Alcohol consumption has been present in society since Biblical times. From wine to cider to whiskey to Fuzzy Navel, alcohol has evolved right alongside man and his society. Many countries now also thrive, just as earlier generations, without age restrictions placed upon alcohol-consumption. It isn't viewed with the same regard as it is seen in the United States, simply because abuse is recognized as an avoidable extreme. These same countries aren't forced to spend billions of dollars annually, begging college students not to pick up a drink. Many of those same countries don't have to witness to burial of over eighteen million citizens due to alcoholism every year (Brake, 17). So why is it that the United States has the largest alcohol prevention budget in the world (Frazier), as well as the most strict laws regulating alcohol consumption, yet still has one of the biggest problems dealing with alcohol abuse with its citizens. Perhaps the United States has too tight a regimen regulating alcohol use among the citizens. By restricting alcohol consumption to those of age twenty-one -- three years after one is declared a legal adult -- the government is also breeding the desire to consume. Each time this desire to consume is quenched, the desire to abuse breeds with a fiery passion. Obviously, any objective perspective would perceive that the United States is doing something wrong. So what changes can be made to successfully eradicate this plaque? By eliminating the drinking age, the government will significantly decrease the number of future alcoholics in the United States. Much like many other countries around the world, families would be able to teach responsible drinking, while eliminating any taboo surrounding the subject. .
The United States stands with three other nations, Malaysia, South Korea, and the Ukraine, as the only four to adopt a twenty-one year old drinking age (Frazier).