Eric Otto

The Drinking Age

In the United States, when you turn 18, you legally become an adult. By age 18, you can take on many responsibilities. You can vote, buy a house, start a business, get married, start a family, and invest your money in the stock market. They all require responsible decision-making. So why can't 18-year-olds buy or drink alcohol? If you can be married and live in your own home at 18, you should be able to enjoy a fine port wine while doing so. The United States is one of only four countries in the world in which the drinking age is 21. In other countries, the drinking age is lower or doesn't even exist. Many people think if the drinking age is lowered to 18, then alcohol would be available to a younger audience. I found that nearly 71% of eight graders already have access to alcohol and say it's rather easy to get alcohol. So, lowering the drinking age to 18 wouldn't really affect this already occurring problem. The bottom line here is that if you're considered an adult at age 18, you should be able to drink alcohol. A helpful website I found dealing with this issue was http://www.youthrights.org/dafaq.shtml.