Just the Facts: Age Requirements on Drinking Alcohol

"If I can go to war and fight for my country, I should be able to have a drink." 

"The brain is still developing at 18 and allowing alcohol consumption at that age would interfere with brain development."

The argument for lowering the age from 21 to 18 for alcohol consumption in the United States isn't new - it's a historical topic that has been around for years.  People base their opinions based on many things, sometimes factual, and sometimes strictly feeling based.  Regardless, the age requirement doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.  However, here's some information you may find interesting, that may help to not only get you informed, but also help you make a decision on how you feel about the situation.  Just in case you ever decided that you should stand up and make your feelings heard.  Might as well at least get the facts straight, right?

One thing to make note of is that the global average minimum legal drinking age is 15.9. Yes, you read that correctly.  Overall, most countries have the drinking age set at 18, but there are many countries where the number is less than 18, and 12 countries, where the age is higher than 18. Curious to see which ones have what age restrictions? Click here!

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcohol results in 2.5 million deaths each year, and 320,000 people between the ages of 15-19 die of alcohol related causes.  The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in the United States 15,590 deaths are caused from alcoholic liver diseases, and 25,692 are alcohol induced deaths (this includes accidents and homicides).  The CDC also states that 51% of adults (18 or over) are "regular drinkers" in the U.S. (meaning they have had 12 drinks or more in the past year).

Even if the drinking age was lowered, people below that age mark would more than likely still drink, because underage drinking is already a problem we face today.  The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 10.4 million people between the ages of 12 and 20 drank more than a few sips of alcohol in 2009.  They also found that the older they get, the more they drink.  By 15, half of the teens surveyed said they have had at least one drink.  By 18, more than 70% said they have had at least one drink.

So lets say you drink underage, and get caught.  Now what? What happens to you varies by state.  Typically, you will be fined and may even be placed into a diversion program or have to serve community service hours.  But these fines aren't enough to stop people from drinking underage.  And would lowering the legal requirement also lower the age when youth start to try alcohol?

There are many arguments for both sides of this topic.  The U.S. lets its citizens make legal decisions at 18, and considers its citizens adults at that age.  However, many would argue that you are still not old enough to make such decisions at such a young age because brain development is still occurring, and will continue to develop until age 25.  One could easily argue that the drinking age should be increased from 21 to 25.

Regardless, it does not seem like there will be any changes made to this law anytime in the near future.  Teens will continue to drink underage, death tolls will continue to rise due to alcohol related deaths, and the world will continue to decide what age is the "right age" to allow people to hinder their mental capabilities and it be "legal".