Why don't you just act like an adult?

As a young girl growing up, a phrase which was often heard in my home was "Why don't you just act like an adult?" Truth to be told, being an adult never quite appealed to me, as it implied having to deal with such disadvantages as taxes, pressures of working full-time, voting, and deciding whether or not to legally drink alcohol. Once I turned eighteen, I was bombarded with many new rights issued by the …

…evidence presented, the drinking age is problem enough at twenty-one, as alcoholism and depression can occur even in underage Americans. In order to avoid increasing the problem, the drinking age should stay where it is. The life of a teenager should not be filled with grief. If these are supposed to be the "best years of our lives," we might as well make them as stress-free as possible, and avoid encouraging alcoholism and depression themselves.