Cailliau 1

Jules Cailliau
Prof Jackie
Engl 113A
November 9, 2015
Discussion About the Legal Drinking Age
In America people need to be 21 to have a beer, in Spain people
need to be 18 and in Belgium people can get one when theyre 16. There
should become a worldwide rule about the minimum legal drinking age.
The first weird thing about the age of 21 in America is that people can do
everything when they are 18, except drink alcohol. Teens enter adulthood
when theyre 18, but technically they cant do everything yet. So they
need to increase the adulthood age, remove or lower the legal drinking
age. Its hard to understand that in some countries there is no age on the
legal drinking age and in some people need to wait until theyre 21 years
old. The legal drinking age needs to be the same all over the world so
everybody can explore alcohol at the same age and can enjoy it at the
same time.
Eighteen to twenty year old people who drink illegal alcohol are
drinking to get drunk. When they have the opportunity to get alcohol from
somewhere or from someone, they want to take advantage of it. Once
theyre in college, they start going to college parties. There, they always
have a big chance to try alcohol and to get drunk. Lower the drinking age
to 18 and then enforce the law. Gonchar says, The current system, which
forbids alcohol to Americans under 21, is widely flouted, with disastrous
consequences (Para 2). If teenagers were allowed to drink at the age of

Cailliau 2
18, far fewer people would be getting in trouble with the law. Since 18 is
the age many enter into college, it will be about the same time that many
take their first sip of alcohol as well. Though there is a fair share of
drinking in high school, the consumption of alcohol increases greatly once
in college. Being a college student, I know that a very large percentage of
the campus population engages in illegal consumption on a weekly basis.
At the same time, these young adults are getting in trouble with the law by
receiving Minor in Possessions or having their fake IDs confiscated. By
lowering the legal drinking age to 18, most college students would be
allowed to drink without the worries of getting caught. If they are old
enough to live on their own and take responsibility for their school career,
they should be responsible enough to drink. So they should lower the legal
drinking age so the students dont break the law. While these are all good
points, they aren't taking into consideration that there are more benefits.
One of the benefits of lowering the legal drinking age is the aid in
education of drinking related issues. Teaching people to drink responsibly
before they turn 21 would enormously enhance public health. Now, high
school and college kids view dangerous binge drinking as a rite of
passage. They want to have fun by having the best time they can have. If
they dont want to do it this easy, there are other options, for example
incorporating a responsible drinking course into school programs that
would be comparable to sex education. This would focus, not only on
drunk driving, but also binge drinking, brain damage, the deleterious
health effects of alcohol abuse and how to drink in a responsible manner.
Also, there should be an alcohol license, much like a drivers license.

Cailliau 3
They have to pass a test dealing with alcohol facts and stats when people
are 18 in order to drink. If they get arrested for any alcohol related offense
you lose this right until you turn 21. Because alcohol is still illegal for these
18-20 year old students, it stimulates them more to do something they
cant do according to the law. Many of these kids are away from home for
the first time and able to drink to their hearts content. Theyre able to do
things without being watched by their parents. That can be a really big
problem. Lowering the legal drinking age would aid teens in education of
drinking related issues.
Alcohol has a big influence on the economy. A lot of people drinking
alcohol. They dont drink it only for parties or in bards but also at home for
fun. Lowering the drinking age Not only would help teach teens of
drinking related issues, it would also be really good for the economy
(Should the Drinking Age para 14). More people would legally be able
to drink in bars, restaurants, and other licensed establishments. Revenue
would increase for private business owners and the government would
collect greater amounts of tax revenue. Its not only good for the places
where people can get alcohol, but also for taxi companies. Teens will start
using cabs because they know they can start drinking legally. Teens are
used to going to parties by car; once they are 21 they still go by car but
they can drink legally. This causes a dilemma for them and some will make
the wrong decision. Using the system by going to parties by taxi would be
a great opportunity to avoid car accidents with drunk drivers, but also for
the economy of the taxi companies. Griggs found out, another $2.4 billion
would come in from taxes on the additional purchases by adults between

Cailliau 4
the ages of 18 21 (para 7). Economists say this is a good move for
decreasing the fast-growing national deficit. Its also a good thing to stop
the fake IDs on the black market and regain the control of this market. The
professor says he favors a lower drinking age. Heath is not advocating kids
getting drunk, instead he favors a cultural model which is common in
countries like France and Italy where parents serve small amounts of wine
to their children at family meals. Health says, In general, the younger
people start to drink the safer they are (para 1). Griggs tells us, Alcohol
has no mystique. Its no big deal. By contrast, where its banned until age
21, theres something of the forbidden fruit syndrome (para 3). By doing
this, he says, parents educate their kids about alcohol and rob drinking of
its taboo allure, which can make rebellious teenagers sneak off to
basements and backwoods to binge drink far from adult supervision.
Lowering the legal drinking age has a lot of benefits, such as helping
to teach teens about drinking related issues and even boosting the
economy. At the age of 18, people are considered an adult and should be
allowed to have an alcoholic drink. If the legal drinking age lowers, teens
can try alcohol and learn more about it from their parents instead of trying
it for the first time in college. They should just lower the minimum legal
drinking age and let the 18-20 year old people enjoy their youth and enjoy
their college time.

Cailliau 5
Works Cited
Archer, Dale M.D. The Pros and Cons Of Drinking At 18. Reading
Between the (Head)Lines. Web. 9 Nov 2015.
Gonchar, Michael Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered? The Learning
Network Web. 22 Nov. 2015
Griggs, Brandon Should the U.S. lower the drinking age? This story is
part of a series on the 30th anniversary of the National Minimum
Age Drinking Act, passed by Congress on July 17, 1984. Web. 11
Nov. 2015
Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered From 21 to a Younger Age?
Minimum Legal Drinking Age. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.