Many incoming freshman enter college at the age of 18. They are able to experience fun weekends and a great nightlife. Bars, football games, the dorm, or frats, there is always something offered at these events; and that is alcohol. While they have access to all of this alcohol, they are not of legal age to drink, possess or handle it. Drinking, possession, and handling alcohol under the age of 21 are all illegal activities in the United States. However, in many other countries the legal drinking age is 18. They are able to go to the bar and have a drink and walk down the street with an open can.

For my final, I am going to write about drinking in the United States, and whether or not the legal age should be changed from 21 to 18. While it is understandable that there are many harmful side affects of alcohol if you drink too much, why is it allowed in some countries but not others?

This topic became very relevant in my life when my friends and I were cited here this summer up at Penn State. While we understand that it is illegal to drink under the age of 21, we were all very responsible with our alcohol consumption. It will be interesting to compare statistic with the United States and that of other countries such as on road accidents, deaths, serious injuries from alcohol. It relates not only to myself, but to many high school seniors, incoming freshman and even sophomores who are experiencing this easy access to alcohol all around campus.

To find out more information on the legal age of drinking in the United States and other countries I plan to look on the internet, in pamphlets from a class I am taking about the effects of alcohol, magazine articles such as An evaluation of the impact of raising the minimum legal drinking age from 19 to 21 in Wisconsin, as well as books like Drunk Driving.

COUNTERARGUMENT IlOvEdUcKs

I am sure that the drinking age in the United States has been thought about and determined for specific reasons many times. The drinking age in other countries has probably been set at a certain age determined by a certain set of criteria. I knew a girl in my high school who was 16 and traveled to another county where she was legally able to consume and buy alcohol and she even brought some back with her. I am definately sure that was not a legal action in the US but she did it anyway. Maybe it would be a good aspect to your paper if you presented the reasons why the drinking ages are set at the ages they are set at.

When the United States forced every state to raise the drinking age from 18 to 21 D.U.I.s decreased dramatically. All though you and many other people under 21 are responsible when drinking, there are those who aren’t and they cost lives.

GoodFood