Why I Think We Should Lower The Drinking Age

I don’t personally drink alcohol, nor do I even support the act of drinking it, but just because I don’t doesn’t mean people who drink…

I don’t personally drink alcohol, nor do I even support the act of drinking it, but just because I don’t doesn’t mean people who drink should have to conform to my standards. I am, however, all about mitigating risk, and with the recent legislative push from California, Minnesota, and New Hampshire to lower the drinking age to 18, the ideas they share might actually lead to more responsible drinking habits. Allow me to explain:

Anyone who knows anything about underage drinkers knows that they can go a little over the top when surrounded by peer pressure. New Hampshire is proposing that instead of giving newly minted “legal adults” free range to do whatever they want, they will instead put training wheels on their drinking habits.

At 18, there’ll be an allowance to drink beer and wine (no liquor) in a public, commercial establishment, as long as a person at least 21 years old accompanies them. This would mean that when they turn 18 they are in drinking “grade school.” By the time the individual does turn 21, they will get their drinking fix in college, but at the same time have learned that it is most appropriate to drink where other people can check their behavior.

I asked a Norwegian friend about his country’s 18-year-old drinking age. He commented, “It is 18 here for alcoholic beverages up to 21.9% alcohol, and when you turn 20 you can buy anything. No restrictions. There is no “free for all” when you turn 18, but you can buy anything besides the stronger booze.” He continued “I think that being able to buy low percentage alcohol when

He continued “I think that being able to buy low percentage alcohol when you’re 18 is a good thing. That way you are familiar to what alcohol is and does to you before you turn 20 and there’re no restrictions. I think the first time I tried alcohol was when i was 15 and I was in 9th grade. It was normal back then to see people drink low percantage alcohol that they got from older people. There were no booze but beer. None of myfriends have become alcoholics, and I think its better to know what alcohol does to your body early on instead of going free for all when you turn 21 and go to Vegas for your first drink.”

European countries have, statistically, fewer alcohol-related deaths than the US. The youth there are more responsible with alcohol, in general, because they were eased into the use of it. It is like giving a 15-year-old a year of supervision while learning to drive. You wouldn’t just hand that teenager the keys to a 3,000 lb. battering ram and expect him to figure it out!

Young adults that are 18 are not mature enough for all the responsibilities involved with drinking. Let’s lower the drinking age, I suggest to 19 (to keep older high-schoolers from sharing with their freshman girlfriends), and give them mentors to teach them the ropes. This way, by the time they hit 21, they will be seasoned experts.

Originally published at cadendamiano.com on August 14, 2016.