Should 18 year old American citizens who are required to sign up for the draft be allowed to have a beer? This is the question we asked everyday students and staff at Naugatuck High School in February.  

¨I think at the age of 18 to 21 that you grow so much more than the years before it. I think the age 21 is fair,” said a male teacher at Naugatuck High School.  

“That’s what the government set it at so that’s what it should be at,” stated a junior male student.

“I’ve seen studies and what it´s set at right now the brain does not develop [until] 21,” said another junior male student.

The majority of the students and faculty believe the drinking age should remain the same at 21 for safety reasons. Their beliefs are that a person’s complete growth is necessary due to the addictive and mood-altering qualities of alcohol.

“[The outcome] would be a lot more deaths and accidents,” suggested one female senior.

“Younger people are not responsible enough to drink yet. If you are in the military and they can give you a gun to defend our country then you should have the right to drink,” stated one female staff member.

But some students answered that the age of 18 is a fair age for legal drinking.

¨People are able to enlist in the military at 18 and if you can serve for our country you can enlist in the military you should be able to drink alcohol [allowing] 18 to be a fair drinking age¨ said one junior male student.

¨At the age of 18 you can buy [lottery] tickets so if you can gamble you should be allowed to buy alcohol. I think it is unfair for them to risk their lives [if they went into a draft] and didn’t have the right to drink alcohol,¨ said one senior female.

¨If you can buy tobacco products that are really bad for you then you should be allowed to buy alcohol. Eighteen years old is when you become an adult so that’s when you should be able to purchase alcohol,¨ said another female senior student.

The difference in opinion has much to do with maturity but also the age of the person. A decision cannot be easily made, and the help of adolescents in necessary.