In the United States of America, the legal age to drink is 21 years old. This would be perfectly acceptable if there weren't a million other things you can do before that age that are way worse/more dangerous than having a beer after work. Here's 9 things that you can do before you can throw back a cold one legally.
1. Go to war.
The draft is still a thing, and all men are still required to sign up for it. You must sign up by the time you are 18. So you're telling me I can go and kill myself to defend my country but on the off-chance I survive I can't shotgun a beer to help numb the fear?! Come on, now.
2. Buy cigarettes.
What's worse - getting drunk and possibly throwing up and acting like a moron or letting the toxins in cigarettes chew away at your lungs, throat, teeth, and other organs? At 18 you can smoke a pack a day but you can't play drinking games at the local bar.
3. Vote.
This is a big one for me. You literally get an opinion on who will run our entire nation, but you can't crack open a can of ice-cold beer while watching CNN talk about how our country is basically doomed because of people NOT voting. Then the next story is about someone, age 20, being arrested for drinking on a college campus. Let's get serious, people.
4. Drive a car.
Now the driving laws are different in every state, but here in North Carolina you can legally own and operate a vehicle at the age of 16. Now, while I don't think the drinking age should be 16, I do think I should be able to do shots after my high school graduation.
5. Have sex.
Yes, I said sex. It's not a dirty word people. Again, consensual sex laws in every state are different. In North Carolina, the age of consent is 16. That means at 16, you can have sex with the entire New England Patriots team and not get in trouble - although I wouldn't suggest having sex with such a terrible team. So you can throw your body to the wind, but you can't be wined and dined because the wine part doesn't count for you?!
6. Have a job.
You are able to get a job at the age of 15 in North Carolina. FIFTEEN. That means you can work and make money, but you can't kick your feet up at the end of the day with a glass of wine. Again, 15 is a bit young to be drinking, but you can't even TOUCH alcohol if you're a cashier. You have to call somebody over the age of 21 to scan it for you. That's crazy.
7. Go to college.
You are able to make one of the biggest decisions of your life before you're allowed to legally play beer pong. Really?! You are allowed to choose what you'll study, what you'll pay for, and what these 4 years of your life will mean for the rest of your days, but you have to wait until halfway through junior year just to hide your beer in a cup in the off-chance that you get caught LEGALLY drinking?!
8. Have a baby.
As a mother, this one hits close to home. You can raise a tiny human. You can be the most responsible parent on the entire planet. But you're telling me after dealing with a screaming toddler who likes to smear her poop on every surface possible that I can't go to a bar and slam a Blue Motorcycle to relax? YOU DEAL WITH THE TODDLER AND THEN TELL ME THAT AT 20 YOU'RE NOT DYING FOR A DRINK. (By the way, this is my tiny human.)
9. Get married.
You can choose who you want to spend the rest of your life with. You better believe my reception would've been LIT had I gone through with my marriage. But I wouldn't have been able to legally drink at my own wedding. WHAT?!
Personally, I think the drinking needs to either be lowered to 18, or all these other things need to be controlled better. If I can get shot in another country but can't chase the pain away with a lager, then you need to raise the age for war to 21 or let me sip a beer at 18. If I have the ability to help choose the leader of this country, you better believe I'll be washing away my sorrow when the wrong person gets elected.
Now, this article also isn't to say that you need to get piss drunk every night. Please drink responsibly. This article also isn't to say that these points make it okay for you to drink underage. Please drink legally.
