Lowering The Drinking Age to 18

            Drinking has been a privilege since the minimum drinking age in 1984.  For many years people have fought for this act to change back.  Prohibition started in the 1920’s and it tried to abolish alcohol but, many people smuggled it into underground bars.  The drinking age hasn’t helped anyone. The only thing that the drinking age did was keep the people who don’t drink from drinking but left the teens who drink still drinking.  The drinking age is unjust and is putting pressure on the teens to drink.

            In most countries drinking isn’t a privilege and the teens are able to drink at free will.  In our country when we turn 21 we feel free and start to treat alcohol disrespectfully.  Teens in other countries don’t have pressure on them when they drink because they are used to it and treat it respectfully.  Yet, there are going to be alcoholics in both countries but growing up with it might lower the risk.

            In the United States many of us drink to get drunk.  Most countries they drink for special occasions but not to get drunk.  We treat alcohol like a drug just to make us drunk.  We should be treating it like a drink to have fun.  Throughout Europe they drink at young ages and can see how they act when it is misused and learn to not do that again.  They also probably feel very sick drinking a lot at a young age and might decide to never drink or drink a little bit in their future.

            In the past Prohibition banned alcohol throughout the United States.  Many people fought this idea and tried to bring alcohol back.  Prohibition did not work then and prohibition for young people under the age of 21 is not working now (Engs 1).  There is no use for the law if people are going to break it.  Police have other issues to watch other than teens drinking, so they shouldn’t be wasting their time to protect the law.

            I believe that the drinking age should be lowered just because there are so many other things that we should be caring about.  Many teens drink and get into trouble from police.  This would be eliminated if we never had the law so cops wouldn’t have to watch us.