The Proper and Safe Drinking Age

In a perfect world, teenagers would be well behaved and willing to follow rules, they would listen to their parents and be smart about certain substances. Unfortunately, that perfect world doesn't exist; the world is filled with teens who feel drinking at their young age is okay. Although many people would argue that the state’s drinking age should be lowered to eighteen, in the end that would prove disastrous because of the numerous physical and psychological dangers that exist.

At the age of eighteen, most teens are just graduating high school and their brains are still developing. In a highschool setting where peer pressure and uncomfortable situations arise constantly, drinking is the last thing that a highschooler should be doing in order to ensure that their brain develops properly. The frontal cortex is one of the last things to develop fully in a brain; it regulates things like impulse control, emotions and assessing risks (“Underage”). Damage to the frontal cortex can result in difficulty with trying to make the right decisions. Interfering with the development of the frontal cortex leads to a greater vulnerability for “...reduced desicon making ability, memory loss, depression, violence, and suicide” (“History”). The physical effects that alcohol can have on a developing brain are detrimental.

The brain isn’t the only physical body part affected by alcohol consumption as a minor. At this age, hormonal growth is taking place. According to the article titled “Underage Drinking”, when change is occurring in the body, drinking alcohol during this growth period can affect the hormonal growth balance. Damage to the frontal cortex can result in difficulty with trying to make the right decisions. The hormones produced at this age are vital for organ development, when affected these growth hormones can lead to stunted growth in areas like organ, bone and muscle development (“Underage”). When a minor puts alcohol in their body it damages their brain and hormone growth. This is a recurring issue that needs proper attention in order to create a safe environment and a healthy future for our current high schoolers. Allowing an eighteen year old to drink would be like allowing a ten year old to drive by themselves; they simply are not ready. A twenty-one year old’s body is much more capable of handling alcohol than that of an eighteen year old whose body is still developing and can experience harmful changes.

The body can face extremely damaging results from consuming alcohol at the young age of eighteen, not only is it the physical effects, but also the psychological effects. When people support lowering the drinking age they are putting the youth at risk for depression and addiction later in life. The earlier someone has started drinking, specifically minors, the more likely they are to become alcoholics later in life (“Pros”). Teens are less informed about alcohol abuse and are often found drinking amounts that their bodies cannot handle, which can eventually lead to alcohol poisoning. In 2010 it was found that, “ There were approximately 189,000 emergency rooms visits by teens under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol” (“Facts”). This is a scary fact that only increases in numbers each year. Teens who are drinking in highschool have a higher risk of dropping out of school, leading to yet another opportunity for an alcoholic future.

Teens with a damaged frontal cortex as mentioned earlier cannot make the decision that they should not be driving after drinking or getting in the car with someone who has been. Alcohol is a leading factor in the three main causes of death from the ages fifteen to twenty-four: suicide, homicide and automobile crashes (“Facts”). Adolescents are not psychologically aware of the bad decisions they make. It has been found that fifty-six percent of motor vehicle deaths in 2010 for fifteen to twenty year olds were a direct result of underage drinking and driving (“Facts”). Eighteen year olds should not be given the right to drink with all the potential dangers of driving that are involved.

Some may disagree by saying at the age of eighteen, one is considered an adult legally and therefore should have the ability to drink. They believe that if someone can be old enough to be prosecuted, vote, be in the military, and be on a jury then they have every right to drink (“History”). If a man can go off to war and see the horror of things that happen there, he can sit down and have a drink. However, the body of an eighteen year old is not ready for alcohol to be introduced into it. Most experts say that the brain is not fully developed till the age twenty-five (“Underage”). Alcohol affects the frontal cortex along with changing the hormone balance and growth in the body.

If the drinking age is lowered it would do an abundance of harm rather than good. The stage of being eighteen can be glorious due to the reason of being considered an adult. It makes some believe they should be able to drink alcohol, but the physical effects on the brain and the rest of the body prove that drinking just isn’t worth it. The psychological factors can lead to future alcoholics in the world. To see the sad statistics of many teens in car accidents resulting in death from being too irresponsible is a scary situation that happens all the time. The perfect world may not exist right now, but it can be achieved with keeping the drinking age at twenty-one for the safety of all.