If you are a legal adult at 18 why can't you drink until 21?

Question

Especially if you are serving in the military, I had that experience, I returned from Desert Storm at 19 and had to wait two more years before I could go get a drink in a bar. Stupid law if you ask me.

Answer 1

I agree!

Also, in most other countries you can legally drink before 18yrs.

Da*m MADD people (mothers against drunk driving). also, because old people dont care whats legal for teens, and they hold the majority of the votes...what they dont realize it that if we let younger people get used to the effects of alchohol under the supervision of thier parents, then maybe we wouldn't have to clean up as many dead bodies due to young (21-25) binge drinkers that drive home evrey weekend after the bars.

I dont see how its the governments buisiness anyways. Its one thing to have a law agianst driving drunk (because it actually hurts other people) but to have a law saying whether you can drink or not! the act of drinking responsibly isnt the issue, they shouldnt treat it so.

Also, making blanket laws by using age restriction is a horrible idea in the first place. It could easily be argued that men and women mature at different rates, but by law they can drive at the same age. now consider the fact that everyone is different, and we all mature at different ages. Theres better ways to fix the problems of binge drinking in the USA.

Answer 2

For many years, beginning shortly after the Vietnam war I think (1974 or so?) the drinking age WAS lowered to 18 nationwide. However, after about ten years, various studies showed that the traffic death rate had skyrocketed during that time, largely among the 18-21 year old drivers. As a response, the federal government began to threaten individual states that those states would lose federal highway funds if the states did not repeal their drinking laws. One by one, each state complied in order to save the millions of federal dollars in highway funding. Newer studies have shown that the 18-21 age group are not dying in cars at nearly the rate they used to in the 70s & 80s. The experiment didn't work.

Answer 3

Experience, my lad, tells us that 18 is too young to be given free rein regarding such things as strong drink. I've been in the same situation as you, only my war was the one in VietNam. I was old enough to go kill and risk being killed, but couldn't drink. And at the time I thought the prohibition was stupid, too.

But then as a medic I saw what happened when people too young and inexperienced got into the sauce. Older guys just didn't stand there slamming drink after drink, while younger ones did exactly that. One time I had to carry a fellow who'd kept on slamming 'em down - with the noisy encouragement of others of his own age who were present - until he collapsed while lifting the last drink to his lips. And I do mean the last drink - he died within minutes of acute alcohol poisoning. His drinking companions were all to blitzed to realize he wasn't breathing and simply stood around slamming their own drinks and laughing at him. Yes, I carried him - to the morgue!

These guys, all 18 and 19, were doing their drinking in another country, where it was legal. That sort of thing happens all the time. The beverage they were slamming was beer - which they initially refused to believe could do that to a man.

One more thing: drinking and fighting are two different things, and being old enough and strong enough to do the latter does in no way mean one is mature enough to handle a legal drug like alcohol.

Answer 4

Ask my little brother who could legally drink at 19...

then a month later the law changed and he had to be 21!

I don't know anyone under 21 who didn't find a way to get a drink, if they really wanted one!

If I remember right, you can still vote at 18! It's congress that decided you have to be 21 to consume alcohol! They had to be listening to their voting constituents. (Possibly you?)

When it was legal to drink at 18, (I was there) drunk driving incidents went up sharply, among other drinking related offenses. Outraged voting Americans decided that their youth couldn't handle alcohol until they were 21.

If you want to do something about it, call your congressman and convince him (her) that you can drink responsibly.

§§

Answer 5

in a way i agree with you.
i mean, why are you allowed to choose to risk your life in war,
but not allowed to drink?
on the other hand, most 18 yr olds, being fresh out of graduation,
would still have friends in highschool,
and still go to highschool parties, etc.
and lowering the age would make it easier for those people to buy alcohol for their underage friends.
im not saying that all 18 yr olds are that irresponsible,
and im also not saying that all 21 yr olds are more responsible.
but alot of times, new grads still think like teens,
but if theres a gap between the age of adulthood and the age of drinking,
theres at least a little time gap to allow them to mature a little before they try something that might be a little risky.

oh, there are other places in the world that have no drinking age, most because alcohol was embedded into their culture.
they dont see it as a party essential,
it's just there, like water,
so theyre less likely to drink it irresponsibly.

i think things wouldve been better if we started off that way.


--oh, and by the way, im not old or tryin to talk down or anything,
im only 16, but ive been thinking about this subject alot.

Answer 6

thats the golden question. there should be a widely accepted age limit for "adulthood" in any given country. at the movies you pay an adult price at 15. at some fun parks you pay adult at 13, you can get married at 16, you can drink at 21, you can vote at 18... see these are all signs of adulthood and it give you the sh!ts because they cant all be correct. some are money scams. I cant believe you can have kids but cant drink. madness.

a unilateral age definition is needed.

though here in New Zealand the age is 18, but they are thinking of putting it back to 21. too late now...

Answer 7

I agree - it's a stupid USA law - and they abuse it - when I was in Las Vegas recently some of our party were being asked for ID all the time even people who were obviously in there 40's and more????? - in the UK you can drink at 18 no problem.

Answer 8

At 18, you're not as mature, chances are you don't have your own place yet, and you probably still hang out with minors.
Not having your own place causes public intoxication and DUI.
Having minor friends increases the chances of getting minors started on drinking, you drink with them, you buy it for them, etc.
Not being as mature means you'll probably end up doing stupid ****.

Answer 9

Where I come from you can drink at 18.

Answer 10

The reason is because its a big responsibility. Can you imagine living with yourself if you accidentally killed a child or anyone of that matter because you were drunk and chose to drive?

Dont blame the government on this one, blame irresponsible kids who chose to behave in such a matter that brought them to drinking and driving.

Take care

~Sidney