Lowering the Drinking Age to 18 and Leaning More to the Benefits of It

Introduction

The age which is considered to be the legal drinking age in the United States under the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 is 21 years old. However, a long-standing controversy has risen about whether 18 is the most suitable age to lower it to, with some people trying to convince others that 18 is too young. Investigation of outcomes associated with the lowering of the drinking age to 18 is an intriguing research area that has far-reaching social implications connected with underage drinking, alcohol abuse, health consequences, and personal liberty disputes.

They say that the reason why this works is because lowering the drinking age would most likely discourage the so called forbidden binge drinking that students engage in secretly, therefore removing the stigma that is associated with drinking. It is said to make them gain better understanding of the rightful drinking in a legal setting where alcoholism is less likely to get started (Plunk et al., 2016). From a philosophical perspective, 18 is the age of adulthood for voting, military service, jury duty and other major rights and responsibilities; therefore, drinking may be seen as consistent with this notion of being an adult that has legal responsibilities.

The opponents state that 18 is still a time of an important neurological phase where it is dangerous to start an alcohol use. They forecast the rise of chronic public health issues like decrease in brain development, alcohol abuse, drunk driving accidents, and other negative outcomes when the drinking age is lowered (Carpenter & Dobkin, 2011). The opponents assert that the current law has proven to be effective and it is indicated that the fatalities among underage drinkers decreased since 21 age was adopted all over the country.

Background/Literature Review

The drinking age limit of 21 was adopted in the US in the mid-1980s thanks to a vigorous campaign by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) which brought this problem to the national attention. According to their statistics there was a death by drunk driving almost every 30 minutes at the time (Romano et al., 2021). Faced with the challenge of preventing minors from accessing alcohol and impaired driving, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which was adopted by all 50 states, demanded a raise in the minimum age for buying and carrying alcoholic beverages in public to 21 or risking losing some of their funds for the construction of federal highways.

This was followed by a decline in the number of drunk driving mortalities by about 50% based on data from NHTSA analyzed by CDC (CDC, 2023). The opponents of the idea of lowering the drinking age below 21 claim that the sharp decline of drunk driving accidents among the group of underage drinkers aged 18-20 directly corresponds to the establishment of nationwide legal drinking age which took place in the mid-1980s (Carpenter & Dobkin, 2011). The life loss estimate has topped 30,000 since 21 was introduced as the legal age when people became able to consume alcohol.

Those who argue for lowering the drinking age to 18 maintain that the current law has led to the unforeseen consequence of pushing underage in controlled and dangerous places, for instance, college fraternity basement parties (Lavilla‐Gracia et al., 2022). Most of the opponents of legalizing campus bars believe that this would only strengthen the mystique and the perception that this is something rebellious and hence favors binge drinking. To regulate the drinking age at 18 with educational programs, they suggest that it would lead to more open and responsible drinking behaviors from people and practically reduce the harmful overconsumption.

There are many reports and first-hand accounts depicting over-imobriety that are the norm in the campuses where students use alcohol to conceal it and engage in risky activities like drinking games, hazing, and sexual assault (Lavilla‐Gracia et al., 2022). However, another group of critics argues that the brains of teenagers are still developing up to the age of 25, and this could be harmful to expose them to alcohol usage earlier, which may increase risks of alcohol abuse, dependence or other negative effects later in life.

When all of these are considered, cross-cultural analysis also provides some opposite points. For example, the legal purchase and public possession ages are 16 or 18 years old depending on the type of alcoholic beverage in Italy, Germany, and Portugal. However, there are studies that have not found a connection between a greater minimum legal drinking age and a decrease in drinking (Luca et al., 2019) while others have shown positive outcomes for those who delay drinking to age 21 or above.

From a philosophical view, some argue at 18, full adulthood and individual liberty is established in the U.S. – so continued drinking prohibition bypasses self-determination principles. Think about it: at 18, citizens gain the right to vote, serve on juries, get married sans parental approval, sign legal contracts, and enlist in the military. Responsibilities that imply the standing of adulthood. (Carpenter & Dobkin, 2011). Yet the drinking age of 21 creates a gray area between 18-20 where young people are technically adults, still legally prohibited from purchasing alcohol. Applying a philosophical lens of self-ownership and autonomy rights could provide an argument for aligning the drinking age at 18 with adulthood’s legal recognition in other areas – no transitional period.

Undoubtedly, different sides of this issue are being represented by a vast collection of data sources. The truth is that is it is challenging to reach a definitive conclusion, as the ethical aspects of balancing the public health benefits of a high legal drinking age against the arguments for personal freedom and self-regulation are complex. Further refined research is vital to develop policy concessions or new approaches as alternatives.

III. Major research project’s description

My first undecided point is that the minimum legal age for drinking in the United States should be lowered from 21 to 18 years old; however, it should be accompanied by the introduction of the strong educational programs, alcohol safety courses, and responsible drinking that are obligatory for high school students and are part of the university orientation. I propose a hypothesis that the evidence will prove that by implementing these additional prevention programs, alongside reducing the drinking age, can create a safer and more enabling environment, which will in turn help young adults to develop the right attitudes and habits towards alcohol consumption. Such a strategy would support the safe drinking behavior and reduce the public health risks to a great extent which will in turn overrule the negative effects.

To develop a thorough analysis supporting this thesis, I will need to gather and synthesize a range of qualitative and quantitative data, including:To develop a thorough analysis supporting this thesis, I will need to gather and synthesize a range of qualitative and quantitative data, including:

1. Detailed statistics comparing the rates of binge drinking, people who are driving drunk, alcohol abuse/dependency, alcohol related hospitalization, and public health metrics before the drinking age is raised to 21 and after.
2. Results of studies carried out at the university concerning changes to alcohol policies, educational programs or similar could be one of the questions.
3. Psychological/medical analysis from expert sources about impacts of alcohol introduction at some periods of late adolescent brain development (18-20 years old) compared to early twenties.
4. The cross-cultural comparative data on minimum legal drinking age laws, alcohol misuse statistics, and drinking habits dynamics in other countries are also worth considering.
5. The presentation of “drinking age 18” policies and any information from U.S. military bases that could be useful as evidence to support potential civilian legal amendments.
6. Public opinion surveys, focus groups or interviews from students, parents, health care professionals, legislators and others on the drinking age by asking for their point of view.
7. Policy analysis from think tanks, universities, government agencies or other organizations that has studied optimal drinking age and complementary initiatives

To gather this diverse array of data and research, I will leverage scholarly databases, government sources, policy organizations’ reports, newspaper investigations, and potentially distribute some surveys or conduct interviews with relevant subject matter experts or community stakeholders.

References

Carpenter, C., & Dobkin, C. (2011). The minimum legal drinking age and public health. The Journal of Economic Perspectives : A Journal of the American Economic Association, 25(2), 133–156. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3182479/

Lavilla‐Gracia, M., Pueyo‐Garrigues, M., Pueyo‐Garrigues, S., Pardavila‐Belio, M. I., Canga‐Armayor, A., Esandi, N., Alfaro‐Díaz, C., & Canga‐Armayor, N. (2022). Peer‐led interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in college students: A scoping review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 135(44). https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13990

Lin, H.-A., Chan, C.-W., Wiratama, B. S., Chen, P.-L., Wang, M.-H., Chao, C.-J., Saleh, W., Huang, H.-C., & Pai, C.-W. (2022). Evaluating the effect of drunk driving on fatal injuries among vulnerable road users in Taiwan: a population-based study. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14402-3

Luca, D. L., Owens, E., & Sharma, G. (2019). The effectiveness and effects of alcohol regulation: evidence from India. IZA Journal of Development and Migration, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40176-018-0139-1

Plunk, A. D., Krauss, M. J., Syed-Mohammed, H., Hur, M., Cavzos-Rehg, P. A., Bierut, L. J., & Grucza, R. A. (2016). The Impact of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age on Alcohol-Related Chronic Disease Mortality. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40(8), 1761–1768. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.13123

Romano, E., Fell, J., Li, K., Simons-Morton, B. G., & Vaca, F. E. (2021). Alcohol-related deaths among young passengers: An analysis of national alcohol-related fatal crashes. Journal of Safety Research, 79(2), 376–382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2021.10.004