Age Is Not The Problem, We Are As midnight struck on November 4, 1998, the eve of Brad's 21st birthday, he went with a group of friends to Rick's American Caf to celebrate his birthday. He began to play a game of “drink your age.” When he had finished 21 shots and knowing that the record among his friends was 23, he drank 3 more for a total of 24 shots of liquor. He drank them in about 1- hours. His friends took him home and put him to bed as he passed out. His BAC continued to climb to a lethal level of .44 g/100ml, as the depressant did its work. His breathing stopped and the coroner estimates that he died at approximately 4:30 AM. He died on his 21st birthday, November 5, 1998. Tragedies similar to this one happen too often. People say that the age of 21 is an age of responsibility, and one is now responsible to drink. Well in this particular case, responsibility was not there. Having an age limit for alcohol use does nothing if individuals are not educated to use alcohol properly. Lowering the age limit to 18 will not cause any more problems that are significantly present already with the age limit of 21. In the great land of America, responsibility is a measure of one’s age. Many privileges are granted when one reaches a certain age. At age 13, you can see a PG-13 movie; at age 15, you can begin driving; at age 18, you can buy tobacco products, vote, serve our country in the armed forces, get married and enter into a legal contract; and finally at age 21, you can drink alcohol. Studies illustrate a decrease in drunken driving fatalities when the minimum drinking age was raised. That may be true in America, but why? Why does America have these problems? European countries, specifically Great Britain, are exceptionally lenient with drinking and they do not have as many drinking and driving problems as America does. Citizens of Britain grow up with alcohol and they know how to be very responsibl...
