Full maturity is not yet reached at 18 years of age, instead, it is more likely to reach its highest at age 25 ("Brain Maturity Extends Well Beyond Teen Years"). Lowering the legal drinking age would only put more young adults at risk knowing that their lack of maturity is not at its highest. Many believe that the legal age for drinking should be set at 18 because that is the age when people are labeled as legal adults. Responsibilities such as the ability to vote, move out of the house, or enlist in the military are all given to 18 year olds, however, drinking alcohol is not one of those freedoms, and there are many reasons as to why that is the case. For example, scientists have proven that the age in which someone’s decision-making skills reach their highest point is not until age 25 or so. Decision-making and alcohol work hand in hand because in order to control one’s alcohol consumption, making sophisticated choices is essential ("Brain Maturity Extends Well Beyond Teen Years"). Knowing this, 18 year olds are nowhere near full maturity. People must learn that maturity is a major reason as to why young adults are deprived of their right to drink …show more content…
It is highly likely that younger underage drinkers would have an easier way to get ahold of alcohol if MLDA 18 was passed. This is because of the, “...trickle down’ effect ("Drinking Age ProCon.org"). Numerous people of the legal drinking age buy their younger peers alcohol. Several studies state that the most common source of alcohol for 18-20 year olds is their 21-24 year old peers. By knowing this, it is accurate to say that lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 would cause for even younger peers to take part in underage drinking ("Drinking Age ProCon.org"). That would cause a dramatic increase of underaged drinking among the 15-19 year old age group. While many might just think of the increase of alcohol inside of college dorms, there would also be an increase of alcohol within communities as a whole. The higher the accessibility of alcohol, the harder it is to undermine underaged binge drinking. Furthermore, greater alcohol attainability raises the rate of abuse and addiction. When alcohol is around, it is more likely for someone to be peer pressured into drinking even if they have not yet reached the MLDA ("State of New Jersey"). 72 percent of adults agree on the fact that lowering the drinking age to 18 would only cause harm to younger teens because they would be at a constant easy access of alcohol (US News). Accessibility of alcohol is a