The legal drinking age is an issue that has been highly contested in the United States. Some advocate to raise the drinking age to combat dangerous drinking behavior, others argue it should be lower to match the majority of other countries. Some support where it stands at 21.
Pt 1: History
To fully understand the argument around the legal drinking age, we first must understand the history.
Prohibition was put into place in 1919 as the 18th amendment and was later repealed as the 21st amendment in 1933. This quick rise and decline of the consumption and public opinion of alcohol speaks to the vast and varied history drinking, specifically the drinking age, in America. This movement to suspend drinking, called the temperance movement, was mainly seen as a progressive one at the time, however, in the 21st century, we would say this kind of thinking could be seen as highly conservative. According to Alcohol.org, the trade for the illegal substance “was so prevalent that Detroit’s illicit alcohol trade was the second-biggest contributor to the economy at the time, behind only the city’s auto industry.1 “(Speakeasy).
When the 21st amendment was ratified, the voting age in the Country was also 21, so the drinking age was set to that for most states. Now, though, we see a 3-year gap between the two important ages. During the late 1960s to early 1970s, 30 states changed the age to be only 18 years old as their legal drinking age, due to the 26th amendment changing the voting age. From the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, states were required to change their legal drinking ages to 21 or risk losing funding for their highways. Some states raised the legal age before this change was mandated in order to combat drunk driving. “After all states adopted an age 21 MLDA, (minimum legal drinking age) drinking during the previous month among persons aged 18 to 20 years declined from 59% in 1985 to 40% in 1991.7” (CDC).
*reference chart on Wikipedia for states specific ages and such*
https://www.history.com/topics/united-states-constitution/18th-and-21st-amendments
https://www.alcohol.org/statistics-information/speakeasy/
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/minimum-legal-drinking-age.htm – also lots of great facts and stats here!
Images: https://time.com/5469508/prohibition-repeal-anniversary-history/
https://www.wpr.org/vintage-wisconsin-revelers-celebrate-end-prohibition
https://www.britannica.com/event/Prohibition-United-States-history-1920-1933
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/prohibition-sign-jon-neidert.html?product=poster
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/339318153151881552/
https://riverwalkjazz.stanford.edu/program/east-commerce-stomp-san-antonio-swing-reborn
https://www.amazon.com/AMENDMENT-United-Constitution-ADOPTED-Newspaper/dp/B00U2TXFT2
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/minimum-legal-drinking-age.htm
Pt 2: Different Countries
Controversy Project Script:
Our own country has its variations on the alcohol laws but look around the globe and the legal drinking age varies wildly.
There are 16 countries with a total ban on alcohol, meaning no one can buy it, regardless of their age. Many of these countries are in the Middle East, such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Conversely, some countries have no established legal drinking age, meaning anyone can purchase and consume alcohol, including Benin, Sierra Leone, and Mali.
The youngest established legal drinking age is sixteen, which holds true for Cuba, Panama, Serbia, and a small handful of other countries.
By and large, most countries MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) is 18, including most Middle and South America, Europe, East Asia, and South Africa.
The U.S. only shares its MLDA with 11 other countries, being higher than most at 21.
Finally, the highest age for legal drinking belongs to some areas of India, at 25 years old.
In Europe, with such variation in drinking age and such close proximity between countries, the guidelines can see rather arbitrary and confusing.
In fact, there is a restaurant on the Belgium-Netherlands border where, if seated at a table on the Belgium side, a sixteen-year-old could order a glass of wine with dinner. However, just across the room on the Netherlands side, they would be breaking the law.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/31/health/legal-drinking-age-world-explainer-parenting-intl/index.html
Source: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2012/02/most-complicated-border-town-world/1267/
Image Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_consumption_by_youth_in_the_United_States#/media/File:Underage_consumption_map_2007.gif
https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/31/health/legal-drinking-age-world-explainer-parenting-intl/index.html
https://drinkingage.procon.org/minimum-legal-drinking-age-in-other-countries/
https://www.thrillist.com/culture/21st-birthday-drinks
https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/26xhh0/legal_age_to_drink_alcohol_in_europe_758646/
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2012/02/most-complicated-border-town-world/1267/
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/27/c_138505769.htm
Pt 4: Cultures (Lewis)
America has developed from a country which has viewed alcohol to be a sinful substance to one which is socially acceptable and to some is even known as an artform. Since the days of prohibition there has been a shift in American culture to a general acceptance of alcohol as long as it is consumed within moderation. A prime example of how the culture has changed is how people now spend thousands of dollars on rare and expensive bottles, primarily wine; the most expensive bottle of which sold for half a million dollars. There has also been a newfound appreciation of alcohol in America with people now being able to go to craft breweries, something which was originally an extremely illicit activity has now become a popular pasttime
https://newyorkwineevents.com/top-5-expensive-bottles-wine-ever-sold/
Pt 5: Age Brain Development (Mandy)
It has been pushed for many years by scientists that underage alcohol consumption damages the maturing brain. It has been proven that the adolescent brain continues to change as it does with many other animals. Adolescents with a history of alcohol use exhibit risky decision making and poorer attention performance, working memory, and other executive functions. In a study performed by the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence, the theory of young no/low drinkers and over threshold drinkers, regardless of age did worse on tasks including balance, attention, motor skills, and emotion than older no/low drinkers. This proves that the brain is still developing during adolescence and that drinking permanently damages the brain. Another study created by Sarah Ewing in 2014 “The Effect of Alcohol Consumption on the Adolescent Brain” used young alcohol users to young non-alcohol users and compared their brains using MRI’s. The study proved that underage drinkers are especially in danger of stunted brain development compared to young nondrinkers. Overall, drinking has been proven dangerous for all ages and sexes, especially in adolescence.
Sullivan, E. V. et al. Cognitive, emotion control, and motor performance of adolescents in the NCANDA study: contributions from alcohol consumption, age, sex, ethnicity and family history of addiction. Neuropsychology, 30, 449–473 (2016).
Ewing, Sarah W. Feldstein, et al. “The Effect of Alcohol Consumption on the Adolescent Brain: A Systematic Review of MRI and FMRI Studies of Alcohol-Using Youth.” NeuroImage: Clinical, vol. 5, 2014, pp. 420–437., doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2014.06.011.
Sources of Images to use:
- https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/905688/kazia-therapeutics-raises-4-million-to-progress-rd-programs-905688.html
- https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/43020/harnessing-the-incredible-learning-potential-of-the-adolescent-brain
- https://www.verywellfamily.com/youth-risk-behaviors-2606906
- https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/alcohol-and-the-brain
- https://www.vanrad.com/imaging-exams/mri/
- HYPERLINK “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY37BFmVxwQ”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY37BFmVxwQ
- HYPERLINK “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIOcrW9h1QA”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIOcrW9h1QA
- https://themindunleashed.com/2015/07/this-is-what-alcohol-reallydoes-to-your-brain.html
Pt 6: Everything you can do at 18
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-can-serve-my-country-at-18-but-not-drink
Alcohol is a type of “forbidden fruit” for people ages 12-20. There are two sides to the controversial topic. On one hand, some feel as if lowering the drinking age would lead to an increase in binge drinking and harmful practices for young people. On the other hand, the argument is centered around comparisons with other countries around the world that have successfully lowered their drinking age, and the idea that if the drinking age was lowered, teens would drink less. In the United States, turning 18 means a lot. You can register to vote, serve on a jury, be tried for a crime as an adult, write a will, and even be drafted into the military. Age 18 seems to be the final point of privilege for U.S. laws. They are old enough to make big decisions on their own, so shouldn’t they be allowed to responsibly consume alcohol?
https://legalbeagle.com/5371464-benefits-being-years-old.html
Pt 7: Binge Drinking (Maddie)
Although alcohol is not very harmful in moderation, the effects of overuse, or binge drinking, can result in a variety of different complications, such as death. One of the most common reasons of death occurs from driving drunk. Drunk driving is especially on the rise in not just underaged users, but also overage users as well. According to The Zebra, an insurance comparison website, about 20.1% of survey responders aged 35 to 44 years old know somebody who has been killed in a drunk driving accident.
However, drunk driving is not the only way death can occur from binge drinking. Simply enough, having just too much alcohol could result in death. When enough alcohol is consumed in a short period of time, the liver will not be able to process the alcohol out of the individual’s system, therefore leading to his/her death. According to the CDC, six people die each day from alcohol poisoning in the United States. A specific example of how binge drinking has become a more common occurrence is twenty-first birthdays.
https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/alcohol-poisoning-deaths/index.html
https://www.thezebra.com/drunk-driving-statistics/
Pt 8: 21st Birthday
Binge Drinking is a custom that has become central to 21st Birthdays. The University of Missouri determined that many college students drink to excess on their 21st birthdays. 34 percent of men and 24 percent of women reported consuming 21 drinks or more. Is it possible the 3 years delay from most European countries encourages this binging?
Source: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2008/05/21st-birthdayvcfde
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DV88CgygMg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTv8qC7QxMc
Pt 9: Countries with lower (Lewis)
https://mdt.mt.gov/visionzero/docs/taskforces/ojjdp_feb01.pdf
It’s possible. As seen in the graph there is a higher percentage of people drinking 5 or more drinks in a row in European nations, these are highest in countries which have a lower drinking age. Though the data doesn’t take into account under which settings people consume alcohol, there is an obvious correlation between the countries in Europe which have a lower drinking age and how many consume 5 or more drinks in a row. It is important to note when making decisions about drinking ages that there has been no significant evidence to prove that young Europeans drink more responsibly because they have a lower drinking age.
Pt 10: New Drivers/Supplying (Mandy)
In the 2014 study entitled “Providing Alcohol to Underage Youth: The View from Young Adulthood”, Amelia Arria and her colleagues asked 755 legal drinking age college students (22 to 26) if they ever supplied to minors. The results are shocking: 84.6% provided alcohol to a minor at least once and was more likely to occur more than once with older minors, 18-20-year olds. Over 20% reported supplying alcohol to minors under the age of 18 as well. Research in 1999 asked 8,909 high school seniors in upper Midwest communities about their drinking and driving habits. The creators, Grosvenor, Toomey, and Wageaar gained results of 25% of current, 12th grade drinkers reported having driven after they had consumed enough alcohol to bother their driving during the previous 30 days. Among current drinkers, 56% reported having five or more drinks in a row in the previous two weeks. Results from the “2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health” prove that ages 16-20 make up 17.5 instances of driving under the influence during 2012. New legal drinkers, ages 21-25, are the majority of reckless drivers with 21.9 recorded instances in the survey.