The Drinking Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Drinking Age - Essay Example This phenomenon is known as â€Å"binging† when the young adults begin consuming above the average amount of alcohol a body should consume- often they do this action as a sign of rebellion against the institution and the authority. A study conducted by Indiana University showed that 32% of underage drinkers are heavy drinkers as compared to the 24% of legal aged drinkers (Engs). The most underage drinking is observed by college students who while trying to get initiated into fraternities try to impress their peers or simply just because they get the chance to experience drinking. Many of the problems affiliated by drinking such as getting low grades in class, skipping out classes due to overdrinking the previous night, and getting into fights due to drinking are observed to be higher among people falling below the age of 21. The incidents of such acts occurring over the legal age are relatively less. It is recommended that young adults should be given proper awareness of the effects of alcohol and they should be permitted to drink alcohol in a controlled environment where they can be observed and assisted if they face any complications. That may be a reason why more than 100 college presidents signed a petition to lower the drinking age (Roan). One of the arguments in support of the 21 age restriction is that there has been a noted decrease in the number of traffic accidents caused by young adults who were intoxicated. But the decrease could also be attributed to more awareness of the effects of drinking while driving, implementation of designated driver programs, lower speed limits and free taxi services from drinking establishments. So the argument placed that it is solely the implementation of a higher age limit which has reduced the number of car accidents is incorrect. The drinking age should be decreased to 18. If the young adults are considered to be