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Legal Drinking Age - Should It Be Higher or Lower?

By portraying alcohol as a forbidden fruit, the MLDA law actually makes drinking more attractive to the young. This observation is not only restricted to alcohol but other substances such as illegal drugs. However, the big difference is that access to alcohol, albeit regulated by law, is easier and more affordable than drugs. Also, by coupling the law to age, it presents a challenge to the youth to prove their maturity and adulthood.

In addition, history proves that prohibition of alcohol, as was the case in the early part of the last century in many countries, including the U.S., encouraged periodic but excessive drinking. Also because of the loopholes in the 21 MLDA law, cross-state…

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Featured

 The Consequences of Underage Drinking

Underage drinking is associated with various negative consequences for children and can affect and endanger the lives of those around them.

 ‘It’s a community effort’: a look inside the campaign that discourages teen drinking

The good news is that fewer US teens are drinking alcohol than ever before. More than three out of five have never consumed it, according to a 2021 Monitoring the Future report, Swonger said.

Articles of Interest

"Talk. They Hear You."® Campaign

SAMHSA’s national youth substance use prevention campaign helps parents and caregivers, educators, and community members get informed, be prepared, and take action to prevent underage drinking and other substance use.

Better parenting has led to decline in underage drinking, report finds

Charity says improved family relationships may be one of main reasons fewer young people are trying alcohol.

Drinking Age by State 2023

In 1984, the Federal Government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act and established 21 as the national minimum legal drinking age ("MLDA") age. It was phased in over a few years, and today all 50 states require one to be 21 or older to purchase alcohol. So, then why discuss the drinking age by state?

Europe has lower drinking ages than the US — and worse teen drinking problems

One of the most common arguments against America's legal drinking age is that Europe has a supposedly safer drinking culture despite its lower drinking ages. After I wrote an argument for keeping the US drinking age at 21, it's a question that readers raised in emails again and again: If a lower drinking age is so bad, why is Europe doing fine? The answer, it seems, is that Europe is not doing fine.

How Helicopter Parenting Can Cause Binge Drinking

The way some white professionals raise their children is exacerbating an alcohol problem on U.S. college campuses.

How Parents Can Help Their Underage Kids Resist Alcohol

The stakes are high. About 1 in 6 teens drank alcohol before turning 13, and about the same proportion of high school kids has binged on alcohol, according to the latest biannual Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, a third of teenagers drink — down from about half of teens 25 years ago, but still a problem.

How to Prevent Underage Drinking

Alcohol is the most widely used substance among America’s teens and young adults, posing substantial health and safety risks. Teens try alcohol for a variety of reasons – to exert independence, to feel more carefree or escape from stress, peer pressure and even boredom. Many tend to do so without fully recognizing alcohol’s negative effects or health risks.

It’s Official, Teenagers Nowadays Drink Less Than You Did

Attempts by under-18s to purchase alcohol are down by 75 percent in the UK.

Legal Drinking Age Of 21 Saves Lives, Even Though It's Flouted

Eighty percent of college students say they drink, despite laws making it illegal for anyone under 21 to drink alcohol. Critics of that drinking age say that lowering it would reduce binge drinking and alcohol-related deaths. But that might be wishful thinking, a study says.

My Friends Serve Underage Kids Alcohol. Should I Speak Up?

A psychologist’s advice for navigating a tricky topic with both your friends and your own kids.

Return the Drinking Age to 18, and Enforce It

The current system, which forbids alcohol to Americans under 21, is widely flouted, with disastrous consequences. Teaching people to drink responsibly before they turn 21 would enormously enhance public health. Now, high school and college kids view dangerous binge drinking as a rite of passage.

Sad Health News: Hand Sanitizer--The New Way Some Are Getting Drunk

First there was vodka tampons, and now teens getting drunk from hand sanitizer? According to reports, doctors in California are warning that more teens are turning to hand sanitizer to get drunk.

Sorry, college students, but the drinking age should stay at 21

It seems like conventional wisdom: The drinking age should be 18. After all, why should you be able to vote or serve your country in the military, but not legally buy a drink? But there's a very compelling case for keeping the drinking age at 21: It saves lives. That may be hard to believe, given how many people flout the laws and drink anyway, but it's been consistently found to be true in research.

Teen Drinking May Cause Irreversible Brain Damage

For teenagers, the effects of a drunken night out may linger long after the hangover wears off. A recent study led by neuroscientist Susan Tapert of the University of California, San Diego compared the brain scans of teens who drink heavily with the scans of teens who don't.

The (Partial) Cost of Underage Drinking

Six-packs of beer come cheap, but the cost of underage drinking can add up. An analysis by researchers at the Mayo Clinic estimates hospitalization charges alone for incidents related to underage drinking at $755 million in 2008.

The Fight Against Underage Drinking

For more than 30 years the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility has been leading the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking. While rates have declined, alcohol consumption among youth under the legal drinking age remains a concern.

Underage Drinking: A Major Public Health Challenge

By the time they reach the eighth grade, nearly 50 percent of adolescents have had at least one drink, and over 20 percent report having been “drunk”.

When Teen Drinking Becomes a Disorder

Why are some adolescents more vulnerable than others to excessive and risky alcohol use?

Why Aren't Scottish Teenagers Getting Drunk Anymore?

Scotland seems to have a thriving drinking culture, with its whisky, its pubs, and its booze-driven economy. So why are Scottish teenagers cutting back so heavily on their boozing?

Why do some 11-year-olds drink alcohol? (Hint: it’s to do with their parents)

The fact that there are multiple likely causes of early drinking means that measures to counter these risks need to be aimed at a number of different aspects of a child’s life. One size will not fit all.

Resources

Drinkaware

Underage drinking puts children and young people at increased risk of physical, mental, emotional and social harm. Get facts about underage drinking from the law to health effects, and advice on how to talk about the issues.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Underage drinking is a serious public health problem in the United States. Alcohol is the most widely used substance among America’s youth and can cause them enormous health and safety risks. The consequences of underage drinking can affect everyone—regardless of age or drinking status.

CDC

Underage alcohol consumption is common in the United States and can have harmful outcomes. A comprehensive approach that includes effective policy strategies can prevent underage drinking and related harms.