Drinking Age Why has America had so many problems with underage drinking? I think that there is way too much underage drinking by young adults in America. On the other hand, I don't believe that it is their fault. I feel, that the lawmakers should lower the drinking age. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1986 forces states to enforce the legal age of 21 years old or lose matching highway funds. Alcohol has been around since the beginning of time and its not going to disappear. I believe that alcohol is not a bad thing, unless you abuse it. Today, most young adults start drinking early in their high school years at social gatherings. During those years, they endure many changes in their lives. They think that if they don't drink like their fellow peers, they will not fit in. What they don't know is that their body is still growing and alcohol can lead to many complications early in life.
A Kranz (wreath) of Kölsch beer.
English: Total recorded alcohol per capita consump...
Exceptions to Minimum Age of 21 for Consumption of...In many cultures drinking as a young adult is not frowned upon, you are encouraged to have alcohol in moderation. We, as a culture, need to look at alcohol as something that is not bad unless it is abused. If drinking alcohol were looked at as being a social act and not as something to do every weekend when you were bored, we would have fewer problems with underage drinking. In addition, I feel that parents have a lot to with the problem. They are too naive to realize that their kids are going to drink. In most households, parents don't approve of drinking. Rather, they should approve of you to drink responsibly if you are going to drink. In my household, I was brought up knowing that alcohol is not something that should be abused.