drinking age should be raised to 25 essay

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Should the Legal Drinking Age be Increased to 25

As of right now, the legal drinking age in the United States is 21 and is 18 in some other countries. Should this number be increased? That’s a question that is hotly debated among various populations. There is evidence that supports the proposition, but is it something that anyone will see happening soon? You’ll have to decide what side of the issue you’re on and take a stand to change the age or not.

Why Increase the Age?

According to research, a person doesn’t reach physical maturity until the age of 25. That means that the brain and nervous system aren’t fully developed until that age. Because the body is still growing and changing, the effects of alcohol can be more pronounced and more dangerous than in a fully mature person. Of course, changing the legal drinking age to 25 probably won’t stop all young people from drinking, but it would make them aware of the risk they are taking by doing so.

In addition, research also shows that a higher drinking age saves lives. This is because there are fewer alcohol related traffic accidents resulting in death among young people. According to U.S. News and World Report, when New Zealand lowered its drinking age from 20 to 18, the number of fatalities due to drinking and driving went up dramatically.

Why Not Increase the Age?

Of course, the biggest drawback of raising the drinking age is that it could encourage underage drinking, especially for people who are 21 and are currently allowed to drink legally. Though some experts refute this, college kids are a prime example of populations who acquire alcohol illegally. Should one state raise their drinking age and another not, people would likely cross state lines to drink, which could lead to the risk of drunk driving and other crime.

There are also those who argue that drinking age has nothing to do with responsibility. People can vote, serve in the military, buy a house, get married and change their citizenship at the age of 18 so it seems ludicrous to tell those same people that they can’t legally buy or drink alcohol. Others say that better control of alcohol in the United States would help solve some of the problems that could arise in response to the drinking age.

What’s the Answer

Clearly, there is no good answer for the question of whether the drinking age should be increased to 25. There are strong arguments on both sides of the issue and both arguments make sense in many ways. More research is needed to link drinking age with physical maturity and how it relates to the rate of drunk driving deaths. However, one thing the experts do agree on is that people should be educated about the risks of drinking alcohol as they near the drinking age, whatever that happens to be. By helping young people understand the responsibility that goes with legal drinking and the dangers of abusing alcohol, they are better prepared to make the right choices regarding alcohol, whether legal or not.

There is no way to ensure that people under the legal drinking age are not going to drink, but there are many ways that governments, both state and federal, can help educate its citizens so that the most people possible will make the right choices and use alcohol responsibly, no matter what is finally decided about whether or not the drinking age should be increased to 25. Now it’s up to you to pick a side and help make the changes required to uphold your stance on the issue.

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Raising the Drinking Age to 25: What Are the Pros and Cons?

• Medically Reviewed by David Szarka, MA, LCADC

There’s been an ongoing debate about the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) in the U.S. since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984. The federal law requires people be 21 years old to buy or possess alcohol . Some people feel that requiring people to be 21 to drink just makes underage drinking more of a problem and doesn’t align with other minimum age restrictions like joining the military or owning a gun. On the other side of the debate, people argue that young adults are less likely to drink responsibly, and that alcohol can damage the still-developing human brain. Some proponents of drinking age limits feel that the U.S. should raise the drinking age even higher — to 25.

Pros of Raising the Drinking Age to 25

Some people believe raising the legal drinking age to 25 is imperative because of considerations like emotional and physical maturity. They also say the minimum drinking age saves lives by reducing the risk of danger to oneself and others. Here are a few reasons why they believe the legal drinking age should be raised to 25:

Protects Brain Development

Much research has shown the damaging effects of alcohol on brain development in teens and young adults. The brain is still undergoing crucial developments until age 25, and some scientists have found evidence that it keeps developing until as late as age 30. Young adult and teen drinking can interfere with brain development, causing long-term consequences like :

• Damage to the hippocampus resulting in issues with memory and learning.
• Damage the prefrontal cortex, which can impair judgement and impulsivity in adulthood.
• Damage to the brain’s white matter, negatively impacting brain cells’ communication with each other.
• Greater risk for conditions like mood disorders, ADHD, PTSD, and other mental health challenges.

Prevents Drunk Driving Fatalities

There is a strong correlation between drunk driving and youth. Data shows that since the drinking age was raised to 21, there has been a significant decrease in alcohol-related car accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that raising the drinking age to 21 saved 31,959 lives between 1975 and 2017. Furthermore, some research has shown that people aged 21-25 are the most likely age group to drive after drinking alcohol.

Decreases Underage Drinking

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), after the drinking age was raised to 21, alcohol consumption in people aged 18 to 20 decreased from 59% to 40% in the six years following the change. Drinking also decreased from 70% to 56% during the same period in people aged 21 to 25.

Lowers Addiction Risk

Some research suggests that around 90% of adults with substance use disorders drank as teens or young adults. Proponents argue that raising the drinking age can help stem the addiction epidemic in the U.S.

Cons of Raising the Drinking Age to 25

People who don’t think the drinking age should be raised and should potentially be lowered feel this way for a number of reasons. Some believe it’s a form of ageism, actually encourages underage drinking, and may put lives at risk because underage drinkers may be worried about reporting emergencies.

Raises the Thrill of Underage Drinking

Having a rebellious streak is part of the teenage years and sometimes continues into young adulthood. Youth are trying to develop their sense of self, and this often means pulling away from parents and questioning other authority figures. It’s a normal part of growing up. The parts of the brain responsible for impulsivity and decision-making are still under construction. This combination can fuel underage drinking. Critics of raising the drinking age argue that this change will just extend that “thrill” of asserting your independence against authority for a longer period given that we know that the brain continues developing well into the 20s.

Discourages People to Get Help in Emergencies

Some people believe lowering the drinking age can prevent medical emergencies and dangerous situations from becoming worse or deadly. They maintain that people who are drinking illegally may not call 911 if a friend is in trouble or an accident has happened because of drinking for fear of getting in trouble with the law or with their families. Many may not know that most states have laws in place that protect them from legal ramifications if they report an emergency.

Doesn’t Align With Other Age Restrictions

The United States is one of a handful of countries with a drinking age of 21. Proponents of keeping the drinking age at 21 or lowering the drinking age even more argue that European countries don’t have the same underage drinking problems as the U.S. They say that because people can drink legally at a younger age, it takes the allure of “breaking the rules” through alcohol consumption and so less youth drink. However, recent data shows that this is simply not the case. Around 50% of European countries have higher intoxication rates among teens and young adults, and also have similar binge drinking patterns.

Proponents of keeping drinking age limits at 21 or lowering the drinking age say that the law is counterintuitive to other minimum age laws. They point to the fact that people can own a gun, join the military, vote, and be convicted of a crime as an adult at age 18, so not allowing people to drink until age 21 is a form of ageism.

The Truth About Alcohol

Whatever side you’re on in the debate about minimum drinking age, the truth is that alcohol can be dangerous and deadly at any age. When alcohol use progresses to alcohol addiction it takes over your life. If you’re worried about your drinking or that of a loved one, reach out to Footprints to Recovery. We provided evidence-based substance abuse treatment that will help you take back your life.

• https://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/the-1984-national-minimum-drinking-age-act
• https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00298/full
• https://www.menshealth.com/health/a26868313/when-does-your-brain-fully-mature/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7183385/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24565317/
• https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812753
• https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_2688/ShortReport-2688.html
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22525104/
• https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/minimum-legal-drinking-age.htm
• https://www.mdt.mt.gov/visionzero/docs/taskforces/ojjdp_feb01.pdf

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Argumentative Essay- Drinking Age should be increased to 25

The debate about increasing the legal age for drinking is increasingly getting vicious especially in the United States of America. The excessive drinking among young adults especially in college results in negative externalities, and there are legal procedures that can reduce or prevent these problems maybe until a later age when they are mature enough and responsible. Most economies have implemented the requirement of the drinking age as twenty-one instead of the conventional legal age of eighteen or sixteen in some countries (Elements Behavioral Health, 2016). The notion of raised drinking age is greatly gaining traction over the past few years, and the primary purpose is to prevent alcohol-related harm by young people. This paper will support my claim that the drinking age should be raised to twenty-five years because it is the age when the brain and the nervous systems have developed to physical maturity.

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The complexity and importance of underage drinking prompted ERAB and ABMRF to initiate a state of the art review. It explores the extent of underage drinking across Europe and North America, as well as our current understanding of factors that increase the risk of this behaviour and potentially effective evidence-based approaches to prevent underage drinking. Unfortunately, the problem is complex and a single solution or policy to prevent underage drinking does not exist. Nevertheless, a number of strategies are effective in some circumstances and warrant further study in different populations. Preventing risky drinking requires understanding of the important influence of family and peers. It is also important to recognize that some genetic traits like impulsivity, anxiety, sensation seeking and emotional dysregulation can also influence harmful drinking. These aspects (family and peers and genetic influence) are affected by cultural and environmental influences which, in turn, can ...

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To investigate longitudinally for both genders the relation between the age of onset of drinking and several indicators of alcohol use. In the Finnish Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, data have been collected by interviews, inventories, and questionnaires. Data on alcohol consumption was gathered at ages 14, 20, 27, 36 and 42 years; behavioural data at age 8. A total of 155 women and 176 men; 90.4% of the original sample consisting of 12 complete school classes in 1968. The age of onset of drinking was determined based on participants' responses that were closest to the actual age of onset of drinking. Four indicators of the adult use of alcohol were used: frequency of drinking, binge drinking, Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye-opener (CAGE) and Malmö modified Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (Mm-MAST). Socio-emotional behaviour at age 8 was assessed using teacher ratings and peer nominations. Early onset of drinking was related to the four indicators of the use of alcohol in adulthood both in men and women. The level of adult alcohol use and alcohol problems was significantly higher in men. The risk for heavy drinking was highest in men and women if drinking was started at less than age 16 years. Socio-emotional behaviour and school success at age 8 did not predict the age of onset of drinking. Delaying the initiation of drinking from early adolescence to late adolescence is an important goal for prevention efforts. No clear risk group for early initiators of drinking could be identified on the basis of preceding behaviour among 8-year-olds.

To study the links of family background, child and adolescent social behaviour, and (mal)adaptation with heavy drinking by age 20 and with the frequency of drinking, binge drinking, Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye-opener (CAGE) questionnaire scores and problems due to drinking at ages 27 and 42 years. In the Finnish Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, data have been collected by interviews, inventories and questionnaires. Behavioural data were gathered at ages 8 and 14; data on alcohol consumption were gathered at ages 14, 20, 27, 36 and 42. A total of 184 males and 163 females; 94% of the original sample of the 8-year-olds. Family adversities, externalizing problem behaviours, low school success, truancy and substance use in adolescence were associated in early middle age with problems due to drinking in both genders, and to binge drinking and CAGE scores in females. The antecedents varied, however, across the indicators of drinking and gender. The frequency of drinking was least predictable by the studied antecedents. Childhood and adolescent antecedents and drinking up to age 20 explained 43% of males' and 31% of females' problem drinking at age 42; 31% and 19%, respectively, at age 27. The early warning signs of drinking problems should be taken seriously in the preventive work for alcohol abuse. Problem drinking in early middle age is preceded by maladjustment to school, early age of onset of drinking and heavy drinking in adolescence even more significantly than problem drinking in early adulthood.

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Late adolescence (i.e., the age-group between 16 and 20 years) is characterized by significant changes in neurological and cognitive processes, behavioral and social functioning, and relational and physical contexts as the individual moves toward adulthood. In this age-group, major role transitions affect almost every aspect of life. Moreover, brain development continues-and with it the development of cognitive functions, working memory, emotional and behavioral self-regulation, and decisionmaking. The adolescent's social and emotional development also continues to evolve, affecting interactions with parents, siblings, peers, and first romantic relationships. All of these changes impact drinking behavior during late adolescence, and, in fact, alcohol use, binge drinking, and heavy drinking are particularly prevalent in youth ages 16-20. Determining the common trajectories of drinking behavior in this age-group is important for understanding how adolescent alcohol use helps shape...

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REPORT arguing in favour of the statement that: Increasing the Minimal Age of Consumption of Alcohol Decreases the Number of Alcohol-Related Costs in the US

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This report is a result of a presentation of the authors that was in favour of the statement that Increasing the Minimal Age of Consumption of Alcohol Decreases the Number of Alcohol-Related Costs in the US. The authors shall therefore suggest, throughout the report, the main arguments in favour of such statement. As the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA-21) in the US is in place for over than 3 decades, it has been a topic of discussion for both consumers, policy makers and researchers alike. Thus, there is quite a pool of available data and studies that argue both in favour of keeping the MLDA at 21 and of lowering it to (usually) 18 years of age. As there is little evidence available in empirical studies that focused on the impacts on an increase of the MLDA, the authors took the liberty to present an inverted argumentation for this report: the main statistical and empirical data will be drawn from studies that overall incline and / or argue against decreasing the MLDA-21.

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The Legal Drinking Age: 18, 21, or 25?

By Elements Behavioral Health posted on January 22, 2013 in Adolescent Issues

Debates over the age of legal drinking in the U.S. are a common occurrence, especially at times of the year when it comes into the spotlight, like during spring break and around graduation. Many people think our Puritanical ways are responsible for a drinking age that is higher than in European countries and that this leads to more rebellious behavior. The argument is a regular one, but did you know that some people also advocate for a higher drinking age? There are many reasons to be on either side of the debate.

Lower the Drinking Age to 18

Too often, casual proponents of lowering the drinking age give emotional and unsubstantiated reasons for allowing 18 to 20 year olds to drink. Some of the favorite arguments include the fact that many people this age drink anyway, in spite of the law, and that if younger people were allowed to drink they would be less rebellious and secretive and more responsible.

What is certainly true is that many underage people drink , and some drink excessively. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , or CDC, drinking by those under the age of 21 is a serious public health problem. In the U.S., 11 percent of all alcohol consumed is by youths between the ages of 12 and 20, and 90 percent of their drinking is done while bingeing. On average, these young people drink more in one sitting than adults do. A 2009 survey conducted by the CDC found that in the 30 days prior to the study, 42 percent of high school students had consumed some amount of alcohol, 24 percent binged on alcohol, and 28 percent drove with someone who had been drinking.

Many proponents of a lowered drinking age blame the above behaviors on the fact that drinking is a taboo for most young people and, therefore, an act of rebellion. They also cite society’s attitude toward drinking as more of an issue than the drinking age. As Americans, our society treats drinking as a way to relieve stress, as a fun element of society, and rewards the irresponsible behavior that follows from binge drinking .

If the drinking age were to be lowered to 18, young people would perhaps feel less compelled to drink in secret and to binge while doing so. They would be allowed to drink in bars and restaurants where behavior, as well as the amount consumed, can be regulated.

While it may be absolute fact that young people drink and flaunt the age restrictions, evidence that raising the drinking age would negate dangerous behaviors is limited. A lowered drinking age would need to be accompanied by shifts in alcohol education and the manner in which society in general treats alcohol consumption.

Raise the Drinking Age to 25

Those on the other side of the issue are prone to the same sentimental reasons for keeping kids from drinking even longer. The statistics do not lie and they are scary. That young people drink so much may be related to the drinking age, but some believe that the restriction should be raised even higher, to the age of 25. Many proponents of this idea cite the excessive drinking, not of high schoolers, but of college students.

On college campuses, it is rarely a prerequisite to be of drinking age to find and consume alcohol. Parties and fake identification lead to plenty of drinking among the first, second, and third year students who have not yet turned 21. According to the Core Institute, almost 73 percent of college students drink at least sometimes, and the average male freshman in college drinks an average of 7.4 alcoholic beverages per week. Nearly one third of college students have missed a class because of drinking, and one fifth failed an exam for the same reason. Almost 90 percent of sexual assaults on college campuses involve alcohol.

The facts regarding college alcohol use are straightforward. Because there is a mix of underage and of age students on campuses, the alcohol flows rather freely. If the drinking age were to be raised to 25, most students on campus would be underage, and as some hope, it could curtail the excessive drinking and resulting negative consequences.

As with the arguments for lowering the drinking age, these seem reasonable, but untested. Whether the age limit should be lowered, raised, or remain the same, will undoubtedly continue to be debated and the right answer may be difficult to find.

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Drinking Age in the United States Essay

The United States legal drinking age of twenty one years has been the subject of discussion for a long time based on the fact that some people are for it, while others are against it. The act which was established in 1984 prohibits drinking below the age of twenty one as it states that any state which allows teenagers under the age of twenty one to purchase alcohol would not receive any revenue.

Before 1984, the minimum drinking age varied from state to state such that some states would allow teenagers to consume alcohol publicly while others would not allow it to happen. However, although it is believed that all states go by that law, some states still allow teenagers to drink in private settings.

Consequently, different agencies and scholars have come up with their proposals concerning the same issue. As much as both sides have got their own reasons, based on several factors, the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years. In addition, since America recognizes an adult after attaining eighteen years, it is illogical to prevent such a person from enjoying rights being enjoyed by other adults.

Therefore, bent on that, this essay argues for the idea that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years since the current law does not make much sense.

Majority who propose the drinking age to remain at twenty one argue that teenagers drink irresponsibly and end up getting involved in irresponsible and risky behaviors like careless driving. However, in the same country, a person can be taken to court and be tried at the age of eighteen years and above.

Therefore, even if someone commits such a crime, there is usually a way to deal with such incidences. In addition, the court is supposed to maintain law and order and therefore, teenagers under the age of twenty one ought not to be prevented from drinking in order to prevents accidents and other unlawful behaviors (Engs, 1998).

In United States, a person is allowed to join the military after attaining eighteen years of age. Therefore, it means that in legal terms, a person aged eighteen years can be considered as an adult and more to that, such a person can be trusted with very sensitive and important responsibilities like protecting the country from military attacks.

On the same note, such a person is also allowed to make decisions that affect the future of a country like voting. Bent on that, it is clear that in legal terms, a person who has attained eighteen years is mature and should be allowed to enjoy other rights that are being enjoyed by the rest of the population (ICAP, 2002).

Before making major conclusions, it is important to compare the problems of alcohol that existed before the establishment of the law and after the establishment of the law. According to Engs (1998), even after the establishment of the alcohol law in the year 1987, teenagers below the age of twenty one were still involved in irresponsible drinking which is characterized by behaviors such as missing classes, poor performance and other forms of violence.

The same study illustrates that the main cause of such behaviors is as a result of prohibiting teenagers from drinking in the company of adults who can teach them responsible drinking behaviors. Therefore, even though consumption of alcohol has reduced, other problems that emanate from the same have increased.

Since the main aim of rising alcohol drinking age is to lower such problems, a critical evaluation indicates that that the law does not entirely serve the intended purpose. It would then be more logical to lower the drinking age and allow teenagers to drink in public places; together with the older members of the society so that they can be taught how to drink in a responsible manner.

A study conducted by ICAP (2002) indicated that although United States is among the countries that have the highest drinking age; it has more problems with alcohol than other countries which have a lower minimum drinking age. For instance, in a country like Netherlands, the minimum drinking age of teenagers is eighteen although at sixteen; one is still allowed to buy alcohol from premises which are licensed.

Nevertheless, any one below the age of eighteen is not allowed to purchase and consume spirits. Similarly, in a country like New Zealand, the minimum legal drinking age is eighteen years meaning that all teenagers above the age of eighteen can purchase and drink alcohol at all licensed premises like bars and restaurants.

In consequence, since more countries have a legal drinking age of eighteen years, the minimum drinking age of United states is not is only strange but also impractical. Although countries like Britain and United Kingdom still record deaths that result from road accidents caused by driving under the influence of alcohol, U.S still records higher death rates than such countries (Engs 1998).

United States is characterized by many violent activities that require the attention of police officers and other law enforcement agencies. With such a high minimum drinking age, the police officers usually have a lot of work in monitoring the drinking age of teenagers below the age of twenty one.

Worse still, research that has been conducted indicated that teenagers below the age of twenty one drink more than even the people above that age. If the minimum age was lowered, the police and other agencies that enforce law and order would concentrate on other activities instead of focusing on college and high school students.

As much as anyone may want to argue that increasing the drinking age is helpful, the available research and evidence illustrates otherwise. The main problem emanates from the fact that rising the drinking age has little if any impact on behavior. To confirm this, Hanson (n. d.) records that in a study which was conducted among teenagers aged sixteen to nineteen years, the daily intake of alcohol did not change even after minimum drinking age was raised.

In addition, in yet another study which was conducted in the District of Columbia, results illustrated that there were more accidents in states which had a high minimum drinking age. Studies conducted illustrated that once the drinking age was raised, teenagers below the drinking age developed a habit of borrowing alcoholic drinks form their older colleagues and that is the main reason why the consumption rate remained high.

A critical review of the alcoholic related issues prior to the increasing of the minimum drinking age and after clearly illustrates that the law does not solve the intended problem. The main reason is due to the fact that it targets a certain age group and not the alcohol problem at hand. Although no one negates the fact that alcohol is a major problem to teenagers, it is important to come up with a law that can solve the problem instead of aggravating it.

Even if alcohol abuse is serious since it carries serious consequences, it is possible to come up with a law that can mitigate the problem. For example, even without much struggle, studies have indicated that in societies where alcohol is not prohibited like in the Jewish society, young people have less problems than in a place like United States where there is a law prohibiting anyone below the age of twenty one from taking and buying alcohol.

Engs, R. C. (1998). Why the drinking age should be lowered: An opinion based upon research . Web.

Hanson, D. J. (n.d.). The Legal Drinking Age: Science vs. Ideology . Web.

Internartional Center For Alcohol Policies (ICAP). (2002). Drinking Age Limits . Web.

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Marquette Wire

Patel: drinking age needs to be raised to 25.

It’s Sunday morning. I magine that you wake up violently sick to your stomach with no recollection of the night before. Panic, fear   and anxiety set in as your body is convulsing from the inside out. What you don’t know is the long-term effects that drinking has on the body, especially the brain.

A typical hangover is how many college students start their Sunday mornings. About 80% of college students drink and 50% participate in binge drinking.   Then they do it all over again next week. Therefore, due to this irresponsibility and lack of maturity, the drinking age needs to be raised to the age of 25. College is especially not the time to be experimenting with drugs and drinking. 

The legal drinking age is 21 in the United States but can go down to 16 in some countries outside of the United States . However, getting illegal access to alcohol is easier today than ever before with ordering fake IDs online and having connections with older people. These days, many fake IDs are hard to spot and easy to scan as well. 

Alcohol can have detrimental effects on the body, especially on the brain. The frontal lobe of the brain doesn’t fully develop till the age of 25. Alcohol can further delay brain development as well. 

That means that   people under the age tend to have issues making decisions, are impulsive   and have difficulty concentrating. If you combine that with using alcohol, it can lead to irresponsible choices and sometimes even severe consequences with the school and the law. 

Drinking underage can also cause issues with mental health. Studies suggest  an increased risk for anxiety, depression , and low- self-esteem.

Additionally, it can lead to further body issues such as heart , liver problems  and cancer as well.

A big side effect of drinking is weight gain since alcohol slows the metabolism of foods. Obesity can contribute to many additional health problems later on in life.

With the current drinking age, there is an overlap with the age people get their driving licenses. Currently, one of the leading causes of death for adolescents and young adults is car accidents. About 30% of accidents are caused by drunk drivers . With the drinking age being raised, this number could decrease.

Additionally, by increasing the drinking age, colleges would have less of an issue with underage drinking and run-ins with the cops. Students could focus more on school, themselves and their future. While a big part of college culture is drinking, by increasing the drinking age and getting less access to alcohol, there would be less peer pressure on students to conform to social standards. 

This is also a good opportunity for those underage to save money. The average American spends $583 on alcohol a year. Students who are living on their own, paying for school, books and student loans, can save more money rather than spend it on alcohol. 

Overall, starting drinking from an early age can lead to alcoholism .

While it may come as a disappointment for increasing the drinking age, in the end, it will have more benefits than downsides. While drinking can be fun to do every now and then, it needs to be done at an older age of 25 when people are more mature, more financially stable , and fully understand the long-term effects of their actions. Overall, you don’t need to drink to enjoy a night of fun. It’s better to wake up in the morning well-rested   rather than with no memory of the night before.

This story was written by Krisha Patel. She can be reached at [email protected] .

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What's the best state for you », study: the debate is over - higher drinking age saves lives.

In countries with lower drinking ages, rates of heavy alcohol use are higher, research says.

Age 21 Drinking Law Saves 900 Lives, Annually

Mark Peterson | Redux

Research supports the claim that a higher drinking age saves lives, according to a new study, but some say stricter enforcement of laws – and a lower drinking age – would work better.

The case is closed in the debate over whether the government should lower the legal drinking age, as research consistently reports the law helps save lives, rather than encourage underage drinking, according to a new study . 

William DeJong, a professor at Boston University's School of Public Health, conducted a literature review of research published since 2006, when the advocacy group Choose Responsibility made the controversial claim that the drinking age of 21 was counterproductive and pushed to lower it.

But DeJong says there is no such evidence to support that claim, and nearly all research conducted on drinking-age laws proves the opposite. According to his study, research has shown the higher drinking age saves an estimated 900 lives annually, due to fewer alcohol-related traffic fatalities among underage drivers.

[ READ : Lower Drinking Age May Raise Chances of Bingeing Later, Study Finds ]

"There is very extensive literature on the drinking motives of young people, and in many respects they’re not all that different from the motives of older drinkers," DeJong says. "It's to bond with a social group, it's to reduce anxiety, to make them more comfortable in a social situation. There are just lots of motives like that that drive the drinking, and sticking it to the man is not really something that shows up."

Choose Responsibility is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007, several years after its founder John McCardell, president emeritus of Middlebury College, penned a bold op-ed in The New York Times, in which he claimed, among other things, that the 21-year-old drinking age "is bad social policy and a terrible law." McCardell later received funding to create Choose Responsibility. 

But DeJong says other countries serve as tales of caution for what would happen if the United States was to reverse its stance on a higher drinking age. New Zealand, DeJong says, lowered the drinking age from 20 to 18 in 1999. 

"Once they did that they saw an immediate uptick in alcohol-related traffic crashes and other alcohol problems," DeJong says. Throughout the country, there were more alcohol-related driving incidents involving individuals aged 16 through 19, DeJong says. 

"In addition to our own national experience with the law at the state level going back and forth between 18 and 21, we have a very recent example of a country doing exactly what this group proposed and there were clear consequences," DeJong says. 

[ MORE : Same Genes May Cause Alcohol Abuse and Eating Disorders ]

Before 1984, the minimum legal drinking age varied from state to state. Many states lowered their drinking ages to 18, 19 or 20 during the Vietnam War era, and subsequently reversed them after they saw increases in alcohol-related traffic incidents. Still, some states had lower drinking ages and underage individuals often would cross state lines to drink legally, the report says. 

With strong support from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Parent Teacher Association and other groups, Congress in 1984 passed a law that gave states a financial incentive to adopt a higher drinking age. Otherwise, they risked losing a percentage of highway funds. 

Still, McCardell and more than 100 other college presidents joined together in 2008 urging legislators to reconsider the drinking age.

"It is astonishing that college students have thus far acquiesced in so egregious an abridgment of the age of majority," McCardell wrote in his 2004 opinion piece. "Unfortunately, this acquiescence has taken the form of binge drinking. Campuses have become, depending on the enthusiasm of local law enforcement, either arms of the law or havens from the law." 

Should Congress repeal the 21-year-old drinking age provision, states that chose to lower their drinking ages, under the Choose Responsibility proposal, would have to require fulfillment of an educational course on alcohol that would then allow them to have a license to drink in that state. That provision would prevent individuals from crossing state borders to drink legally in another state, Barrett Seaman, president of Choose Responsibility, tells U.S. News in a statement.

The research reviewed in DeJong's study, he says, is "asking the wrong question, which is, has MLDA21 played a role in reducing drunken driving?"

[ RELATED : Excessive Alcohol Use Costs States Billions, CDC Says ]

"The answer to that is, of course; how could barring an entire cohort of young people from buying or consuming alcohol not work to suppress drunken driving by members of this age group?" Seaman says. 

Research should instead focus on answering the question of whether having a higher drinking age is an effective way to reduce drunken driving deaths and promote "a healthy approach to alcohol consumption."

"In most of the rest of the world, the answer to that question would be 'no;' what works is tougher enforcement of drunken driving laws for all ages of drivers," Seaman says. "It has certainly worked in Europe."

Seaman also points to a 2002 study that shows Canada saw a reduction in drunken driving fatalities similar to that of the United States after the 1984 law was passed, but without lowering drinking age, which is 18 or 19, depending on the province.

But the idea that alcohol is a "forbidden fruit" for underage individuals is not supported in research, DeJong says. He says research shows when college students are asked how more strictly enforced alcohol policies would affect their drinking habits, many more are likely to say they would drink less. 

"Yes, there's always going to be a small number of young people who will do something out of defiance, but there are a lot more who will make the more rational decision to obey the policy, knowing that it's tougher and more strictly enforced," DeJong says. 

[ SEE ALSO : Walking Drunk May Be Just as Dangerous as Driving Drunk ]

If it really were the case that a higher drinking age encourages more binge drinking among underage individuals, countries in Europe should serve as an example, DeJong argues. 

But according to the 2003 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (EPAD), which DeJong cites in his study, most countries have a higher percentage of high school-aged students who report heavy alcohol use than the U.S. Other similar surveys have shown that lifetime prevalence rates are lower in the U.S. In 2011, for example, 36 percent of United States high school sophomores said they had been drunk in their lifetime, compared with 47 percent of European students of the same age.

"The fact is they have worse problems in Europe with a lower drinking age," DeJong says. "You increase the availability of alcohol to younger people through a younger drinking age, and you'll have more drinking. It's really just that simple."

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Sorry, college students, but the drinking age should stay at 21

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It seems like conventional wisdom: The drinking age should be 18. After all, why should you be able to vote or serve your country in the military, but not legally buy a drink?

But there's a very compelling case for keeping the drinking age at 21: It saves lives. That may be hard to believe, given how many people flout the laws and drink anyway, but it's been consistently found to be true in research.

Saving lives from alcohol has serious public health benefits. About  88,000 Americans died on average each year from alcohol-related causes from 2006 to 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . And that estimate doesn't account for the rise in alcohol-related deaths over the past several years, or the alcohol-linked crimes and millions of emergency room visits each year that don't result in deaths.

It's important to note a minimum drinking age of 21 doesn't prevent all drinking among teenagers and 20-year-olds. But it deters some drinking, and that has public health benefits.

The drinking age saves lives

At its heart, the drinking age is supposed to stop people from drinking until they're responsible adults. And the research shows it works — to some extent.

"The evidence is overwhelming [that] raising the age reduces consumption," said Richard Bonnie, a University of Virginia professor of health and law. "Even though consumption remains significant among the younger population and increases as people get older, it's still lower than it would be if you lowered the age to 18."

A 2014 review of the research published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs bore this out: Although many young people disobey the drinking age, the evidence shows that it has depressed drinking and saved lives.

The review found the drinking age saves at least hundreds of young lives annually just as a result of reduced alcohol-age-related traffic fatalities among underage drivers. The review pointed to one study after the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which raised the legal drinking age from 18 to 21: It found that the number of fatally injured drivers with a positive blood alcohol concentration decreased by 57 percent among ages 16 to 20, compared with a 39 percent decrease for those 21 to 24 and 9 percent for those 25 and older. Other studies had similar positive findings.

Chances are the number of lives saved is higher, potentially in the thousands each year, when accounting for alcohol-related deaths beyond drunk driving, such as liver cirrhosis, other accidents, and violent behavior.

The review also pointed to New Zealand, which reduced its drinking age from 20 to 18 in 1999. The country saw significant increases in drinking among ages 18 to 19, bigger increases among those 16 to 17 years old, and a rise in alcohol-related crashes among 15- to 19-year-olds.

How the drinking age works

Critics of the drinking age commonly argue that it forces youth to drink in secret, which may lead to binge drinking as people stash booze to secretly consume all at once. But the 2014 review of the research found no evidence for this, and instead concluded that the national drinking age law reduced access to alcohol and consumption.

"The basic idea behind these laws is to reduce youth access to these substances," William DeJong, a professor at Boston University School of Health and a co-author of the research review, wrote in an email. "The evidence is clear that, the later a young person takes a first drink, the less likely they are to experience negative alcohol-related consequences as adults."

The law accomplishes this in two big ways. Obviously, it makes it harder to buy alcohol before 21. But it also breaks up social groups in a way that makes alcohol less accessible: If the drinking age were 18, someone who is a freshman or sophomore in high school is much more likely to have access to an 18-year-old senior in high school. But if the drinking age is 21, a freshman or sophomore in high school is not going to have as easy of access to a 21-year-old who's likely working or in college.

The second effect — the breaking up of social groups — also explains why a drinking age beyond 21 might not be very effective. Since 21-year-olds are likely to have access to 25-year-olds through their jobs and college, they could still easily access booze even if the drinking age was raised to, for example, 25. So the negative effects of raising the drinking age to 25 — the economic impact, costs of enforcement, and deterioration of personal freedoms — might not be worth the few lives saved.

These principles apply to other substances, as well. A 2015 report from the Institute of Medicine, which Bonnie of the University of Virginia contributed to, found raising the smoking age to 21 could prevent approximately 223,000 premature deaths among Americans born between 2000 and 2019. Why? Older friends and family "are largely where young people get their tobacco," Bonnie said. "If you raise [the smoking age] to 21, over time we think that's going to have a significant effect on separating these social networks."

So the laws may not be perfect, and they may be disobeyed at times. But the overall evidence is clear: A drinking age of 21 reduces use and saves lives.

Other policies can help reduce alcohol consumption

The drinking age, however, should be just one part of a broader array of policies that help reduce alcohol abuse and deaths.

Many, many studies, for example, have found benefits from a higher alcohol tax. A recent review of the research from David Roodman, senior adviser for the Open Philanthropy Project, made the case:

[H]igher prices do correlate with less drinking and lower incidence of problems such as cirrhosis deaths. And I see little reason to doubt the obvious explanation: higher prices cause less drinking. A rough rule of thumb is that each 1 percent increase in alcohol price reduces drinking by 0.5 percent. Extrapolating from some of the most powerful studies, I estimate an even larger impact on the death rate from alcohol-caused diseases: 1-3 percent within months. By extension, a 10 percent price increase would cut the death rate 9-25 percent. For the US in 2010, this represents 2,000-6,000 averted deaths/year.

This wasn't the first positive finding in favor of raising the alcohol tax, but it was one of the most convincing. Roodman found not just that high-quality research supports a higher alcohol tax, but that the effects seem to grow stronger the higher the tax is.

So for the US, boosting alcohol prices 10 percent could save as many as 6,000 lives each year. To put that in context, paying about 50 cents more for a six-pack of Bud Light could save thousands of lives. And this is a conservative estimate, since it only counts alcohol-related liver cirrhosis deaths — the number of lives saved would be higher if it accounted for deaths due to alcohol-related violence and car crashes.

Aside from raising taxes, a 2014 report from the RAND Drug Policy Research Center suggested state-run shops (like those in Ohio and Virginia) kept prices higher, cut access to youth, and reduced overall levels of use. And a 2013 study from RAND of South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Program , which briefly jails people whose drinking has repeatedly gotten them in trouble with the law (like a DUI) if they fail a twice-a-day alcohol blood test, attributed a 12 percent reduction in repeat DUI arrests and a 9 percent reduction in domestic violence arrests at the county level to the program.

Like the drinking age, these policies won't eliminate problematic drinking. But coupled with the drinking age, they can help — and potentially save tens of thousands of lives in the process.

Watch: Alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana

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Should the Legal Drinking Age be Raised to 25?

In the last few years, new studies have shed light on the age that young people reach physical maturity and it’s not 18. It’s also not 21. It’s 25. Numerous scientists studying the effects of alcohol or drugs on teens and young adults have made the statement that physical maturity, especially of the brain and nervous system, does not occur until a person reaches 25.

While a person is still growing and developing physically, it’s understandable that drugs or alcohol could have a more profound effect on the body than when they are older. After all, when alcohol or drugs are used during pregnancy, the effects on a rapidly growing baby can be severe. Effects such as the following are possible:

Marijuana: Higher risk of asthma and breathing problems, lower verbal, memory and reasoning ability, lower birth weight, poorer eyesight, greater risk of a heart defect.

Cocaine: Miscarriage due to shutoff of oxygen to the baby, greater risk of premature birth, smaller heads and brains, defects to hearts, kidneys, brains, arms or legs.

Alcohol: Babies born to a mom who drank may suffer from FASD—Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder—a combination of symptoms that include physical changes, smaller brains, learning and behavior problems, heart defects and problems with muscle tone and coordination.

Young Adults Still Developing, Too

If it’s true that young adults through the age of 25 are still developing, then it could certainly be possible for alcohol and drugs to have a more profound effect on them than it does on older adults. This theory seems to be supported by recent studies involving teens and young adults.

A recent Wall Street Journal article about the effects of alcohol on young brains noted that “from a neuroscientist’s perspective, the brain isn’t fully developed until age 25 and can exhibit these negative effects of alcohol consumption until then.” Similar damage to the brain was found in young people between 18 and 25 who participated in a 2014 study. These young adults used varying amounts of marijuana and the changes in their brains were tracked by performing scans. Even the light and occasional smokers developed abnormalities in their brains. This study came from Harvard and Northwestern Universities.

Another study of marijuana use from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee revealed this result: “A close look at the under-25 age group shows cognitive decline, poor attention and memory and decreased IQ among those who regularly smoke pot, defined as at least once a week.”

So What About that Legal Age to Drink?

So this raises the question—should the legal drinking age be raised to 25? Given the science on physical development that has been published in the last few years, perhaps there should be a more informed conversation on this subject to determine if legislation changes should follow.

No matter what the legal drinking as is, young people should be informed what the risks are. Anyone drinking alcohol, using medication they get from a doctor or illicit drugs they got off the street deserves to know what they are getting into. If there is a strong risk of causing significant physical damage from alcohol or drug use during the time that our young people should be getting their education and making plans for the future, they should know about it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/education/edlife/this-is-your-brain-on-drugs-marijuana-adults-teens.html

Sue Birkenshaw

Sue has worked in the addiction field with the Narconon network for three decades. She has developed and administered drug prevention programs worldwide and worked with numerous drug rehabilitation centers over the years. Sue is also a fine artist and painter, who enjoys traveling the world which continues to provide unlimited inspiration for her work. You can follow Sue on Twitter, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Alcohol—The Most Addictive Drug in the World

When people hear that alcohol is the most addictive drug in the world, their instantaneous response is usually one of disbelief. Most people do not believe this to be true, because after all, everyone drinks, right? Certainly, except for perhaps cigarettes, and maybe sugar or coffee, alcohol is the most commonly used substance that could be considered to be addictive.

Alcohol Is the Cause of One in Five Young Adult Deaths

An alarming new study shows that not only do more Americans lose their lives from alcohol-related causes each year than drug-related causes, but an increasing number of those who die are young-to-middle-aged adults. These findings suggest that the American people need to start viewing alcohol as the harmful drug that it is. To do otherwise will simply lead to more harm and loss of life.

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Why the drinking age should be lowered

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Why the drinking age should be lowered: an opinion based upon research.

Engs, Ruth C. (1997, 2014). “Why the drinking age should be lowered: An opinion based upon research. Indiana University: Bloomington, IN. Adapted from: IUScholarWorks Repository:  http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17594

The legal drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19 and young adults allowed to drink in controlled environments such as restaurants, taverns, pubs and official school and university functions. In these situations responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs. Mature and sensible drinking behavior would be expected. This opinion is based upon research that I have been involved in for over thirty years concerning college age youth and the history of drinking in the United States and other cultures.

Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority" and a symbol of "adulthood." As a nation we have tried prohibition legislation twice in the past for controlling irresponsible drinking problems. This was during National Prohibition in the 1920s and state prohibition during the 1850s. These laws were finally repealed because they were unenforceable and because the backlash towards them caused other social problems. Today we are repeating history and making the same mistakes that occurred in the past. Prohibition did not work then and prohibition for young people under the age of 21 is not working now.

The flaunting of the current laws is readily seen among university students. Those under the age of 21 are more likely to be heavy -- sometimes called "binge" -- drinkers (consuming over 5 drinks at least once a week). For example, 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 age are heavy drinkers.

Research from the early 1980s until the present has shown a continuous decrease, and then leveling off, in drinking and driving related variables which has parallel the nation's, and also university students, decrease in per capita consumption. However, these declines started in 1980 before the national 1987 law which mandated states to have 21 year old alcohol purchase laws.

The decrease in drinking and driving problems are the result of many factors and not just the rise in purchase age or the decreased per capita consumption. These include: education concerning drunk driving, designated driver programs, increased seat belt and air bag usage, safer automobiles, lower speed limits, free taxi services from drinking establishments, etc.

While there has been a decrease in per capita consumption and motor vehicle crashes, unfortunately, during this same time period there was an INCREASE in other problems related to heavy and irresponsible drinking among college age youth. Most of these reported behaviors showed little change until AFTER the 21 year old law in 1987. For example from 1982 until 1987 about 46% of students reported "vomiting after drinking." This jumped to over 50% after the law change. Significant increase were also found for other variables: "cutting class after drinking" jumped from 9% to almost 12%; "missing class because of hangover" went from 26% to 28%; "getting lower grade because of drinking" rose from 5% to 7%; and "been in a fight after drinking" increased from 12% to 17%. All of these behaviors are indices of irresponsible drinking. This increase in abusive drinking behavior is due to "underground drinking" outside of adult supervision in student rooms, houses, and apartments where same age individuals congregate. The irresponsible behavior is exhibited because of lack of knowledge of responsible drinking behaviors, reactance motivation (rebellion against the law), or student sub-culture norms.

Beginning in the first decade of the 21st century, distilled spirits [hard liquor] began to be the beverage of choice rather than beer among collegians. Previously beer had been the beverage of choice among students. A 2013 study of nursing students, for example, revealed that they consumed an average of 4.3 shots of liquor compared to 2.6 glasses of beer on a weekly basis.

This change in beverage choice along with irresponsible drinking patterns among young collegians has led to increased incidences of alcohol toxicity - in some cases leading to death from alcohol poisoning. However, the percent of students who consume alcohol or are heavy or binge drinkers has been relatively stable for the past 30 years.

Based upon the fact that our current prohibition laws are not working, the need for alternative approaches from the experience of other, and more ancient cultures, who do not have these problems need to be tried. Groups such as Italians, Greeks, Chinese and Jews, who have few drinking related problems, tend to share some common characteristics. Alcohol is neither seen as a poison or a magic potent, there is little or no social pressure to drink, irresponsible behavior is never tolerated, young people learn at home from their parents and from other adults how to handle alcohol in a responsible manner, there is societal consensus on what constitutes responsible drinking. Because the 21 year old drinking age law is not working, and is counterproductive, it behooves us as a nation to change our current prohibition law and to teach responsible drinking techniques for those who chose to consume alcoholic beverages.

Research articles that support this opinion are found in the Indiana University Repository at: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/17133/browse?type=title

and https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/17130/browse?type=title

Some material here also used in: Engs, Ruth C. "Should the drinking age be lowered to 18 or 19." In Karen Scrivo, "Drinking on Campus," CQ Researcher 8 (March 20,1998):257.

Alcohol Research and Health History resources

(c) Copyright, 1975-2024. Ruth C. Engs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405

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Is the U.S. Minimum Legal Drinking Age Being Raised to 25?

You're old enough to vote and fight and smoke, but not to drink., david mikkelson, published june 11, 2014.

About this rating

An item claiming that as of 2 August 2014 the minimum legal drinking age in the U.S. would be raised to the age of 25 was circulated on the internet beginning in June 2014:

However, this rumor had no basis in fact: no law or practice took effect on 2 August 2014 that would have required all Americans to be at least 25 years old to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. (Minimum drinking ages in the U.S. are established on a state-by-state basis, not mandated across the nation by federal law.)

This hoax was originally published by the Sunday Times Daily (now Nipsy's News ), a website that allows users to "create your own fake news and trick your friends by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network":

Legal age to drink has change to 25 as of August 2014 As of August 2, 2014 legal age to drink wil be 25. There has been controversy whether 21 is too young to make decisions. A lot of citizens state at that age they are not mentally responsible to drink. So the legislation at the White House has come to an agreement to have legal age changed to 25,

Viewing the article on the original site for more than a few seconds produced a message revealing that it was all just a joke:

Many readers had previously been fooled by a similar prank posted on the same site involving the supposed ending of coupon redemption in the U.S.

By David Mikkelson

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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