Europe vs. America: Drinking Age
By: Melissa Tran
The legal drinking age in America is of 21 years of age and Europe’s minimum age is 18. With the three year gap, are there a lot of differences that are more beneficial?
Drinking has become a social action that many people take part in, either celebrating, socializing or to release tension and stress. Europe’s legal age to drink is 18, which is 3 years younger than the US. According to UNEWS, European teens are able to familiarize themselves with drinking at a young age because they lose the temptation. They say Europeans potentially become more responsible with their drinking. Many Americans contemplate whether or not Europe’s legal drinking age would be beneficial if copied.
However, America’s higher legal drinking age does not explain the entire difference between Europe and the US. Other policies and cultural factors are likely to contribute as well, with some factors of the drinking age playing a role in reducing teen drinking and its harms. According to Vox, a greater percentage of young people ages 15 to 20 from nearly all European countries report drinking in the past 30 days, and a majority of these countries report having five or more drinks in a row. With America’s higher drinking age, it is crucial to acknowledge that it has prevented underage drinking more than Europe.
The opposing side believes America’s drinking age should be lowered.
Verywell Mind states, “It’s one of the stupidest laws in America, you can be drafted by your country, go to war, tried as an adult--yet you can’t have a beer.”
The idea that the country asks for thousands of young men to fight and die for their country is portrayed as a big sacrifice. With that, it is being compared to how citizens under 21 are not able to drink! It is true that there are a lot of responsibilities that young people can be given to do, and perhaps it can seem like drinking is of that same area. For America, it is not the drinking that matters, it is the consequences that have been shown to be affected by it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that raising the drinking age to 21 has reduced traffic fatalities involving 18 to 20 year old drivers by 13%, saving an estimated twenty thousand lives from 1975 to 2003. This makes any alcohol sales to minors illegal, therefore a higher prevention of drinking and driving incidents.
Alcohol consumption could be less taboo for adults between ages 18 to 20, as it becomes an integral part of American culture. According to UNEWS, lowering the drinking age to 18 allows 18 to 20 year olds to consume alcohol safely in regulated environments, with supervision. The article also mentions Europe’s small size is one of the many factors that contributes to its lower drinking age.
For comparison, the state of Texas can almost fit all of Europe! “Lowering the drinking age would also reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents among underage drinkers.”
All in all, both continents have found positive outcomes and negative consequences that bring many possible factors into play. Whether or not the drinking age is lowered or highered, these countries have decided to keep their law for many years now, with difficulties at a cost. The government faces difficulties to enforce the legal drinking age and many law enforcement agencies consider enforcing the drinking age as a low priority due to limited resources.