Alcohol killed many people in the past. In fact, the percent of drunk driving is high. The legal age for drinking is 21. Drinking alcohol kills brain cells. The U.S. should not lower the drinking age to 18 because a teenager's brain isn’t fully developed, the drunk driving percentage will increase and most teenagers are still in school at the age of 18.
The U.S. should not lower the drinking age to 18 because a teenager's brain isn’t fully developed. Alcohol kills brain cells that cannot be replaced. If you lower the drinking age to 18, then you are killing brain cells that didn’t develop yet. By that fact, it’ll have everyone slowly becoming less capable of doing things. If Alcohol doesn’t kill the brain cell, it certainly damages it. If teenagers start drinking at 18, then that means they’ll be starting college in a bad way. “Middle-aged people are doubling their risk of dying early by binge drinking, even when they consume amounts within weekly recommended levels,” (Knapton). But if you lower the age limit. The brain slow deteriorates from alcohol. In a few years after drinking a lot, the brain won’t function properly. The U.S. should not lower the drinking age to 18 because the drunk driving percentage will increase. There are some states that allow 18-year-olds to buy alcohol. Teenagers have been crossing borders to buy alcohol. That means they’ll be driving and drinking.
The United States are promoting that people don’t drink and drive. We don’t want 18-year-olds on the road drinking and driving too. A single drink can boost a blood level. In 2011, 10.3% of high school students are drinking and driving. Most teen’s accidents happened because teens are inexperienced drivers. Allowing them to drink will have them reckless also. Keeping the drinking age limit at 21 will keep teens out of the drunk driving rate.
“Approximately 46% of teenagers say they text and drive,” stated (Chong Siow). If you allow them to drink, that worsens the risk of a car accident. Basically, lowering the drinking age to 18 will probably have parents burying their baby. No one wants that. Alcohol- impaired car crashes cost more than an estimated $37 billion annually. That amount will increase greatly if the age limit was lowered to 18. Because the risk of crashes will rise, parents’ car insurance rates would go through the roof. No one wants that. More than 25,000 lives have been saved thanks to the age limit being 21. Peer pressure is still around. Lowering the drinking age to 18-year-olds who can’t handle peer pressure may lead to drinking. The U.S. should not lower the drinking age to 18 because most teenagers are still in school at the age of 18. Most 18-year-olds are still in school. If the drinking age is lower to 18, then you’re giving permission to go to school drunk. Most school policies forbid alcohol. If teens start drinking in high school, by the time they reach college, it’s too late to save them.
More than half high school students said they’ve had alcohol before. High school students are fives time as likely to drop out if the use alcohol or drugs. They also don’t believe in good grades if they come in contact with alcohol. Lowering the drinking age to 18 affects their learning and education. If it was to be lowered, it’ll be a good chance that they’ll buy alcohol for younger people too. Some parents will buy their child alcohol. Introducing alcohol to your child has to be done correctly or it can ruin what they learn.
Most likely an 18-year-old will abuse the alcohol law if it was lowered. “She found that 13 percent of the population admitted to heavy drinking and that the highest rate was among those aged 18 to 34 "We need to keep an eye on the younger age group where the rate of heavy drinking is not so low and where there is the possibility of them developing alcoholism," concluded (Roan). Because the new law is put into place, that’s all the 18-year-old thinks about. We want our children to stay focus in school, not which alcohol I’m buying this weekend. Since the brain will be damaged from the alcohol, the teen will lose focus on work and pay less attention in class. Instead of lowering the drinking age limit to 18, that’s the age they should start teaching them about alcohol the proper way. Failure to learn about alcohol the proper way will result in an alcoholic or even death.
Being the drinking age is 21, it gives a human brain time to function and develop to proper adult levels. Drinking is legal at 21 and it should stay at the age limit. So many facts and reasons prove that we should not lower the drinking age to a teenager. The U.S. should not lower the drinking age to 18 because a teenager's brain isn’t fully developed, the drunk driving percentage will increase and most teenagers are still in school at the age of 18.
Works Cited
Ann, Chong Siow. "Keeping an Eye on Underage Drinking." Straits Times (Singapore). 18 Jul. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
Knapton, Sarah. "Middle-Aged Binge Drinkers Double Risk of Dying Early." Telegraph.co.uk.. 05 Mar. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
Roan, Shari. "When Parents Buy the Booze." Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA). Aug. 8 2005: F1+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
