1) The author argues that the legal drinking age in the US should be lowered to 18 from 21. They believe it is contradictory for 18 year olds to be considered adults but not be allowed to drink alcohol. 2) The drinking age has changed over time due to various acts, most recently being raised to 21 nationwide by the National Minimum Drinking Age Act signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. 3) The author plans to dispute the view that a drinking age of 21 prevents binge drinking among teens, claiming that lowering it could prevent unsafe binge drinking by allowing social drinking at bars instead of secretive drinking among peers.

1. Lower The Drinking Age
Your host with the most: Mike Yorio

2. The Research Topic I Chose Is...
I chose to research the drinking age. Twenty one is not a good drinking age. It
should be lower. 18 is when someone is considered an adult so why would adults
not be allowed to drink? They can even put their lives on the line for the
government but are not allowed to come home and celebrate in the bar with their
family and friends? With just a few examples it’s clear to see why the drinking age
should be lower.

3. The History Behind Alcohol and the Legal Age
Alcohol at one point was completely prohibited from 1920 to December 5th 1933.
The prohibition just made it worse in all honesty. Alcohol was made cheap illegally
underground and distributed through gangsters and mobsters like Al Capone. After
all this settled down from the ban being lifted President ronald Reagan decided to
sign the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984. This raised the minimum
drinking age to twenty one in any state.

4. Individuals Involved in my Topic
There’s not too many people involved with the drinking age besides Presidents and
government officials. Ronald Reagan would be the most involved person being he
is most responsible for the drinking age. He created it.

5. Questions
1. Why did Ronald Reagan raise the drinking age to begin with?
2. If drinking at eighteen is wrong, then should it be wrong to be able to join the
military at eighteen?
3. Is there a study that proves drinking at 18 or younger can cause premature
health problems?
4. Should the drinking age be lower than eighteen like other countries?

6. A Disprovable Viewpoint
I read an article early on in the process of my research, at one point it said the
drinking age should be 21 to prevent teens from binge drinking. I plan to dispute
this point of view because it is the complete opposite of the real case. A lower
drinking age will prevent teens from sitting in a shed or empty dorm room getting
wasted because they would be able to go out to the bar and socialize. Other things
would be around them instead of just a bottle of liquor.

7. Bibliography
Glaser, Gabrielle. “You Must Be 21 to Drink?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Feb. 2015, 10:33PM,
www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/02/10/you-must-be-21-to-drink/return-the-drinking-age-to-18-and-enforce-it.
T, Buddy. “The Facts Don't Support Lowering the Drinking Age to 18.” Verywell Mind, 3 July
2018,www.verywellmind.com/the-lower-drinking-age-debate-63724.
“CDC - Fact Sheets-Minimum Legal Drinking Age - Alcohol.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 3 Aug. 2018, www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/minimum-legal-drinking-age.htm.
“Drinking Age ProCon.org.” Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?, 9 Oct. 2018, 2:16 PM,
drinkingage.procon.org/.