The Drinking Age in the US

by johnny kemp in Issues, August 2, 2009

The drinking age in the united states is 21 – but why not 18?

The mothers against drunk driving otherwise known as MADD is the number one reason why the drinking age in the U.S is 21. However we must all think to our selves and ask; is it the alcohols fault, the parents fault or the teens fault? You can blame the alcohol for its negative and impairing side effects or blame the parents for not teaching their kids the responsibility’s of drinking or just blame the teen/adult for their stupidity. It is estimated that there are about 75,000 alcoholic related deaths per year in the U.S alone. Only 4,000 out of the 75,000 are overdose commonly known as alcohol poisoning.

Many people out there believe that the drinking age should be 18. Some believe that if we expose alcohol to 18 year olds it will teach them at a younger age the responsibilities of drinking. Almost every teenager prays for their 21st birthday party to come as soon as possible; there fore people believe the drinking age should be 18 so there is no build up point to that 21st birthday party. According to a study in 2006, 164 students that were turning 21 were studied during their special day; 34% of them blacked out drunk on their birthday, number of them that died N/A. Another argument out there is, once you turn 18 you are now eligible to join the army/military services, and the purchase of firearms. When looking at the big picture think to yourself; what is the difference from war and drinking? They both can put Your life at serious risk.