Drinking age

i say 18 because even if the drinking age is 21 it would still be easy for 21 years and younger to get beer but also its 12 turning 13 here speaking

 

i would say 21, cuz 18 year olds really aren't as responisble as popular belief would like you to believe

 

Gross-simplifications and stereotypes are the problem with this argument. There are plenty of 18 year olds (and younger as well) who are perfectly mature enough and sensible enough to not overdo it with drink. Likewise there are plenty of 21 year olds and older who should never be allowed to drink or still aren't mature enough yet. Raising the age will just increase the amount of illegal use as more people will want to know what the fuss is about. Happens all the time.

 

Raising the age would only cause more underage drinkers. In the UK underage drinking is a bigger problem then those over 18. When you get to 14-15, it becomes a mystery, of what's it like to have alcohol and get drunk. People get drunk because of peer pressure and the idea that they shouldn't be doing it. And at that age they think they can handle any drink, but then they get drunker faster then they realise.

If parents introduce it at a young age it will be less of a mystery, and people will learn their limits. Of course it won't stop binge drinking, but it would stop people drinking for the sake of drinking and because they know they are breaking the law.

I never say the big deal of alcohol when I was 15. I had it from time to time at home. I didn't feel the need to get drunk. Though drinking at parties when underage is legal if a parent is there. It wasn't until I was nearly 18 going to 18th birthday parties when I really started to drink. But I only drink socially. Some of you may think of me as a drunk, but i'm far from it. I'm simply living the student life. I don't crave nor feel the need to drink all the time. I only drink during parties, going out to club, general gatherings. And I don't get drunk all the time. I'm generally responible with my drinking because I knew all about it and it wasn't a big deal to me.

 

Well in Australia you hit 18 you drink, I don't really know if it should be raised, as it well shouldn't be lowered. I mean if we raise it, the law would be stricter, people wouln't be happy, and there'd probably be a riot. Then again, there'd be less stupid stunts, which means less deaths on our roads which is a big plus.

 

Bravo *ovation*

 

Im from Ireland, and we have a serious underage drinking problem here. (Yes, all the rumours you've heard are partly true...) The legal age is 18, but so many young people just binge drink anyways. It's worrying. And no matter what the legal age is, the problem won't go away. And then, you take a country like France, where kids drink wine from a very early age. And they have no such problem there.

It's the attitude to alcohol that's important, not the drinking age, IMO. If teenagers don't feel the need to abuse alcohol and go on a bender every other weekend, then there may as well be no age limit for the consumption of alcohol. It wouldn't be necessary. (so long as young children dont drink, obviously).

 

I think they shud lower it all to 9...Im 11 and i dont plan on drinking but...My 9 year cousins do and i dont want them gettin in trouble!

 

Part of me thinks that you shouldn't drink until 30 because your mind is still developing through your late twenties believe it or not. And I don't know if it's bad for development necessarily, but it can't be good. But at the same time I think if it were lowered people would drink more responsibly. The part of your mind developing happens to involve the ability to make intelligent decisions so I would say raise it. Not everyone would follow it but it wouldn’t hurt. Maybe have an earlier age with some kind of permit?

 

Well anything beyond moderation is always bad for you. In a number of cases moderate amounts of alcohol can actually increase reaction time and cortical stimulation which is why we tend to become rather sociable after 1-3 drinks on average. Lowering the age would probably make things much worse. Young children and teens are already being exposed to a great deal of stressors to begin with, and allowing them to have alcohol would only contribute to a developing dependence. While most underage drinking is as a result of teens wishing to establish a way of autonomy and threats to personal freedom it would be far worse if it was just handed to them. Raising the age may show some improvement in the number of alcohol-related risks and accidents, especially among college students and people who have just hit the legal drinking age as they're the population labeled as being the most at risk. Then again chances are that we'd experience the same thing that we do with restricting younger teens from drinking, except on a much larger scale no doubt.

 

oh boy... we had loong and interesting discussion abt this in our history class the other day... well we all believe that the drinking age sud be 18 in the states becuase its legal for 18 yr olds to go join the army and go to war... so lets look at it like this.. you can go die when your 18.. but still not have the freedom and pleasure of drinking...

well not that teens dont drink.. but logically speaking.

 

One thing I thought of was actually needing a permit. We don't let people drive until they show they are responsable but we let anyone of a certain age drink? Ok I get that lives are at stake with a car, but still I think that privleges should be earned and not just given.

 

Since when was drinking alcohol a privilege? Alcohol is fine in moderation. The reason it is a problem in todays society is because people take it way to excess. Also, I think people are drinking themselves to oblivion (mostly socially) as they are bored with life. Getting completely off your face makes you forget about things for a time (and sometimes forever :S). It is an escape for a lot of people. That is a problem with the mindset with a lot of people today.

I am still against the age being raised.

 

I do believe 21 is a reeasonable age. At 18 you're world revovles around sex, and if drinking is allowed in the mix of that. More babies or AIDS/HIV. In france and other European countries children are allowed to have a tiny bit of wine just before Dinner, but in our states and Canada and other countries its illegial. ​

 

This is an inaccurate assumption.

 

Drinking alcohol is not a privilege. It is a right. Driving is a privilege that can be revoked for being stupid behind the wheel. What needs to happen is there need to be more strict rules for Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and not just fines; people losing their driver's licenses. If they get caught again, they lose their vehicles. Most of the time, first and second offenders of drug/drinking and driving get the most minor punishment for the crime and if it was raised higher and people didn't just take it as a joke, things would be different. Driving is the privilege and if someone cannot be trusted to drive while not inebriated, they don't need to drive.

Having said that, at 18 people can vote, do about anything, pay taxes etc. You can take out loans, purchase homes, join the military etc. I see no reason that drinking should be at 21 for someone who can be out on his/her own and managing to live, do work full time and even have children before 21 and be married. The only people I see that are the main issues with alcohol are college students in dorms and some other sorts of things where groups are required to focus but can bring drinking home. These students will act very stupid and perhaps there should be a rule of no alcohol in the dorms. They do that in the military in barracks where they allow only certain weaker level alcohol and only a certain amount. I don't see why this cannot also apply to college students. Also, if it is a college town, they could have a bus or something go pick up these people at certain clubs at a certain time of night. There are ways to compensate and do things.

As for saying alcohol means more sex...teens who are under 18 aren't all getting alcohol and then ending up pregnant or getting STDs. It may be an issue for some upper aged teens, but normally not for others.

I think the best age really though should be 19. That way kids are definitely out of High School, other than a few that get held back but even they mostly get out the year they are 19 and well they should not have alcohol either as a steady thing till they are done. Hardly anyone, unless they are really daft, is in school beyond 19 years old. Those who go to college have a year to get ready for it and so many won't flunk out of freshman year. Those in the military might be more mature and well, clear AIT etc that is important, and it does seem that the person has some time to grow up. I just don't see a reason for it to be 21 or to increase the age past that. There's nothing saying that teens still don't drink etc and maybe it's time more parents started teaching kids to drink responsibly instead of acting like drunken sots themselves or avoiding the situation of mentoring kids on life. People will drink. It's the way it goes and some are going to do dumb things. People in college and in the military get alcohol any way before 21. It certainly isn't slowing 'binge' parties to have the age 21.

My dad was smart. He told me he knew sometime I'd probably do something despite his wishes and he said that he might scold me or punish me the next day if I was drunk, but he'd really kick my ass if I drove home in that state. He said we'd have a 'no questions till the morning' policy if I ever got drunk and needed him to pick me up. It made me think on things and realize the responsibility behind his words and that well, he was counting on me to not be dumb. I also occasionally picked him up from a bar too and it was cool. Saved my mom having to go get him heh.

 

Well said.

My opinion on the debate... 18 is a good age. I mean, if thier old enough to make "informed decision" such as who is the next person to rule the United States of America, and go off and serve in combat, they can make an "informed decision" not to drink when it would be bad circumstances, such as driving.

 

Eh,I guess it should be 18
Some people drink younger then that anyway,so...

 

I AGREE... this should be considered. everyone knows that teens WILL drink wether you like it or not... so there is no point in raisisng the age... its kind of giving teens all the more reasons to drink more... and well break the rules... thats what they do/love best

 

well....in other countries there is no drinking law requiring a certain age. in those countries it's not an issue at all becuz not many ppl get into car accidents because of this. i guess its' because there it's not some sort of forbidden fruit. but here it is. but i dont' know if the US SHOULD eliminate the age restriction becuz once they do, there WILL be a surge of teens getting drunk right after becuz they can finally do so. after that initial surge, i think activity with alcohol will decrease tho. but that intial HUGE surge of drunkeness is soemthing no one wants to face. but it MIGHT not decrease i'm not sure, but GENERALLY, Americans are not very well behaved compared to ppl of other countries or that's what i heard anyways -_-