AHS Views

According to critics of the drinking age, it is unnecessary to set a legal limit of 21. Their claim is simply that it acts like prohibition and draws more people to binge drinking. I don’t know what statistics they would say would prove this. What I do know is that there are plenty of statistics to refute it - like the fact that the younger you start drinking the higher the chances of you turning into someone who will require addiction help. I’m not sure who would argue that point.

Most parents (90%) expect their kids to drink in college. I’m not sure how many expect them to be binge drinkers. Kids are drinking at younger and younger ages, and that also holds true for binge drinking.

In a recently published survey in Florida, kids as young as 11 and 12 have gone through episodes of binge drinking. The highest percentages of alcohol-related deaths on the road are 21-year-olds. Would the highest number of deaths drop to age 18 if you lowered the drinking age, or should it be lowered to 16, or even 14?

Critics of the law say you are merely deferring deaths by leaving the legal age at 21, not saving lives. That sure sounds like a bad idea - so, what’s their solution? If kids are going to drink and drive, lets get them started as early as possible? If you want to sell more alcohol, lower the drinking age? If you want to see the addiction help industry get larger, make it easy for 14 or 16- year-old kids to drink?

In Florida 30% of the high school seniors report binge drinking - accessibility of alcohol isn’t ever a problem. You could even put TV ads back on promoting more use of alcohol. The laws for prescription drug advertising changed about 10 years ago and look at the prescription drug epidemic we have in this country now. Many experts have made that connection. Why not do the same for alcohol?

Addiction help is necessary for 20% of college students. This number is acknowledged by experts. If you lower the drinking age maybe you can get a number like that for high school students. I would like to see less people growing up needing addiction help services. I’m in favor of more drug education, not lower age limits for drinking.