15 Reasons Why Drinking Age Should Be 18

There has been a lot of debate when it comes to the legal drinking age here in US. When it comes to law, there is always an opinion, some are for it and some are against. When it comes to the legal drinking age being 21 we are totally against it. Legal drinking age varies by country. Lets see some of the reasons as to why we think the legal drinking age in US should be 18 and not 21. We will start out with the one that almost everyone against the law seems to talk about.

1

An 18 year old in US has the right to vote, and serve in the military. If an 18 year old can make up their mind as to who the potential leader of the country should be and take a bullet for their country, they should have every right to purchase and drink alcohol.

2

It is usually said that an 18 year old has less tolerance as compared to a 21 year old. Although this might be true, in most cases you don’t really know how much you can handle as long as you try it out. Tolerance doesn’t come with age, tolerance come with realization of responsibility and there are people that are more responsible at 15 than some are at 50.

3

Anyone under 21 sees alcohol as a “forbidden fruit.” The curiosity leads to more people under the age of 21 drinking anyway. If drinking is made legal for the 18 and older, it will serve much better as the curiosity isn’t as high and the fruit isn’t forbidden anymore.

4

When in college most students under the age of 21 can get hold of drink through their seniors. They are not allowed to drink at events where others might be able to drink. This once again makes them want to be a rebel and try out what it is they are being kept away from. They will give it a shot. The fact that they don’t know when they will be able to drink again is the reason most college students tend to get overly drunk when they get a chance. As a result there are problems as serious as deaths.

5

Countries such as Italy, China, Greece are some of the countries where the legal drinking age is lower and they seem to have fewer alcohol related problems. Current law in terms of legal drinking age has caused more alcohol related deaths than there has ever been.

6

When drinking is made legal for anyone under the age of 21 and over 18, drinking takes place in public. It can then be supervised by police, security guards and health workers as well.

7

Colleges and Universities often argue that the legal drinking age should be 18 because outlawing alcohol consumption in colleges for those under 21 is making the problem worse. These colleges and universities say that allowing alcohol consumption legally might help cut down alcohol related deaths in colleges.

8

People under the age of 21 tend to drink more when they get hold of alcohol because of the uncertainty as to when they might be able to drink again.

9

Whether the legal drinking age is 21 or 18, there are going to be problems related to alcohol. And making 21 the legal age to drink doesn’t solve that problem. As a matter of fact, this is one of the reason why we see so many alcohol related deaths among teens. They get their hands on alcohol and get overly intoxicated as they are never sure if they will have access to this forbidden fruit ever again until they are 21.

10

An 18 year old is considered an adult and can be tried in court if he makes false judgement and commits a crime. So an 18 year old is capable of making every other decision as an adult but is incapable of making a decision whether or not they should drink? The 21 year old age limit for alcohol consumption sounds somewhat hypocritical.

11

If you are legal to get married at the age of 18 and end up getting married, you are not allowed to drink in your own wedding? That doesn’t sound right

12

According to a study, 22% of all students under 21 compared to 18% over 21 years of age are heavy drinkers. Among drinkers only, 32% of under age compared to 24% of legal ager are heavy drinkers.

13

If the legal drinking age were to be 18, colleges would be able to regulate alcohol use so students don’t get overly intoxicated. They can be monitored whereas when they are hiding and drinking you can’t really go sniffing their cups or making false accusations.

14

Drinking under the age of 21 is seen by most 18 years and older as a sign of adulthood. They are allowed to do everything else and call themselves an adult and they don’t want to be stopped from being an adult when it comes to drinking.

15

We have tried prohibition legislation twice for controlling irresponsible drinking problems in the past. Once in 1850s and again in the 1920s. These laws were repealed because they could not be enforced and the backlash caused other societal problems. The law didn’t work then and as we all know isn’t working now. It’s time for a change.

Let’s take a look at 4 scenarios. There are 3 people in a family. Dad, mom and son John Doe. Here is a conversation between them :

Scenario 1

Mom : John now that you are out of high school, what do you plan on doing? College?

John : Actually I am thinking of joining the military.

(John is old enough to make a decision and enlist in the army)

Scenario 2

Dad : Hey John, you are 19 years old. Don’t you think its time you get an apartment or something?

John Doe : Yeah, I am looking.

(John is an adult and families have a conceived notion that once kids are over 18, they should move on with their own lives and get on their foot)

Scenario 3

John : Hey mom, dad. I have been seeing this girl for 4 years and I think I want to marry her.

Mom : You can’t marry now. You are only 19!

John Doe : I would hate to go against your wish but I am an adult and I have the right to marry if I want. Besides she is pregnant.

(John is an adult and yes he does have the right to marry and make that decision)

Scenario 4

Mom : John, I don’t appreciate you drinking before you are 21.

(Drunk) John Doe : Whatever mom. I am an adult and I am going to do whatever I want.

(John is a rebel and feels his adulthood is in stake by not having the opportunity to make his own decision on whether or not he should drink. Result : family tension, underground drinking, drinking problems. This leads to one problem after another and in worst case alcohol related death)

Well, that’s a great law! He is an adult enough to move out, marry against his parents will and yes enlist in the army. But he isn’t old enough to drink? You decide.

Share your thoughts as to what the legal drinking age should be and why…

Feel free to discuss this topic on our forum as well

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note : We have been getting a lot of request on using this for research for school papers. Feel free to do so and please credit cognac.com

Related posts:

1. Legal Drinking Age In Different Countries
2. Drinking Alcohol (in moderation) Is Good For You, Here’s Why
3. 5 Reasons To Try Cognac
4. Beginner’s Guide To Drinking Cognac
5. Words Every Cognac Drinking Person Should Know

193 Responses to “15 Reasons Why Drinking Age Should Be 18”

1. Cathy says:

   September 22, 2009 at 12:23 am

   Where will the fun go for everyone if the drinking age goes down?

   There will be another trail, if the age gets lowered to 18, high school students will be able to access alcohol through their seniors.

   But overall, i don’t really see the big deal, do we honestly need alcohol that badly? Stats even show that even the underage drinking rate has declined over the years (http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/YouthIssues/1085160584.html)
2. ryan says:

   September 24, 2009 at 3:01 pm

   I also think the age should be lowered. teens, with the legal drinking age now 21, once they get beer or what ever they will drink more of it because they dont know the next time they could. Do alot now so you are good til the next time seems to be some of my friends motto when it comes to drinking. If it was lower, teens wouldnt feel like they had to drink alot that one friday a month party that they go to. they could drink legally and not have to hide away. And when driving is conserned, now teens drive to a field to hide from there parents and others, thats fine.. but when there done they all drive back to town. My cousin was one of those people. He died cuz he had to drive back. If the age was 18 you could drink in town and not have to make such a big deal about drinking.
3. Matt says:

   September 25, 2009 at 12:17 am

   I believe that the drinking age is too high. High School and College students drink alot because they arent supossed to. Most of the time, when a teen dies of an overdose, it is because he doesnt have access to alcohol any other time, so they drink as much as possible. This happened to me, and my friend, although we only had hangovers, not hospital visits.
4. Ed says:

   September 28, 2009 at 9:56 pm

   Now there is a difference than just lowering the age to 18…..
   I am 18 years old now and in college, i have lived in England and the drinkin age there is 18. Now the parents over there see drinking alcohol as a thing to do in social situations such as parties and buisness gatherings. They let their children at a young age drink in the home during holidays and later on around 16 they are allowed to drink during “football” (soccer) matches. This type of monitoring from parents helps the teens how to handle the alcohol and drink it as if it were soda instead of a amazing treat that they only get once a month. Parents in america should adopt these practices and help their children become responsible drinkers
5. Timbo'Slice says:

   October 6, 2009 at 1:57 pm

   the drinking age should be lowerd to 18 because i said so!!!!!
6. In your base says:

   October 7, 2009 at 5:14 pm

   I’m under 21 and own a house, not apartment or trailer but a house. I worked hard for that. So… I drink at home. The law can’t bring me down!! Plus how hard is it to drink just 1 or 2 beers a day? It isn’t! But really I think it should be lowered. I know it used to be 18 for beers and 21 for liquors. But that was befor my time. Like 20 to 30 years ago. And plus I’m not taking a bullet for country or president if I can’t legally have a beer. I shouldn’t say that, the might call me a racist. That’s another thing wrong with America, if you disagree with the president your a racist. Sorry, I have ADHD and I jump from subject to subject, it made it hard for me in school. I knew a guy in school once. He was a pretty cool guy. I’m a college guy and I play ping pong not beer pong cause I don’t need a quick fix cause I got an apple that only shoots stars between 3 and 5 pm. If you get ta the chopper tell the cow in the red shoes that he owes me 20 bucks. Math!!!! Go on without me!!! I’ll be fine, get ta the pincher pot!!!!!

   I think Halo is a cool guy, he kills aliens and doesn’t afraid of anything.
7. kim says:

   October 13, 2009 at 12:23 pm

   it is true. John is an adult & is able to make his own desicions, so he should be able to drink. He seems responsiable enough to me.
8. Becca says:

   October 15, 2009 at 7:48 pm

   I believe the drinking age should be 18 also. You can pretty much do anything you want but you cant have a glass of wine with your dinner or a beer when you come home from war? Its an uneven distribution of freedom. Less people will be sneaking around and you can become more responsible younger with how you handle yourself.
9. Anahit says:

   October 16, 2009 at 12:50 am

   omg this is soooo true!
10. Anonymous says:

    October 16, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    The drinking age is too high. Look at some other countries that DONT have the prohibition limit. The kids prefer soda over beer. The 21 law just makes people want to experiment more.
11. Josh says:

    October 21, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    Hi i actually am doing a speech at my college about why the age limit of drinking should be 18 is it ok to use this information?
12. Anonymous says:

    October 21, 2009 at 11:30 pm

    Well lowering the age to 18 would be great but like Cathy said hs students would have access to it then. I think the age should be set at 19 or 20 most people graduate hs before then.
13. CHELSEA says:

    October 22, 2009 at 7:10 am

    I think changing the drinking age is very wrong! First of all changing the drinking age would be bad for the health and safety of someone who is 18 and in high school. 100’s of girls that become drunk are raped and abused, and thats not just girls underage, thats all ages. Plus many doctors have stated that your brain is not fully developed until mid 20’s. Plus allowing an 18 year old Senior in high school is going to cause drinking to be started at an even lower age!! And then we will have the 16 year old brand new drivers dying from being drunk.

    On the Scenario: If you want to be in the army and defend your country good for you

    If you want to get married and have a family before 21 good for you

    If you think you need to drink in order to do any of these things ur stupid.

    People can live without drinking at all

    If your 21 or 18 your still and you still make dumb choices.. no matter what the drinking age is.
14. polar979313 says:

    October 25, 2009 at 11:54 pm

    The drinking age should stay 21. Any visit to a teen party with alcohol will let you know that changing the drinking age is a horrible idea. usually, everyone who thinks its a good idea is just too drunk to make good decisions. Underage drinking is stupid and immature.
15. Brian Kirst says:

    November 2, 2009 at 6:16 pm

    I am kinda half n half on this, considering I am 18 and I do like to drink typically with band mates and socially. Everyone tends to have that rebellious component as I like to call it. They like to go against things, their parents say don’t do this, yet they do it, simply because of the rebellious component. I don’t really understand it. But it is there. My parents never really gave me limits or restrictions, just sort of like hints or guidelines, followed by explanations why. My father gave me the choice to do what I want, and he loves how I turned out. And it is a true fact that If someone is strictly told by their parents that they can’t do something, they’re deff going to try as bad as they can to go and do that now won’t they?
    Example: young high school girl is dating an older typical “bad boy”, parents find out and deny her from seeing him, and tell her that she better not be having sex with him or doing drugs. Let’s just say that he does drugs, and has wanted to have sex with her and she knows that. She will intentionally go do drugs and have sex with him just to go against her parents limitations. I’d rather it be 18 prior to my preference, but I would not buy alcohol for people under 18. I should probably even start carding women! (if you understand that) With women these days, you never know…
16. blue bee says:

    November 3, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    we are doing a debate at my school is ok for me to use this information
17. kylie says:

    November 4, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    some other countries that have lower drinking ages than the US have lower drunk drivers. turning the age from 21 to 18 is not technically going to increase or decrease for that matter. i think the US should have more public transportation in general because no matter what we will still have drunk drivers no matter what age our law is. if i was a parent with an 18 yr old i would make it know to them, if the law was set for 18, that i would be their transportation. since the law isn’t set at 18 not many parents want their kids breaking the law and drinking, therefore the majority isn’t going to provide that suppose of transportation or let them know that they would because it is not expected that their kid to be drink, therefore i just see the kid being to scared to disappoint their parents and asking for a ride from them. so \that leads to drunk driving. it makes since doesn’t it. i think making reasonable choices from kids has a lot to do with parenting and they will learn on their own. you have to let them because they will find out one way or another.
18. Sean says:

    November 5, 2009 at 3:55 am

    Yes but think about it people are drinking and driving. The rate for death is at least over 200,000 per year. think how many there would be if we lowered the drinking age. How much more teenagers will die? Does the U.S really want that to happen? think about it
19. Denise says:

    November 6, 2009 at 6:43 am

    This is why you should move to Canada
    More specifically Alberta

    No but seriously, you had some good arguments but it was pretty repetitive and I think that because the right to vote, and defending your country are positive things, then being allowed to drink shouldn’t be compared to them.
    Alcohol doesn’t get you anywhere in life anyways so 21 isn’t that bad
    Stop complaining you Americans
    You should probably have compared alcohol related traumas in America to countries with a lower age limit, but that probably wouldn’t do much in your favour because my guess is that lower legal drinkig age leads to higher risks, but hey thats just a guess
20. Alex says:

    November 10, 2009 at 3:43 pm

    I am 17, and i think the drinking age shoud be lowered to 18. i know i have many ways of consuming alcohol through family and friends, and yeah i see why people call it the “forbidden fruit” because we binge drink, since we dont know when we will consume it again. in the united states we have more drinking related problems & deaths compared to other countries that have no drinking ages, or a lower one.
21. Josh says:

    November 12, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    well i have 1 thing 2 say…im in college and i know that there is an unlimited supply of alcohol there 4 the taking….and the HS students having access they already do…i know some middle school students that have access to some1 that will buy them alcohol…so it doesnt matter what the drinking age is…we will have alcohol.
22. Tressa says:

    November 12, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    I am doing a paper on this subject for school is it ok for me to use this site and the information in it.
23. BEASTMODE says:

    November 16, 2009 at 6:24 pm

    Can i use this article for my school paper?

    I think the age should be changed to 18 because a lot less kids would want to do it. If there was no drinking age the kids who already drink wouldnt drink anymore than they already do because be real.. anyone can get it. but if there was no limit noone would care as much and there wouldnt be such a craze over drinking
24. jacquia says:

    November 18, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    i feel that it also should be changed to 18 if u can sacrafice ur own life for ur country then ur country should give u the benefit of the doubt to treat u like a adult for fighting for them im in the navy and when i see shit that is hard to forget i try and just close my eyes and lose the thought but my sgt and chief light up a cig and drink a beer and the memory is gone i mean i went threw the same shit they just say we should all be treated equal in americas eyes
25. Monica says:

    November 19, 2009 at 3:36 am

    The legal drinking age is 21, but how many people do you think follow that law. At age 18 you are considered an adult, you can be tried in court as an adult, you can buy cigarettes as an adult, and you can get married with out parental consent, so why is it that you have to 21 before you are allowed to buy and consume alcohol? It honestly doesnt make any sense. Think about it, why do most underage kids drink or smoke? Because not being allowed to by law makes it fun and in many cases cool to other kids. Now imagine how many children are going to stop drinking if the drinking age was lowered. In france chldren the age of six and seven consume alcohol every day with at least two meals. Children here usually dont begin drinking until aroud age 15 to 16 so why not lower the drinking age to atleast 18 this way our troops who are at this time underage to drink will be able to drink. Grant it its not the healthiest thing for them to be doing but who are we to stop them? Its their bodies therefore it should be their choice.
26. Amanda says:

    November 23, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    I go a high school and getting alcohol is not difficult to get. It’s not a matter of whether or not a teenage can get it, it’s the parents job to teach their children to make informed choices. As the parent you need to know whats going on in your child’s life and how to best prepare them for the world. It’s not about acess, it’s about you teaching them values.
27. Tyler says:

    November 24, 2009 at 4:35 pm

    Besides the redundancy of a few, there are plenty of logical points made here. The primary points then, are this:

    1) If a person of the age 18 and older is allowed all the responsibilities of an adult and is legally considered one, then depriving him/her of the right to drink seems illogical.

    2) Since alcohol is forbidden to those under the age, it is more tempting to try and use. People become curious as to why they are disallowed something and will go after it more, hence under age drinkers consume more than what they would if they were legally allowed to.

    Another idea I will throw out: What about the economy? Wouldn’t opening the sale of alcoholic beverages boost the economy with all the new drinkers?
28. NODRINK says:

    November 26, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    i was abused by a alcoholic 21 year old, age has nothing to do with it
29. NODRINK says:

    November 26, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    age is not a factor in this problem responsibilty is
30. Zach and Joy says:

    December 4, 2009 at 7:05 pm

    Zach: I hate alcohol in all forms and smoking to im 16. But even i think that if you are classified as an adult then u shoudl not be restricted while other legal adults get to do it either let all adults do it or non thats my point.
    Joy:Also 16 if your responsible enough to have a family its ok. I think it should be lowered. no matter the drinking age people will still drink i did.
    Zach: she really did i threw it away though i was a good boyfriend. DRINKING IS WRONG!!!! SMOKING IS WRONG!!!
    Thats all i got.
    Joy; I smoke to im a bad person they should arrest me ( jk i dont smoke that much)
31. Ben Dover says:

    December 7, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    I love drinking even though im not 18 and i have 3 children and i let them drink so i really dont give a fuk what the legal drinking age is fuckers
32. dingle berry says:

    December 8, 2009 at 1:37 am

    im so totally wasted right now and its awesomeeee
33. emilie ouellette says:

    December 8, 2009 at 1:38 am

    im embaressed to admit that i have a pee pee
34. Julie says:

    December 8, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    I think it should be lowered to 18 too. I started drinking sophomore in high school. I think that no matter what the drinking age is people will find ways to get it. I think that at least if it is 18, it isn’t so illegal if you are 16 and drinking it. And in most states you dont start driving until about 18. If a 16 year old is going to drink, they will most likely have to depend on their parents to drive, so at least their parents will know if they are drinking or not. Plus they will learn their tolerance level at a younger age wheras if they dont learn it until 21 they will be away from there parents most likely, and if they get alcohol poison, there may be no one there able to help them right away, resulting in possibly death
35. Gaea says:

    December 8, 2009 at 9:22 pm

    I agree with this websites. The Reasons are reasonable,..i guess you could say. and it makes sense.
36. Lala:D says:

    December 10, 2009 at 1:40 am

    yeah the age should be lowered to 18 or even loweR!!!! Some countries don’t have a drinking age and there are less alcahol related accidents. If it were up to me the age would be like 15 people drink anyway so it makes no difference. And weed should be legalized as well……………..
37. Jen Bailey says:

    December 10, 2009 at 2:14 am

    Honestly, maturity does not necessarily come with age like most of you think. I’ve seen fifty year olds that act like five years olds and it’s not pretty. Lowering the drinking age is pointless because we might as well hand a bottle full of rum to a baby and say “drink up.” Yes, you can enlist in the military and all that, but people here in America usually don’t drink casually; they grab and chug (no offense to those of you out there that don’t). The reason it’s lower in other countries is because the laws are so much stricter and you’re taught how to do it responsibly and respectfully. Alcohol is also a very powerful drug; it’s proven that you lose pieces of your brain every time you drink, so what’s the point of letting young adolescents drink when they’re going into college? And for those of you who can’t wait, either go to another country or find something to do because I’m pretty sure get wasted and throwing up the next morning is not how a lot of people want to spend most of their lives. I also don’t like the article because too many things are repeated. I get it that eighteen year olds have adult responsibilities, but the way people are raised nowadays, I feel that those responsibilities are overrated in the U.S. Don’t say that it’s hard to have a job. I get that. Try being a third world citizen that’s thirteen years old (not that I am, but I’m on the soapbox atm) and having to take care of five siblings because your parents died of AIDS. I’m pretty sure they’re not worried about lowering the drinking age anytime soon. Seriously, people. Learn the real dangers of what you’re consuming.
38. Jen Bailey says:

    December 10, 2009 at 2:18 am

    And another thing; in psychology, tolerance doesn’t just depend on age; it also depends on weight, how long you’ve been consuming it (not hours; more like weeks as in you drink one beer a day for three months so your body is better able to tolerate alcohol), and psychological factors. Please; before you open your mouth to say you want it lowered just because, look up the dangers and think for yourself; is it really worth it? And as for legalizing weed…whatever floats your boat because one of my supporting thoughts for legalizing weed is that it’s not as dangerous as alcohol…especially in the sense that your brain is intact.
39. something says:

    December 10, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    it should be lowered because people are alowed to go tto the military at 18 and vote at 18 and they should be able to drink at 18
40. something says:

    December 10, 2009 at 7:16 pm

    thats why it ithink its right
41. something1 says:

    December 10, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    thats why
42. aa at sps says:

    December 10, 2009 at 11:19 pm

    i think that it should because people are able to join the military at 18 and vote 18 so they should be able to drink at 18
43. kirstynn says:

    December 11, 2009 at 5:28 pm

    i think kid drink all the time so they need to make the drink age 18
44. Kellen and Kory says:

    December 11, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    It’s quite clear that the drinking age should be lowered to 18. We as young adults and loyal American citizens deserve to make decisions for ourselves. We have earned the right to drink what we wish by fighting for our countries freedom in nuerous wars. We are the future of this country and we need to bring about change. Dont be a Douche and lower the drinking age.
45. NA says:

    December 15, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    i dont think there should be an age limit at all i just think that there shoud be a limit on how much you are drinking. just think about it it will be like dirnking soda like from the ages 5-10 one sip of an alocholic dirnk, from ages 11-15 half a glass of whine, bottle of beer or whatever. then ages 16-17 two to three glass or bottles and ages 18 and above you will be mautre enouigh to make you pown dession on how much you drink.
46. smartie! says:

    December 15, 2009 at 11:18 pm

    WHY IS THE DRINKING AGE 21? sure, at 21 your an adult, but you officially become an adult at 18, so why is it that we have to wait another USELESS three years?!?.people might say you would be risking your life by drinking at eighteen cause your not “responsible” enough. but at 18, you can go to war and even drive. these are also situations that can risk your life! And it isn’t fair that some countries have acceptions to this law. ahhhhhhhhhhh………….this law just doesn’t make scence!!
47. Chip D says:

    December 21, 2009 at 10:04 pm

    There is one other aspect of the drinking age being 21 that no one talks about. When the drinking age is 21, a 20yr old can not go to a bar, so instead he goes to a house party. Do you know who else goes to house parties, high school kids, some as young as 14. Does any one think it is a great idea to have 20yr old men around 14 yr old girls? If that 20 yr old could go to a bar, there is no way he would be hanging at a house unsupervised with a young girl. But yet that is what happens now.
48. Dick face says:

    December 25, 2009 at 8:03 pm

    if the drinking age was 18, then kids could have their parents pick them up from parties. instead, they have to drive themselves home drunk worried about their parents catching them.
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    December 29, 2009 at 8:10 am

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50. naomi says:

    December 30, 2009 at 4:22 pm

    I completely agree , I’m 19 married , have a son and in College I think I should be able to have a drink with my husband sometime without having to worried about getting in trouble! It’s ridiculous … They said it’s to lower car accidents and deaths , But as you can see by thing’s now that can happen to anyone. Just gotta be smart and reasonable