What do you think of the drinking age?

Question

http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/cqoped.html


And there are hundreds of more articles on the internet like it. I honestly find the drinking age in the US pointless, and it is the highest drinking age in the world. It should be lowered to eighteen once again, but more steps need to be taken to insure younger drinkers are safer. Allowing the eighteen year old to buy only if they are out of highschool? Limit the amount they can drink untill 21?

If the drinking age was 16, but only around adults, parents could teach them how to drink properly, and to know how much is too much, but because it's considered the forbidden fruit, most teenagers go off to college not knowing how much is too much, and end up dying. For every one person under 18 that this "21" age has saved, someone over 21 has died. And increasing the drinking age isn't going to save anyone, it's just going to make a bunch of 25 year olds not know what is going on. We need a graduated drinking law. Like driving.

Like sixteen to drink with an adult, and eighteen to drink without one in a bar, and 21 to buy at a store?

Excuse me, I didn't mean that almost all of them died, I ment that ones that drink and go in not knowing what to do, and many end up dying because of it.

To the first answer, what's wrong with it? Do YOU find it fair that at eighteen you can die for your country, but in the eyes of the government you cannot have wine? Drink a beer?

The drinking age is the HIGHEST drinking age in the world. It's unfair, that at eighteen, you are legal, can die for your country, marry, etc. And you cannot drink a BEER!

Simple. Add it to their licenses that they are still in highschool. And once they aren't, issue them a new one.

Exactly, if they are so sure an eighteen year old is not smart enough to buy a beer, change everything to 21. Voting, DRIVING, legal age, legal sex age, etc. What? It's a stupid idea? Well...duh? How can we say they can do all that, but while out with their parents, they cannot order wine with dinner? Or on a birthday go celebrate it at a bar?

Given the fact that ill be able to drink in five years, and that well, that really isn't that long away, goes like..."snaps fingers" Yeah, that. Im fighting for the rights of people who aren't that close to it, who in five years are only going to be still teenagers.

Acholisim is NOT a learned behavior. You are born with it. Don't believe it? Try asking a doctor, or googling it. What some people consider acholisim is a 21 year old denied the right to drink for so long that when they finally can, all they do is drink.

Im sorry, but I FIND IT WRONG, and immoral, that a legal adult, still is not given the right to drink.

Insulting me is not a good way to prove your point. And it's sad seeing that im most likely 20 years younger than you and do not go to insults to argue my point.

The graduated drinking law that I think would work, would be

16 to drink with parents, but it could be limited to a glass of wine at a diner.
18 to drink in a bar, NOT ALONE YOU IDIOT, I ment without someone like a parent. This would curb underage drinking, because you can't exactly bring home beer from a bar unless you buy cans of it:P
And 21 to buy it, drink without an adult, etc.

Answer 1

i can see some of your points,,, but at the same time,,,,, by limiting it legally to 21, i think you are preventing some deaths and accidents,,,,,,, though teenagers still find ways to drink
one main problem i see, is that 18-20, and even older, are still teenagers now days,,,, the teen years are extended,,,
back in the 70's, when i was 18,,,,, we left school, many of us, got jobs, got married, had families, were self supporting, so even though yes we could legally drink,,,, we also were "more adult" in the sense of not out partying,,,,,, not getting drunk due to our responsibilities,,,, families etc,,,,,
i really think, if 18 year olds want to drink, they should get out and vote,,,, work to put that on the ballot
i agree many of our laws are ridiculous,,, you can go to jail as an adult at 17 and 18, yet you cant drink,,,,,, that makes no sense at all ! you can go to war,,, yet can only drink or purchase alcohol on base, at 18,,,,,,
we should decide what an adult is,,,, is it 21? then fine, no voting , no going in the military, no going to jail ,,, or drinking till then,,,,

Answer 2

Put it this way a young man of 18-20 returns from numerous tours in Iraq and someone is going to tell him he can not have a beer! 18 is an adult period, the age should be 18. Attempting to treat 18-20yr olds as second class citizens/adults is and has been a huge failure they drink irregardless of the messed up law. I see it as being as much of a success as prohibition was. By the way in Wisconsin someone under 21 may drink if with a parent or a spouse of legal age. In other words in these cases someone 16yrs old can legally drink in these situations even younger if with a parent but you have to be 16 to marry. As far as maturity 18 to 20 yr old men and women make life and death decisions in the military every day many that may effect international relations. If anything if you have a military ID you may drink irregardless of the 21 drinking age, no one has earned the right to a beer more than someone who's shed blood for their country.

Answer 3

Well, I am 25 now. I am from south Africa where the Drinking age is 18. And I have thought it seems ok. But I have lived in England for the last 4 years and over here I have noticed how much the need is to have the age limit at 21.

It depends on cultures and what the different morla issues are and how strict parents have braught there children up. I didnt really start using alcohol till I was 21, becuase my parents was strict and stuck to the age limit of 18, that made me realise that alcohol is not an issue to me at all. Ask yous elf thios question.........Why is it that I want to drink Alcohol? Anyhow, best of luck with your underdstanding of this, and good luck to you when you have kids that ask the same question whikst you might well be worried about when theyre out. :)

Answer 4

I live in Germany, and the drinking age here is 16. Most of the time this isn't even enforced, as long as you "look" 16, you can get anything you want.

Because of this, no one here really thinks much of drinking. It's not like a huge thing-alcohol is nothing new.

Don't get me wrong-kids still go out, get drunk, and get arrested, etc. But since none of the kids here can drive (it costs a few hundred euros or a trip back to the states for the driver's test) there's no problems with drinking and driving. Everyone just takes the train home.

Answer 5

unlike most that left comments... I agree with u on the 18yrs old should be able to drink... if ur old enough to fight for this country u should be able to drink... i dont think 16yrs old is a good age... but lets see the drinking age has been 21 for yrs and yrs. im 36 yrs old and to be honest i never went into a store to buy beer.. but i recall being 16yrs old and drinking... and to buy beer then u had to be 21... kids find a way to get it just like i and so many before did... but when i was a teenager i signed a letter saying if i was to be drinking i would not ride in a car.. that i would call my parents no matter the time of night and they signed saying they will come and get me no questions asked... was alot safer then having a drunk friend kill me in their car... and i have had my kids do the same... u drink be smart enough to call me for a ride no questions asked... ask how many parents that lost a kid to drinking and driving if they would of cared to get woke up for a ride...

Answer 6

first of all how r they suppose to know when a 18 year old is out of high school they could just lie bout that. Bartenders cant keep up with how much people r drinking when they have alot of costumers.
I think the age limit is fine..they change it before i was 21 at the time i thought it sucked but it has made a change. My parents taught me how much to drink cuz they drank with me sometimes. Parents can still do that in there own homes with there own kids but not there kids friends.

Answer 7

I have always thought the drinking age was too high. If at age 18, you are considered old enough to enlist in the military and die for your country as well as make a responsible decision regarding the election of the president and other offices, you should be able to drink if you so wish.

Answer 8

This is a hard question, I do agree that at 18 if you are old enough to lose your life in a war, beer is not a big deal. But, you have to also realize how many teens lose their lives from drinking and driving-that is heartbreaking! And as for the parents teaching their children to drink-sorry but, I am not teaching my children to be alcoholics. I think it should stay at 21

Answer 9

i think of it should additionally be as that's in Europe... you ignored the incontrovertible fact that we are going to deliver our 18 twelve months old's to conflict yet no longer enable them to drink. I additionally experience the driving age could be relative to the newborn. As in if a 14 twelve months old that lives and works on a farm or rural area is conscious the thank you to rigidity a truck... permit em rigidity, specific privileges for people who want a license at youthful a while. yet make it extra problematic to get the licenses interior the 1st place. i think of initially in the event that they replaced our regulations it may take some years for individuals to get use to it, and for the little ones of that age on the time of the change they could be at an greater possibility of threat because of fact they does no longer be arranged for the accountability. yet interior the long-term its the main appropriate element to do. If as a rustic, we enable those little ones to alter into infantrymen.... i think that as a rustic, we could constantly pour them a drink until now they bypass. To think of a newborn can die interior the line of "accountability" and yet never have had the privilege to be considered an entire grownup by sharing a drink with acquaintances and kinfolk (legally) is an abomination. I additionally think of that there could be no ingesting age. i think that the accountability of those issues could study with out the want for a legal age shrink. i be attentive to a pair 10 twelve months olds that are extra in charge than sixteen twelve months olds. So if shall we prepare driving at a youthful age; as quickly as the newborn has substitute right into a reckless teenager, they already have the essential driving skills decrease than their belt and don't experience the might desire to attempt the obstacles of the motor vehicle and their loss of skills. Uping th driving age only makes older unexperienced drivers. very own responsibiity has been taken far flung from us (by the government and regulation) which makes us much less likley to act responsibly. this is human nature. i began out discovering driving skills very youthful (approximately 8-10) decrease than supervision of my father. I exceeded my try at 15 years old, in a typical, the 1st time, with flying colorations. and that i haven't brought about or been in (because of shielding driving) and twist of destiny. I quite have been a legal driving force for 18 years. If i will do it, so can others.

Answer 10

I think that you are probably an underaged drinker who is looking for a way to drink legally.

And, come on! Sixteen! That's ridiculous. Parents won't teach their kids to drink properly at such an age, because the only person who would let their kid drink at that age would be trailer trash or a drunkard himself/herself!

You know what I think. I miss the prohibition. And, if not that, then 21 is fine. And if the 25 year olds "don't know what's" going on, then perhaps they, themselves, won't drink. Not know what's going on... Are you some kind of idiot?