The Drinking Age

My family and I would have to agree that the drinking age in the United States should be lowered from age twenty-one. Eighteen would be an appropriate age because teenagers at that age are already legally able to purchase cigarettes, vote, and in some instances gamble at casinos when they reach the age of eighteen. Having the age lowered will also remove much of the difficulties and legal troubles surrounding college students. No matter what people say, everybody knows underage drinking goes on at college, there is nothing that can really be done to prevent this fact. Getting the drinking age lowered is a good idea because there would be no more illegal drinking going on at colleges, if everyone is doing it we might as well make it ok. Many other countries have legal drinking ages lower than those in the United States. Many European countries and, closer to home, Mexico allow teenagers at the age of eighteen to drink alcohol legally. I think the age is good because we don’t hear many stories of people complaining in other countries about alcohol consumption. To be honest the stories we hear amongst each other as Americans are stories of our friends getting drunk legally on family of friend vacations to foreign countries. The largest question concerning having eighteen year olds drink legally is whether or not they are mature enough to have the age lowered. The question of maturation is relative because there are certainly immature twenty-one year olds running around making stupid decisions all of the time. I know more than a few eighteen year olds who make good choices and show common sense in situations regarding drinking and alcohol consumption. It doesn’t really matter if the age is dropped because it will be the same situation as it is now with the drinking age being twenty-one.