Lowering the Legal Drinking Age
Limited research paper
College writing
4/15/11
Lowering the legal drinking age Take a moment and imagine your 18th birthday. You’re considered an adult now; you can get married, join the army, own a house, and vote. If we are considered adults at the age of 18 and can die for our country and make all of our own decisions then why cant people drink at the age of 18? Given modern day society, the idea of lowering the national minimum drinking age to 18 in the united states is feasible because of its proven effectiveness in other foreign countries and desirable because of the benefits such as reduced crime, reduced spending and more educated adults to society. The effectiveness of this plan can be proven through 3 different aspects: the positive effect that having a lower drinking age has/had in European countries such as Germany, Definitive research, and the profound changes it would bring upon society. The minimum drinking age overall in Europe is significantly lower then that of the United States, Germany is one of those examples. In Germany it is legal for people to buy and drink beer at age 16 and then hard liquor at 18. I have seen this plan in action with my own eyes many times. Being someone who used to live in Germany I have the unique perspective of life as a teen in Germany as well as the U.S and there are many stark contrasts. Where I lived in Germany it was actually legal for kids to drink beer at the age of 14 years old and liquor at 18. This notion may sound ridiculous but the results are quite impressive. What I learned from my experiences in Germany related to drinking was that one of the key parts of the plans success relies on kids being young when they start drinking. Starting at a younger age and under parental supervision helps teach kids at an early age how to be responsible when drinking alcohol. This is important because as a youngster these kids are learning to respect alcohol and the dangerous problems it can cause which, when
College writing
4/15/11
Lowering the legal drinking age Take a moment and imagine your 18th birthday. You’re considered an adult now; you can get married, join the army, own a house, and vote. If we are considered adults at the age of 18 and can die for our country and make all of our own decisions then why cant people drink at the age of 18? Given modern day society, the idea of lowering the national minimum drinking age to 18 in the united states is feasible because of its proven effectiveness in other foreign countries and desirable because of the benefits such as reduced crime, reduced spending and more educated adults to society. The effectiveness of this plan can be proven through 3 different aspects: the positive effect that having a lower drinking age has/had in European countries such as Germany, Definitive research, and the profound changes it would bring upon society. The minimum drinking age overall in Europe is significantly lower then that of the United States, Germany is one of those examples. In Germany it is legal for people to buy and drink beer at age 16 and then hard liquor at 18. I have seen this plan in action with my own eyes many times. Being someone who used to live in Germany I have the unique perspective of life as a teen in Germany as well as the U.S and there are many stark contrasts. Where I lived in Germany it was actually legal for kids to drink beer at the age of 14 years old and liquor at 18. This notion may sound ridiculous but the results are quite impressive. What I learned from my experiences in Germany related to drinking was that one of the key parts of the plans success relies on kids being young when they start drinking. Starting at a younger age and under parental supervision helps teach kids at an early age how to be responsible when drinking alcohol. This is important because as a youngster these kids are learning to respect alcohol and the dangerous problems it can cause which, when