The Debate on Drinking Age:

The Higher The Better

To: Mr. Spoth
By: Esthel Morales

Many individuals count down the days until their 21st birthday to start drinking alcohol.
The drinking age should be raised to twenty-three years old. The reason I believe it should be

raised is because crime and death rates may decrease. Millions have died from drunk driving and
the problem appears to be getting worse. According to the article, Underage drinking, five
thousand people under the age of twenty one die each year due to drunk driving. Some reasons
why people drink is because of stress, depression and peer pressure.This is a major debate
because people believe that if they are eighteen and can serve in the army and put their life on
the line for their country, they are responsible enough to have or purchase alcohol.
There are twenty-one countries without a minimum drinking age limit, including Russia,
Jamaica, and Cuba. In France, like many other countries, the drinking age is sixteen. In 1897, a
man in London named George Smith crashed his cab into a building while driving drunk. This
was the first recorded drunk driving arrest. Following the passage of the 26th Amendment in
1971 many states lowered the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen. The 26th Amendment
of the Constitution of the United States lowered the age to vote from twenty-one to eighteen.
This ties into drinking because many people believe if the voting age should be eighteen and then
they are responsible enough to drink.
On July 17th, 1984 the National Drinking Age Act was passed. According to the National
Drinking Age Act, states shall prohibit people under twenty-one years of age to purchase or to
publicly possess alcoholic beverages. According to the non-profit organization Mothers Against
Drunk Driving, after the National Drinking Age was passed, deaths from drunk driving accidents
decreased from around 21,000 in 1982 to just over 10,000 in 2014. The Mothers Against Drunk
Driving was founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed after a drunk driver hit her.
The purpose of this organization was to end drunk driving, help end drunk driving, support the
victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking.

According to the article Higher Drinking Age Saves Lives research showed that raising
the drinking age can be used to sway states for one side of the argument, but in this case the
findings are clear. The drinking age should be raised to 23. Study after study shows that since
the 1970s, when the drinking age is lowered, there are significantly more crashes. The Center
for Disease control and Prevention, National Academy of Sciences among other have studied
many age groups over different periods of time. They found that people under 21 drink and still
get behind the wheel. When the age is raised, fewer people get behind the wheel after drinking.
The findings show that lowering the drinking age increases car crashed as well as decision
making skills of teenagers. Also according to the article Higher Drinking Age Saves Lives the
federal government has never had a minimum age for drinking, each state established their own
age.
After prohibition ended in 1933, most states chose 21 as the age you are allowed to drink.
With the start of the Vietnam War, many thought that since men were fighting at 18, then they
should also be able to drink. From 1978 to 1988, this policy was reversed for good. Binge
drinking, or drinking more than 5 alcoholic beverages at one time increased in the early 1980s
by those who were 18 or older. This began to decline when the age of 21 was adopted once
again. Researchers realised that the younger you are when you are able to drink, the more you
will drink, and the more you will drive drunk.
In the early 1990s, states started putting the Blood Alcohol Rate to .08 as the legal limit
for driving. In 2004, the .08 BAC standard was adopted in the whole country. In 1998, the Zero
Tolerance Law was passed. This law states if you are under age and drive drunk, the penalty
would be stronger than it is for adults. In 1984, the federal government passed the National
Minimum Drinking Age act which reduced federal highway funding if the states didnt raise the

age to twenty-one. In 1985, New York State raised the drinking age from nineteen to twenty-one
years old. The law made it illegal for anyone under twenty-one to possess or consume alcohol.
According to New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, If a person under the age of
twenty-one is drinking while intoxicated their licence will get revoked for a year if they are
convicted of DWI or DWAI. If the person is found guilty of using New York State Driver
License as proof of age to illegally purchase alcohol beverages, their Drivers Licence or
privilege of applying to a license will be suspended. According to New York State governor
Andrew Cuomo, since 1985 alcohol related traffic deaths have been reduced by 60%. People say
that after this law was passed, it has helped to make roads safer.
Another reason why drunk driving deaths have decreased is because vehicles safety
technology has gotten better through the years. One example is air bags. They help reduce traffic
deaths over all. Another example is the, Ignition Interlock device. The device is, Connected to
a motor vehicle ignition system and measures the alcohol content of the operators breath. If the
driver doesnt provide an acceptable sample of his/her breath then the car wont start. A third
reason drunk driving traffic deaths have been reduced is because more programs were made to
prevent them. Such as D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Program), CSAP (Center for Substance
Abuse Prevention), and DDPA (International Drunk Driving Prevention Association). The
enforcement in New York state has also been stronger and more strict. If a policeman believes
the person is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they require the driver to take a Field
Sobriety Test which includes a breath-screening test for alcohol. If the driver fails the test, they
will be arrested and be asked to take a Chemical Test for Blood Alcohol Content. The person
will also be fingerprinted.

If the person is convicted they can spend up to one year in jail and up to a maximum of
$1,000 fine. If the person is convicted a second time they can spend up to four years in jail up to
a maximum of $5,000 fine. If the person is convicted for the third time or more they can spend
up to seven years in jail and up to a maximum of $10,000 fine. According to New York State
DMV, if convicted and the person is twenty-one or older, their consequences can be 90-day
suspension or a minimum of 6-months revocation depending on how long the person is convicted
for. Also if convicted and the person is under the age of twenty-one their consequences can be a
minimum of 1-year revocation of drivers license or until the age of twenty-one whichever is
longer. Another major consequence for drunk driving is the possibility of being convicted of
vehicular manslaughter or vehicular assault.
Do you think the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen, raised to twenty-three or
older, or should the drinking age be kept at twenty-one? Every year more and more arguments
occur about the drinking age law and at what age people can or should be able to purchase
alcohol. Due to my research some people say that drinking age should be lowered to eighteen
years old. This is a major debate because people believe that if they are eighteen and can serve in
the army and put their life on the line for their country, they are responsible enough to have or
purchase alcohol.
Another reason why people think that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen is
because if the person is eighteen and they are old enough to vote, which is a big responsibility,
then they are old enough to drink and make their own smart and safe decisions. Also, if you are
eighteen you can move out of your parents home and be independent. If the laws or
consequences cant stop the teens from drinking, then the stores that sell alcohol will benefit
more from it and make a better profit out of it. Many teens, especially college students, say that

the drinking age wouldnt matter because they will continue to drink at college parties. Another
reason is because many teens think that even though they are young they can still make smart
choices about drinking.
There are also people that debate on the drinking age staying at twenty-one years old.
Many people say it should stay the same because whether the person is a teenager or even old
enough to drink the people will always drink, no matter the drinking age. Other people say it can
affect your brain especially if not fully developed. Also people say that letting younger people
drink gives citizens that are childish the ability to make bad decisions that does not only affect
themselves but also be harmful to others. The people that dont want the age lowered or to stay
the same they want the age raised to twenty-three or even twenty-five. People say and argue that
the age should be raised because they say that their brain is more developed. Also because the
older they are the better choices they make.
According to Ruth C. Engs, a professor in Indiana University, the drinking age should be
lowered to eighteen because teens are tempted to drink more because its wrong and illegal. She
also states that the prohibition didnt work in the 1920s and it will not work today. Also
professor Ruth believes the age should be lowered because vehicle's safety and social programs
have increased. Another reason drinking age should be lowered is because underage drinking
rates has increased since the passage of the Minimum Age Act. She concludes that the
problems with underage drinking are caused by the way society looks at alcohol as a negative.
She talk about how other cultures include alcohol in their traditions and dont have the same
problems that exist in the United States.
According to Gabrielle Gase the author of Her Best-Kept Secret: Why Women Drink
the drinking age should be lowered back to eighteen years old. She thinks that lowering the

drinking age back to eighteen because giving the responsibility to the people under twenty-one
years old would help them make better choices when they get older.
There are many opinions on drinking age laws. I believe the drinking age should be
raised to twenty-three years old for many reasons. If the drinking age were higher, than less
deaths would occur. People would be much wiser on the choices they make, especially because
many young teens today start problems or even act irresponsible when they drink. Another
reason why is because I think that the older the person is the more responsible they are and the
better choices they make. Therefore if the drinking age gets raised, the better the choices made
and the less deaths and drunk driving accidents will occur.
If the drinking age was raised stronger consequences will be made, and the percentage of
drunk driving deaths will decrease even more. Even though people go and die for our country in
the military, nobody is forcing the people to go fight and die for our country. People shouldnt
want the drinking age lowered especially because then it gives the right for the teens that go to
school to enter school drunk. I also feel like if the drinking age is lowered that the death rates
will increase instead of decrease, especially because many teens today drink because of
depression or even peer pressure. Teens pressuring other teens to drink also is bullying. Many
teens feel like if they dont drink they wouldnt be cool enough or even have enough friends.
Because teens are mainly worried about their looks and how to fit in school. Which has become a
major problem because peer pressuring and bullying has played a big role in deaths. Teenagers
think its cool to drink and they dont think about the consequences that follow drinking. Many
teens say yes and most of them dont realize they can get into big trouble, especially if they are at
a house party without supervision they can get arrested.

Many teenagers also dont realize that if they get put in jail the people that peer pressured
them to drink wouldnt care as long as they dont get into trouble. The drinking age should be
raised because maybe the eighteen year olds will have more common sense. Maybe the teens
wouldnt have so many college parties with alcohol especially them knowing its illegal. I think
that the drinking age should also be raised maybe it wouldnt affect teens when they get older. If
the drinking age gets increased to twenty-three and the person gets peer pressured to drink then
it would be easier for them to say no. Not only would it be easier for the adult to say no but they
also think about the consequences. They also think about what can happen and what example the
person is showing to others, especially if they have kids.
The drinking age should be raised because if the adults that are parents make the right
choice and show their kids not to drink it would be good. It would most likely be easier for them
to say no if they get peer pressured to drink. The adult will give thought on who they can hurt if
they drink. Especially if when they get drunk they act weird or really stupid or even hurt people.
For example if the person is drunk the person can decide to beat on someone. I think if the
drinking age is raised maybe there wouldnt be many alcoholics today. In my opinion, the
drinking age should also be raised because many teens that drink at their age when they get older
they can also have memory lost. If the drinking age was raised the adults can also help many
teens outside that are doing wrong to do the right thing.
In conclusion, the arguments about the drinking age will continue on, whether its
lowered, raised, or kept the same. This argument will continue because many have their own
opinions about the drinking age. The belief that the drinking age to twenty-three is debatable but
many others think differently. There are many reasons why the drinking age should be raised,
lowered, or should stay the same. Reasons why it should be lowered is because people believe if

teens from eighteen years of age or older can go to fight in a war, can vote, and live
independently they should be able to drink alcohol. Some reasons why it should stay the same is
because no matter what age people are teens or adults they will decide to drink, especially to fit
in. A reason why it should be raised is because the death rates will decrease and when the
children become adults they will make better and smarter choices. Since the minimum drinking
age act was passed, under age drunk driving death rates dropped by 60%. Other action that took
place was different organizations were created and greater consequences were made if caught
drunk driving. Three agencies are Mothers against drunk driving, Drug Abuse Resistance
program, and Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. These three agencies have contributed
greatly to the prevent drunk driving and under age alocohol related deaths. Either way I feel like
drinking age would stay the same because the drinking age laws wouldnt matter to the teens and
they would still drive under the influence without giving much thought to it.

Bibliography

Candy, Brian. "Brain Maturity Extends Well Beyond Teen Years." NPR. NPR, 10 Oct. 2011. Web.
04 Jan. 2016.

Engs, Ruth C. "Why Drinking Age Should Be Lowered: Dr. Ruth Engs." Why Drinking Age
Should Be Lowered: Dr. Ruth Engs. N.p., 20 Mar. 1998. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.

Glaser, Gabrielle. "Return the Drinking Age to 18, and Enforce It." New York Times. N.p., 10 Feb.
2015. Web. 4 Jan. 2016.

"Higher Drinking Age Saves Lives." Higher Drinking Age Saves Lives. N.p., 27 Dec. 2008. Web. 04
Jan. 2016.

"MADD - History of Drunk Driving." MADD - History of Drunk Driving. Amcharts.com, n.d. Web. 04
Jan. 2016.

"Underage Drinking." Underage Drinking-Why Do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and
How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented? NIAAA, Jan. 2006. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.