Dillon
Persuasive Essay
Proctor

Brett Finbloom, an eighteen year old from Camel, Oklahoma, was a naïve and headstrong young man fresh out of high school. It was an August evening and Brett decided to attend a party where alcohol was being served. He drank heavily, and as the night progressed, he continued his irresponsible drinking until his body could no longer respond. Planted on the couch, Brett was irresponsive and unmoving, watching an array of figures smeared across his vision and blocking out a cacophony of noises. That was the last thing Brett ever saw. Police were finally called and later that weekend he was pronounced dead. The autopsy reports indicate the cause of death was acute ethanol intoxication.
This story is not a rarity in the US, as thousands of teens lose their lives to overconsumption of alcohol on an annual basis. Alcohol is dangerous, not only for teens but also for adults. The problem with lowering the drinking age is that teenagers are not mentally developed enough nor are they responsible or experienced enough to manage and control their drinking. There is an ongoing epidemic in the US specifically with teens and alcohol. It is not used or enjoyed on a casual level; it is abused more and more frequently and is ultimately causing serious loss of life. The hazards of drinking are commonly known, but not amongst the generation doing the abusing. The national drinking age should remain as is for many reasons, but the most prominent amongst those reasons is the risk involved with it being lowered. Teenagers would pose a higher danger to themselves as well as others. According to the US Surgeon General, roughly 5,000 kids die per year from underage drinking. Car accidents involving alcohol are the leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds, annually killing an estimated 8,000 teens and a shocking 45,000 injuries. Beyond the risk of giving our teenagers alcohol is the skewed logic behind it. It is argued that because eighteen year olds have the right to vote and can fight our wars that they should be held responsible for their drinking. The ultimate outcome of permitting minors to drink is that not only will they abuse the right and drink too much too often, but also will they be forming life-long habits. Of the teens that reported drinking within the past month, 76% admit to doing it at least once a week (US Surgeon General). Teenagers are not seeking to sip on a twelve year old single-malt scotch and savor the taste; they drink to get drunk and typically are successful. It is also argued that lowering the drinking age would give teens a safer place to drink since they’re already consuming the alcohol. The truth is, nothing good can come from putting teens in bars. This is a tender age where puerility bridges maturity and endangering more people is not what needs to occur. If anything,