s ask legal drinkers to buy for them or sneak drinks from their parents' liquor cabinets. This kind of devious attitude does not encourage responsible drinking. Furthermore, when the opportunity to drink arises, there is a kind of "Let's make up for lost time" attitude. The result is binge drinking.

The drinking age should be lowered to 18. With the focus on education about safe drinking instead of restriction, many problems would be averted. American teenagers, unlike European teens, do not learn how to drink gradually, safely and in moderation. There alcohol abuse isn’t as big of a problem. This comes from educated and gradual drinking.

Young people learn to regard moderate drinking as an enjoyable social activity rather than as something they have to sneak around to do. Without this kind of system, college is viewed as a kind of liberation. If 18 year olds do not have legal access to even a beer in a public place, they are ill equipped to deal with the responsibilities that come with drinking when they do have the right.

The drinking age should be lowered because the current age has no real basis. With a lowered drinking age, fewer problems will be present. The Boulder County Alcohol Summit came up with no concrete action plan but they seemed to agree that we need to teach responsible drinking, not forbid teens from drinking. The problems, which make a drinking age limit necessary, are better solved through a lowered drinking level and more education on responsible drinking. So the next time the issue is put to a vote be sure to vote for lowering this arbitrary drinking age.

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