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Breeonna Werner
March 7, 2015
Professor Jennifer Courtney
Draft #1 Position Paper
Should the Drinking Age Be Decreased or Increased?
The question for a long time is whether or not the drinking age should be increased or
decreased. It could either be good or bad; depending on how you look at it. Many people believe
that if you are old enough to go to war for your country, than you should be able to drink alcohol
at 18 years old. Others may strongly disagree. What good could come out of decreasing it?
Would it be pure chaos, and more DUIs, or would it make people be more responsible since at 18
you are an adult? What good could come out of increasing it?
In my opinion, I think that keeping the drinking age the same is effective enough. I
believe that lowering it would affect the mind negatively considering you are still learning and
growing at 18. I also believe that raising it would make people more responsible, since you are
older, but I don’t really believe that it would make a huge difference in society. Underage
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drinkers always are going around the law. There is always a relative or a friend who can
purchase the alcohol for them. So, I think that raising it, this behavior would more than likely
just increase.
The picture that I posted above makes you start to think about how you act before you
choose to drink. I think that people need to drink more responsibly. Making the wrong choice,
such as drinking and driving puts yourself as well as others at risk. A lot of the younger
generation doesn’t think about the consequences of drinking and driving. One person named
Sarah that I know was arrested because she had been arrested for drinking and drinking. She was
only 16 at the time. She obviously was not thinking clearly about her choice because she could
have killed a family by choosing to get behind the wheel. The younger population doesn’t seem
to realize how badly drinking impairs their driving. In my own personal opinion, I think that
they should raise the driving age to 18 to reduce this from happening as often instead of raising
the drinking age.
In the state of Colorado, there are drinking 3.2 bars where you can legally drink at the age
of 19 years old. The only thing you are able to consume is 3.2 percent beer. This is crazy
considering that other states are very strict with no exceptions at all.
After doing some research on lowering the drinking age, I came across the fact that 29
states allow underage drinking, only with certain orders. In these states, 16 year old cannot just
go out for a night on the town and drink large amounts of alcohol wherever and whenever they
please. When underage drinking takes place in these 29 states, they must be on private property
and must involve adult supervision. There are 25 states that practice this for religious reasons,
and 11 of them is for educational reason. I was shocked to learn this, because I had no idea that
this was allowed in America at all.
After viewing this research online it states, “Between 1970 and 1976, 30 states lowered
their Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) from 21 to 18, 19 or 20.” (procon.org) After the
alcohol prohibition era, Oklahoma and Illinois changed their laws for men to have the legal
drinking age of 21, and 18 for women.
While reviewing the pros and cons of lowering the drinking age I came across something
interesting. One argument stating the pros showed that at the age of 18 a person is an adult and
should be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage. The other side of the argument states, “Alcohol
consumption can interfere with development of the young adult brain’s frontal lobes, essential
for functions such as emotional regulation, planning, and organization.” (procon.org) this seems
to be more reasonable with the cons side due to the fact that drinking alcohol at a younger age
can interfere with how you mentally operate throughout your life.
According to another article I read, the National Legal Drinking Age was passed through
the law 30 years ago in July. It states here, “It is absurd and unjust that young Americans can
vote, marry, enter contracts, and serve in the military, but cannot buy an alcoholic drink in a bar
or restaurant.” (Paglia, 2014) At the age of 16, you can actually legally purchase and consume
alcohol in Germany, but most definitely not in America. It is strongly regulated throughout the
United States. In America 70 percent of teenagers have had one or more alcoholic drinks before
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the age of 18 as well. Some people think that decreasing it will keep kids or teens from
experimenting with other drugs, like cocaine, or ecstasy because they will be able to enjoy their
own drink for relaxation or partying. Paglia states in her article, “Learning how to drink
responsibly is a basic lesson in growing up-as it is in wine drinking France or in Germany, with
its own family oriented beer gardens and festivals.” (Paglia, 2014)
Throughout that article Paglia makes a good point. In other countries it is completely
natural to consume alcohol before the age of 21. People grow up around wineries, and breweries.
It is the way they were raised. I don’t think underage drinking should involve getting plastered,
because it has so many negative effects on the brain. I do however think it should be okay to
have a glass of wine or beer based off of one’s family culture.
In another article it speaks about the Amethyst Initiative which “calls for elected officials
to reexamine underage drinking laws.” (Main, 2009) It also talks about an organization called
“Choose Responsibility.” They were in the process of lowering the drinking age to 18 years old.
These advocates have inspired the government to possibly change the law to have an exception
of minors being supervised while drinking. Main also asserts, “The statement says “21 is not
working” and it asks “How many times must we relearn the lessons of the Prohibition.” (Main,
2009) I agree with their views to a point. I agree that if minors want to drink they should be
supervised, although I don’t think it is good for them to endue that for a bad mental outcome.
In conclusion, I believe that the drinking age should stay the same. I don’t believe
that raising it would do any good, except cause chaos. I believe that raising it would just make
people choose to do other things such as drugs. I think lowering it can do some good for our
country, but I do not completely agree with it. If it is to be lowered to 18, I think it should only
be for people in the military and on base, considering that these soldiers are fighting for our
country. I believe that drinking before the age of 21 can have severe outcomes. Your brain is
still going through changes and still growing at 18, and I think that only leaves room for poor
choices and mental instability. At 21 I think you are more responsible than at 18, and you need to
know when it is too much. So, to be clear, I do not think the drinking age should budge. It should
stay the same.
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Works Cited
http://drinkingage.procon.org/
-No known publication date or author
Paglia, Camille: Time. It’s Time to Let Teenagers Drink Again. 05/19/2014
Volume 183: Issue 9. p 22
-SLCC Library
*Main, Carla T: Policy Review. Underage Drinking and the Drinking Age. June/July 2009
Issue 155. P. 33-46
-SLCC Library