The world would probably be a crazy place if the legal drinking age was lowered to eighteen. It would cause so many problems for people, on the streets, in restaurants and at parties. Some believe that if citizens are old enough to fight for their country, they should be old enough to drink; however, the legal drinking age should not be lowered to eighteen because this would lead to brain damage and risks that could lead to death. Many people believe that if you are able to sign up for the draft to fight, you should be able to buy alcohol. In the article "Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Drink," Reynolds notes an Alaska state representative and also a Vietnam veteran, Bob Lynn, on his reasons for trying to change the drinking age for active duty service members. He says, “If you get shot, you can have a chance” (qtd. in Reynolds). People believe that because of all the other things you can legally do at age eighteen, you should be able to drink too. While the “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Drink” argument is somewhat substantive, the drinking age should not be lowered because of the changes noted since the drinking age was moved to twenty-one. Later in the article, Lynn states the defender's opinion on the matter. He states: “Defenders of that status claim that road deaths have fallen since the drinking age was raised from 21 to 18…” (Lynn). Statistics show that since the drinking age was raised, deaths and injuries have decreased. Many dangerous consequences would result from lowering the drinking age to eighteen. In the article “A Nation's Need to Protect Its Young,” Stephen Wallace talks about the risk of lowering the drinking age. He says, “Among the major threats facing our k...... middle of paper ...... and psychological disabilities face in both the individual and the community” (Fitzgerald). Excessive alcohol abuse could lead to permanent brain damage, causing problems in the future. The effects of lowering the drinking age to eighteen could be very harmful, such as permanent brain damage and risks that could lead to death. There are enough victims with the drinking age of twenty-one and by lowering it, we would simply ask for more. To save lives and keep people healthy, we must keep the legal drinking age at twenty-one. Works Cited Reynolds, Glenn H. “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Drink.” Wall Street Journal: A.17. 13 April 2011. Sirs Issues Researcher. Network. November 11, 2013.Wallace, Stephen. "A nation's need to protect its youth." Cincinnati investigator. 09 May 2013: 8. Researcher on SIRS issues. Network. November 18 2013.