i dont know where this was published, cant remember.... but i think this may have been one of my first articles fighting the drinking age

As the word spreads and people begin to talk about raising the legal
drinking age, I ask myself who would benefit from that action? Wouldn't that
just bring more illegal actions to the playing field? Having a tacit outlook
on the legal age of 21 is less effective than lowering it to 18.
I know what you're thinking, another teenager fighting to knock
the legal drinking age down from 21 to 18. This arguement will continue
to make people roll their eyes and have small talk amongst eachother about
the absurd and selfish motives the youth fills their heads with these days.
Each year the government spends a massive amount of money on underage
drinkers;approximately, 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a
result of underage drinking each year. Many accidents would be avoided
if the legal drinking age was 18. With the current drinking age as 21 many
older teens find themselves resorting to breaking even more laws than just
underage drinking. If it was legal to drink at the age of 18 many young adults
would not be driving around in their vehicles, hiding their illegal drinking
from parents and the law. Even the most clean cut youths find the legal drinking
age far fetched and unrealistic. So why is it that we accept the legal drinking
age as 21, and our society ignores the fact that this piece of legislation that
was passed in 1984 can be changed (just as society has) and should be to save
the lives of the future leaders of our nation.
At the age of 16 a person receives the freedom of driving, this prepares
maturity and skill for when they become an adult. At the age of 18 an American
is officially an adult.
An eighteen year old has the right to vote on government issues and
are able to take place as a government official. At the age of 18 you will be
able to serve on juries and also be tried as an adult. Presently we have men
fighting and dying for our country.
"Sorry Private, I know you just got back from a war where you shot and
dodged for your life to fight for our country, but you're not allowed to drink a beer!"
Old enough for war...too young for a brewsky?
Furthermore, a father can walk his 18 year old daughter down the isle
and know at the end of the ceremony she is entering the world of adulthood.
This is where she will have the freedom to be a wife, mother, land owner, and
maintain the responsibility to care for herself and her family. But at the same
time, according to the law, she is unable to purchase or consume an alcoholic beverage.
So again I ask myself, is she really an adult?
How strange is it that at the age of 18, students make the decision to move
out and begin in their own direction. Whether that path be to a certain college or
a certain career field. High school is no longer mandatory for adults(people 18 years of age)
And as an 18 year old,a person has the freedom to buy and smoke cigarettes as well,
but not alcohol. With a drinking age of 18, the wild forbidden drunken parties will
lose their excitement.
Yes, I know, the thought of changing the legal drinking age is like
asking President Bush to shine my shoes. But honestly, if a person is the age
of 18 and they are not responsible enough to control getting behind the wheel
or controlling the use of their alcohol...what's going to change their illogical
mind by the time they reach the age of 21??



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Many politicians state a bold claim by stating that lowering the drinking age will put alcoholic beverages into the hands of younger students, but these statements are inaccurate compared to the statistics from the 1970’s when the drinking age was 18 years of age. As the drinking age remains at the age of 21, the young adults who have not reached that age feel as if they can rebel. Since the drinking age has been raised to the age of 21, there has been more alcohol related accidents dealing with teens between 16-20 year olds. This rise in fatalities are caused by the under age drinkers who feel as if they couldn’t do the responsible action by calling someone to drive them home. If the drinking age was 18 these young adults wouldn’t be so eager to rebel, and it would take the excitement out of drinking.

Since the drinking age was raised from 19 to 21 years of age in 1987 there have been a number of significant increases that have been affecting our youth. In one example, in 1987 46% of students reported vomiting after drinking. This number of students has sky rocketed to over 50% more after the law changed in 1987. If the drinking age was legal and not forbidden to those 18 years of age, teens and young adults would be more knowledgeable on the facts and risks of drinking alcohol. This would prevent ignorant actions being taken by those who are unaware of the risks.