Most people approaching the beautifully desired age of 21 are counting down the days until they can walk up to that bar and legally buy that whiskey coke (or Cosmopolitan if you're feeling super classy that day.)
Since I have turned 21, which was eight months ago, I have learned just enough to be able to balance out the pros and cons about reaching this particular milestone in life.
As for the pros...
1. You can finally not stress when the cops come in busting a party.
This was by far my favorite thing about turning 21. Coming from a very strict household full of conservative people, getting a drinking ticket just wasn't an option for me, or else I would be front seat on a bus back to living at home and attending community college. No offense to those who attend community college, but living at home for any longer would have sent me into cardiac arrest.
2. You can casually drink at dinner when you're out.
This may not seem like a huge deal to most, but having friends that were at least two years older, and already of legal age, it was complete torture to be that girl that orders a water when all your friends are making a cheers with their jumbo margaritas. (Insert crying melancholy emoji here.)
3. People finally look at you like you're an actual adult.
I know at least in my instance, random older adults suddenly looked at me like I had my life together. Lol to that one. This may have been in my head, but it definitely affects how people treat you when they know if you're an 18-year-old adult or a 21-year-old adult...at least when sitting at the bar.
Now, the pros, in my opinion, outweigh the cons, but there are definitely cons to being 21 that no one really hypes up to the underage crowd. Here are a few of those to keep in mind:
1. It adds up.
When you're used to buying cheap liquor by the bottle because you can't legally buy it at the bar (this isn't to you all with incredibly well-created fake ID's), no one really tells you how much you have to invest in buying drinks at a bar. Now, when you first turn 21, you can use that card to its full potential and have free drinks for days, but a few months in you'll begin to realize one $10 drink with only one ounce of alcohol is a quick way to an expensive tab. If you're a lightweight on the other hand, this might not apply to you as much. Hey, we can't all be that lucky though.
2. It can quickly cause potentially dangerous situations.
I know when I was underage, a DD was always in the picture, because we would typically drink before entering a bar for obvious reasons. This means we would need a safe ride to get there. When you're 21, you may not plan to drink as much at dinner until you arrive, and then be stuck not having a ride home when you're five drinks in, or even worse, try and drive. This is obviously what you want to avoid at all costs. So either stay sober, or make sure that driver is on hand.
3. You feel like your birthdays only seem mediocre from here.
I can honestly say my 22nd birthday will just be another year added on to almost 30. I try not to look at it this way, but after 21, all the biggest milestones are over. To make you feel even older, you can officially say you have had your license for half a decade. I don't know about you, but I just looked for my first gray hair after hearing that one.
All and all, being 21 is the beginning of the best days of your life, not because you can legally buy cheap beer at a dirty bar with slightly terrible music, but because you are a young adult about to enter the real world. You are young enough to go travel the world if you want to, and old enough to make wise decisions. Never let the ability to buy the drinks everywhere get ahead of the more important things in life. Also, don't be afraid to live a little, because you are only 21 once. Cheers to that.
