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The minimum age of initiation for any particular right or activity is often based upon a comparison of the risks and benefits of engaging in that behavior at a given age. You can obtain a hunting license at age 12, drive a car at 16, vote and serve in the military at 18, serve in the U.S. House of Representatives at 25, and serve as the U.S. President at 35. Other regulated activities include the sale and use of tobacco, legal consent for sexual intercourse, and marriage. In addition to our laws, commercial vendors such as car rental facilities and hotels place minimum age thresholds for use of their services (25 to rent a car, and 21 to rent a hotel room).
In the case of alcohol, age-21 was established as the minimum age because science tells us that the brain does not stop developing until we are in our mid-20s. Drinking alcohol while the brain is still developing can and often does lead to permanent cognitive deficits, including learning and memory. If that alone isn’t reason enough to justify the age-21 law, consider that the risk of permanent damage to the developing brain is compounded by binge drinking - a phenomenon particularly unique to underage drinkers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks."
So the age-21 minimum legal drinking is not arbitrary - it takes into account the developing brain, and the tendency of those under 21 toward binge drinking when they consume alcohol. It also accounts for the statistical fact that underage drinking remains the deadliest activity for those under 21, and that alcohol kills more people in this age group than all other illegal drugs combined. If you consider the effect on the developing brain, then the risks to our youth far outweigh any perceived benefits to lowering the drinking age.
In contrast, the threshold age to join the military involves entirely different considerations of risk and benefit. Perhaps the most common complaint that I hear from people in favor of lowering the drinking age is "It’s not fair that someone can fight and die for their country, but cannot enjoy a cold beer."
To be sure, just as we do not want our youth to engage in activities that lead to permanent brain damage, not one of us want any of our young people, or anyone else for that matter, to die for our country. But as long as our nation’s policy is to utilize military force to protect our national interests, then we have concluded that the risk is worth the benefit. So why is age-18 the threshold set for military service? The answer also relates to the physiology of the brain.
Ironically, the very attributes that make it dangerous for those under 21 to consume alcohol, tend to make them superior soldiers at age 18. That is, adolescents tend to behave more impulsively than adults, and because our ability to reason and apply judgment is still developing well into our mid-20s, the undeveloped brain does not fully appreciate risk.
Under strictly controlled circumstances such as in the military, impulsiveness and fearlessness can be an asset. But when these powerful impulses are under limited supervision, then combined with alcohol, this is a recipe for disaster. I think we can all agree the level of structure, training and supervision that our young solders receive in the military is entirely different than what most parents provide at home, or what our schools can provide to our high school and college age students on campus.
Given what science tells us about the effects of alcohol on the developing brain, a permissive attitude toward underage drinking by any adult is reckless. Lowering the minimum legal drinking age from 21 to 18 will certainly increase underage access to alcohol, and is guaranteed to be a negative outcome for our youth, their families, and our community.
