History and Facts
This is the legal drinking age in the United States.
What is 21?
Alcohol most directly affects this part of the brain, which is still developing into the mid-20s.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
Many European countries allow legal drinking at this age.
What are the ages of 16 - 18?
At this age, Americans can legally vote, serve on juries, and join the military.
What is 18?
Some argue the current law encourages this behavior on college campuses.
What is secret or underground drinking?
This is the age at which Americans are legally considered adults.
What is 18?
This risky behavior is statistically more common when alcohol is involved.
What is drunk driving?
This European country allows beer and wine at age 16, while hard liquor can only be bought at 18.
What is Germany?
Supporters argue that if you can do this, you should be able to drink.
What is serving in the military, voting, or getting married?
Lowering the drinking age might reduce this dangerous pattern of alcohol use.
What is binge drinking?
This mostly determined the consumption of alcohol pre-prohibition.
What are cultural norms and family traditions?
This is one reason opponents say lowering the drinking age could increase hospital visits among young adults.
What is binge drinking or alcohol poisoning?
Other countries promote this style of alcohol education.
What is responsible drinking?
This term refers to treating adults differently under the law based on age.
What is age discrimination?
Critics worry that lowering the age would make alcohol more accessible to this group.
Who are high school students?
This amendment led states to raise the drinking age to 21 in the U.S.
What is the 21st Amendment?
(“federal law tied to highway funding”)
This group currently has one of the highest rates of binge drinking in the U.S.
Who are college students / young adults ages 18–25?
Critics say comparing the U.S. to European drinking age ignores this major difference.
What is stricter supervision?
Opponents argue against lowering the drinking age because it directly affects this ability.
What is judgment or decision-making?
This public safety issue is a major reason the age was raised in the 1980s.
What are alcohol-related traffic fatalities?
This 1984 law pressured states to raise the drinking age by tying it to federal highway funding.
What is the National Minimum Drinking Age Act?
This long-term health risk is linked to heavy alcohol use starting at a younger age.
What is addiction or alcohol use disorder?
This is one reason lowered drinking ages abroad may lead to fewer alcohol-related problems.
What is a potential outcome of education on responsible alcohol consumption among youth?
This is the core ethical question at the center of the drinking age debate.
What is “What does it mean to be an adult?”
This is one possible compromise policy proposed in the debate.
What are graduated drinking laws or alcohol education programs?