Emily Young Source 3

"What is the effectiveness of lowering or raising the drinking age?"

• Evans, Rhonda D., and Craig J. Forsyth. "The Effects of Changing the Legal Drinking Age on the Drinking Behavior of the Underage Group." International Review of Modern Sociology 28.1 (1998): 117-28. Web.

This source was a study of whether it would be effective to lower the U.S drinking age. The study involved 32 U.S college campuses across the nation and measured each one by its "dryness" or "wetness"; in other words how high or low the enforcement was on underage drinking in each area. After the study, the result was that the effectiveness of lowering the drinking age would really depend on how "wet" each campus was. If a particular campus had high enforcement on underage drinking, then lowering the U.S drinking age would be effective and create a responsible environment for drinkers. However, if the campus was "wet" where enforcement on underage drinking was low, then lowering the drinking age would not effect that particular area at all.

While reading this journal and the evidence it proposed, I found myself agreeing with the points the authors made. Indeed, if a certain area where underage drinkers could easily acquire alcohol and/or easily get into public social environment where alcohol was served, then lowering the drinking age really wouldn't be that effective. It would not change the behavior of young adults and how much they consume while they are out. The only change it would have would be that young adult would not have to hide their alcoholic beverages or their habits from the law. However, what if young adults go out to a local bar and do not consume as much or act irresponsibly with their alcohol because of the older drinkers around them? What if lowering the drinking age, thus inviting young adults into bars, prevented from future fatal accidents due to irresponsible drinking just because younger drinkers were very aware of who they were surrounded by? This source did not really help answer whether the drinking age should be lowered or not, because the study ended with the conclusion of "it depended on..." which doesn't really solidly answer my question for my topic.

On one hand, perhaps it wouldn't matter at all if the drinking age were to be lowered or raised. Since the aforementioned journal came to the conclusion that it would not be ver effective to our country. Along with that, young adults would continue to be repressed from having alcoholic drinks by law and their brains would develop at the healthy pace they need to. However, IF the drinking age were lowered, the limitations that was mentioned by Christopher and Dobbin in my first source (taxes on young adults who drink and drive, lower Blood Alcohol Content for certain aged drinkers, etc.) would give the new law its effectiveness. This reasoning is something I still agree with even though my question is changing. What is the effectiveness of lowering or raising the drinking age in the U.S? Well if we limited young adults under the age of 25, then the effectiveness would be safer drivers and responsible drinkers. At least that would be the ideal response. If we raised the drinking age to 25, ideally there would be healthier young adults who were fully matured and scientifically "ready" to consume alcohol.

 My research is heading towards the question now if it actually would be effective to lower the drinking age. If the effectiveness of lowering or raising the drinking age was made by the limitations mentioned by Christopher and Dobkin, then the answer to lowering the drinking age could quite possibly be a "yes". However this answer conflicts with my belief that young adults are still growing mentally and should stay away from substances that could hinder their brain's development.