<s>[INST] Hi doctor, Medically, is there a big difference between drinking alcohol by an 18 year old and a 21 year old? Some proponents of lowering the legal drinking age believe it will combat the rising problem of binge drinking on college campuses. From a medical perspective, what are the cons of lowering the legal drinking age to 18? [/INST] Hi. 1. If we keep the legal age and when one is allowed to drink alcohol, there will be fewer damages to the brain development to the young aged people.  2. Alcohol destroys the liver and if we keep a low legal age allowed for drinking, definitely more and more alcoholic hepatitis patients will appear in population.  3. Decreasing the legal age for drinking will have devastating effects on the health of the mass. </s>