Police officers rush to a bar at a normal night. A group of college aged boys and girls get caught. A boy swings the beer bottle in the air, swaying left and right. Two girls wearing tight skirts hugging together, and another girl starts crying, either because seeing those police, or just broke up with her boyfriend. All kids are below 21. What a tragedy for these families.
Twenty-One is magic number in the United States. People cannot drink under 21; people have different driver license under 21. Everywhere is reminding me how important to be 21 years old and I’m too young. However, I don’t think it’s smart to distinguish people at 21, and the society should not amplify this age difference.
Statistically, in the world 115 out of 190 countries (Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) in 190 Countries) have a have a minimum age of drinking at eighteen. America is one of the few countries with such a high minimum drinking age. I do not mean it’s good to drink earlier, but it promotes the difference between young adults. I still remember my 18th birthday that everyone told me I was not a kid anymore, then, I still held a horizontal driving license. Especially in the college, as a freshman, we may join a bunch of student organizations, make friends with students in different ages. Considering you are going a club social with your friends who are mostly above 21 years old, and they want to have some drinks, you are deciding whether break the law or not. Not guaranteed that everyone will follow the law. As the inconvenience this law brings, some students would choose to break the law maintaining a better friendship and social relationship.
From the first time I entered the United States, 21 years old as a distinguish was mentioned everywhere. A tour guide told us not going to the bar; health books stated the laws clearly; beer and wine culture class started with minimum age of drinking law. The United States attaches great attendance on this magic age. The government’s goal is reducing the crime rate and protection of adolescents. However, it leads some serious side effects.
We always hear the news like “Deadly 21st Birthday”, “Binge Drinking on 21st Birthday”, etc. Lots of young adult dead right on the first day of the 21st year of their lives. Curiosity is a leading cause. Teenagers are inquisitive to new things. Especially during puberty, the more frequently teenagers are told not to drink in school, family and the society, the more curious they could be, leading to two extreme possible results. One is that those kids can’t wait till 21, and drink illegally. The other one is like the tragedies in news that they are so excited reaching the legal drinking age and binge drinking, totally destroyed their bodies. According to the 2015 NSDUH, “an estimated 623000 adolescents ages 12-17 had Alcohol Use Disorder” (Alcohol Facts and Statistics). A research in a college randomly collected data from 2518 current and former college students who has already turned 21, asking them whether they had drink on their 21st birthday, and how much they have drunken. The report showed 4/5 participants reporting they have consumed some alcohol on their birthday. “34% of men and 24% of women reported consuming 21 drinks or more” (Rutlege).
People want to drink illegally may cause more troubles. For example, some people buy fake ID. They choose to break another law to drink, increasing the criminal rate among teenagers. From a journal in 2009, “fake ID ownership increased over time (12.5% precollege to 32.2% fourth semester.” In this study, 7% of high school students, 14% of college freshman reported they have used fake ID (Martinez). Statistic research has some levels of bias because people want to be looked good. The actual percentage can only be higher.
The 21-age marks terribly gap of people, may lead to huge damage to young people’s personal health, and cause tremendous family change. Overall, the society should not emphasis on distinguishing people below and above 21. Instead, let teenagers know what their responsibilities are and know the harm of alcohol. 21 should not represent a level of matureness or a scale of a real adult. It is only a number.
Work Cited
Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) in 190 Countries. 02/12/2017. Web.
http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004294
Alcohol Facts and Statistics. 02/13/2017. Web.
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Rutlege, Patricia C., Sher, Kenneth J., Park, Aesson. 21st Birthday Drinking: Extremely Extreme. 2008Web.
Martinez, Julia A., Rutlege, Patricia C., Sher, Kenneth J. Fake ID ownership and Heavy Drinking in Underage College Students: Prospective Findings