Devin Craner

Mr.Tootalian
Hybrid English 12
May 9, 2014






The Drinking Age Controversy


The United States of America is often referred to as The Home of the Free.
The United States also is the country that ranks in having the highest minimum
drinking age at 21 years old -- so much for being called free. Joseph A.
Califano Jr. argued in his 2003 article Dont Make Teen Drinking Easier that
the United States is correct in choosing to have the minimum drinking age higher
than most other countries. His article includes facts supporting his argument that
the drinking age should remain at 21 years old. These facts include how students
in other countries are more likely to use and abuse alcohol at a younger age,
how teenagers are more likely to binge-drink, and how drinking at a young age
interferes with growth and development.
Califano argued that American 10th-graders are less likely to use and abuse
alcohol than people of the same age in almost all European countries, including
Britain (2003, p. 88). While he stated this is true because this information was
taken from the Justice Departments 2001 analysis comparing drinking rates in
Europe and the United States, it would be more rational to look at the situation
more closely. In Britain, it is legal to consume and buy alcohol at 16 years old at
locations where alcohol is served given that the drink accompanies a meal
(Reid, 2003, p. 86). The average 10th-grader is about 15 or 16 years old. Given
that the 10th-grader is 16 years old, of course Britain adolescents are more likely
to use alcohol; it is legal for them to purchase and consume it. It is still arguable
that they are likely to abuse the fact that they are able to buy alcohol at a young
age, but what makes it any different if a 21 year old in America abuses alcohol?
Given that the drinking age starts at 16 years old, it gives Britain adolescents five
years of experience buying and consuming alcohol legally that American
adolescents do not receive. It makes them more knowledgable of their tolerance
at an earlier age and more experienced at controlling how much they drink.
Having the knowledge of this type of information earlier than Americans provides
them with being more aware of how much they can consume to the point that
would be considered abusing, therefore giving them a lower chance of abusing
the privilege that they have. Regardless of what age a person has their first
drink, the limit to how much alcohol one can consume is never predictable.
Because 16 year olds in Britain can only consume and purchase alcohol in
places such as restaurants and pubs, it makes it much safer that they are
learning their limits under plenty of adult supervision that surrounds them. Reid in
his 2003 article Let My Teenager Drink stated that [...] overseas, they did
their drinking at a bar, a concert or a party. There were adults -- and, often,
police -- around to supervise (p.87). This provides the security that if they
make the mistake of abusing alcohol the first time they consume it (or any other
time that they do), they have plenty of help surrounding them to get them home
safely. As a result, most teenagers learned to use alcohol socially and
responsibly (Reid, 2003, p. 87).
Because the drinking age in the United States is higher than most countries,
many teens resort to binge-drinking which is commonly also referred to in
American colleges as pre-gaming. Reid said that the politicians dont like to
admit that this problem is largely a product of the liquor laws (2003, p. 86) and
any college student will tell you that the pre-game goal is to get good and drunk
[...] before the social event begins (2003, p. 87). Because binge-drinking is
worse for the human body than drinking moderately, this provides defense for
Califano when he said that teen drinking -- not bingeing, just drinking -- can
seriously damage growth processes of the brain and that such damage can be
long term and irreversible (2003, p. 89). Although drinking can damage the
human body, whether it is binge-drinking or not, it is more commonly unknown
that moderately drinking provides the body with benefits as well. According to
David J. Hanson, Ph.D in his online article Benefits of Moderate Drinking
Results from Alcohol Itself the alcohol consumed from moderate drinking
reduces heart attacks, ichemic strokes, and circulatory problems through a
number of identified ways (n.d.). Some of these ways include improving blood
cholesterol, decreasing blood clots, and reducing blood pressure. Lowering
blood pressure lowers your stress level. High levels of stress is a very common
experience for teenagers with all of the pressures that come with being a student
in high school or college. Lowering the drinking age would give students more
opportunities to lower their stress level, improving their overall health as well as
their grades. If teenagers were more aware of the benefits they can receive from
moderately drinking, the concept of binge-drinking would be thought of as absurd
and unlikely in respect to bodily health.
In America, we are given the right to vote, play the lottery, drive without
restrictions, and even join the military at the age of 18. Teens are given these
privileges with assumption that at 18 years old he or she will be mature enough
to handle the responsibilities of being an adult. Why should buying and drinking
alcohol be avoided in the handful of opportunities provided at such age? If a
teenager is able to vote and make a decision that can effect the entire nation,
they should be able to choose whether or not it is in their best interest to
consume alcohol -- something that only effects themselves and is possible to
obtain bodily benefits from. Providing adolescents with a lower drinking age
gives them the chance to moderate their drinking and to do so safely, as well as
ultimately causing ignorance about drinking to end earlier. Lowering the drinking
age can also be an advantage for the United States in this way by helping to
control the abuse of alcohol provided by the high drinking age. The earlier safe
and responsible drinking is taught to and experienced by teens, the more safe
and responsible they will be about it, making lowering the drinking age to be a
wise decision for American youth.













Work Cited
References:

Califano, J. (2003). Dont make teen drinking easier. In D. Seyler
(Ed.), Read, reason, write: An argument text and reader (10th ed., pp.
88-90). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Reid, T. R. (2003). Let my teenager drink. In D. Seyler (Ed.), Read,
reason, write: An argument text and reader (10th ed., pp. 86-88). New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Hanson, David J. (n.d.). Benefits of moderate drinking result from alcohol
itself.