For as long as I can remember, alcohol has been a hot topic for young adults — especially those under the age of 21.
All I seem to hear about nowadays is whose party had the best booze and which people were caught for underage drinking.
Then there is always a tirade of complaints that soon follows that always seems to go along the lines of “I’m an adult, so why can’t I drink?”
It’s not a secret that most people between the ages of 18 and 20 pray for the day that the government magically decides to lower that “golden age”.
I am not one of those people though, for quite a few reasons.
Since high school, I’ve been involved with a prevention coalition where we teach kids and young adults the dangers of everything from bullying to drunk driving. Because of this, I know a lot about why the drinking age is 21.
Underage drinking is not only irresponsible, but it’s also dangerous for your body. According to the CDC and the Federal Trade Commission, a person’s brain is not fully developed until a person is in their mid-20s.
Studies have shown that consuming alcohol with a still-developing brain can greatly increase a person’s chances for cognitive defects and developing anxiety problems or depression.
Why someone would want to risk damage to their brain for the chance to have a few drinks is beyond me. This, however, is not the only reason why I support the current age limit.
People have their own reasons for believing in a lowered drinking age. I think one of the main reasons I support the drinking age is because it enforces the idea of responsibility.
Prevention specialist Courtney Echols helped to explain this concept by using the example of a rental car. Most rental companies will not allow anyone under 25 to rent a car from them because of the concept of responsibility; they don’t trust someone who is young and a ‘new adult’ to be able to make the best decisions.
We have different age limits for various reasons. You can’t retire with full benefits until age 67, you can’t become president until age 35, you can’t drink until age 21 and you can’t buy nicotine products until age 18.
These ages have valid reasons for why they are set the way they are.
In my opinion, if we plan to keep a society that’s built around the concept of responsibility, then we need to keep the drinking age right where it is.
“According to the CDC and the Federal Trade Commission, a person’s brain is not fully developed until a person is in their mid-20s.” …and the Federal Trade Commission knows a lot about that. Translation: A new scientific study published in the New England Journal of Medicine proves that the politicians you voted against have a right to commit this hate crime against you.
“These ages have valid reasons for why they are set the way they are. ” Having a reason does NOT entitle you to hire gun-toting goons in bulletproof vests to intimidate people into abstaining from the beverage of their choice.