A problem in American society since the lowering of the drinking age in the 1970s from 21 years to 18 years, teen drinking and drug abuse has been a prevalent issue that continues to pose serious health risks today. After Prohibition, almost all states raised the drinking age to 21, preventing many teenagers from drinking. However, in the midst of the Vietnam War, many lawmakers felt the need to lower the drinking age to18 which proved to be a fatal mistake. According to numerous studies conducted between 1970 and 1980, thenumber of motor vehicle crashes increased significantly due to the lower drinking age. We all know that many of our parents claim to have done stupider stuff than we do now but, in reality, our generation has a lower drinking rate than our parent’s generation did.
 Not only has the number of teen motor crashes decreased from the 1970s, the number of teens actually drinking has also decreased. According to a recent article on Health Day News, Vivian B. Faden, Associate Director of the Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, notes, “We’ve seen that the levels of drinking among teens are down from the highs in the 1970s.” The facts may surprise you, but rates of teen drinking are much lower than the unacceptable highs of the 1970s. Many people associate the high drinking rates in the 1970s with the “hippie era”; in truth, regardless of the hippie society, drinking levels increased dramatically due to the lower drinking age. Thankfully, the higher drinking age and increased education of harmful effects of drinking have helped lower the drinking levels.
 Along with lower drinking levels, our generation also demonstrates decreased levels of reported drug use. According to the Executive Office of the President Office Of National Drug Control Policy, the percentage of high-school seniors reporting use of illicit drugs was nearing 40% in 1979; in 2001, the percentage of teenage drug use dropped to 26%. Our generation can be proud of the lower drinking and drug use levels among our population. While underage drinking and drug use are still a serious problem in today’s society, it is not nearly as bad as it was 30 years ago.