The Drinking Age
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At the age of eighteen we send our brothers and sisters to war, to fight for a freedom they have only just been granted. We allow them to fight for freedom when they haven’t even reached the age where they are given all the freedoms of America offers. How can we send our own off to war and not allow the freedom of a drink to calm their nerves.
Maybe the eighteen to twenty-one years group are not mature enough to a drink at such an age. But how can that be true if they are “mature enough to vote, hold public office, serve on juries, serve in the military, fly airplanes, sign contracts and so on. Why is drinking a beer an act of greater responsibility and maturity than flying an airplane or serving your country at war?”
In the United States we have a separation between church and state. However, a child who is of non-consenting age is allowed to drink wine in a church. Some how Religion is exempt from this law. What is the point in having a law when there are exceptions? Soldiers returning from war can’t have a drink, but a six-year-old drinking the blood of his savior can. What kind of country do we live in?
It is estimated that since 1975 over 20,000 lives between the ages of 18 to 20 have been saved because of the drinking age.
An Individual can obtain a hunting license at the age of 12 in most states and can’t take a drink for another 11 years. We say to these young children that it is more than ok to take the life of another living being, but it’s not all right to have a beer at dinner.
Many European countries allow children from a young age to consume alcohol, and they suffer far many less alcohol related problems. Perhaps we should teach control and moderation to our youth at a young age. I can tell you that if I fell off my bicycle several times from drinking and riding I would be far less likely to jump into a car thinking I could drive it.
Peer pressure is a strong driving force for many underage children to start drinking. It has been my experience that if you tell an adolescent not to do something that is the very first thing they want too do after you leave the room. By making drinking a forbidden fruit,