Appropriate drinking age?

Question

I think 21 is a little drastic. One can go to Iraq to fight for the US, vote on the leader of our country, smoke, chew tobacco, and hire a prostitute, but they can't have a beer? What do you think the drinking age should be? At what age do you think people should start going to alcohol related parties?

Answer 1

i absolutely believe the drinking age should be 18. As far as I'm concerned it is completely wrong to say that a person is responsible enough and mature enough to do all the things you listed -- particularly fight in a war -- but, not so as far as drinking goes. I don't know the history of why and how the drinking age changed to 21 from 18 many years ago but, it was definitely a snow job. I'm all in favor of raising the draft age to 21 because the truth is, there aren't nearly as many people over 21 who are responsible and mature enough to know not to sign up for military service. I can't imagine how the powers that be can reconcile these two issues, other than to say that we need people who are at their physical prime to be as strong as they can be but, that is a crock if I ever heard one. Unfortunately the draft age is not about to change so, I'd be glad to see the drinking age be changed primarily for the reason stated above. How come someone can get married before they can have a sip of wine? Is the thing in the world that you need the most maturity to be able to handle having a sip of alcohol? How ridiculous!!!!

Answer 2

There is a big difference between all of the above and allowing people under 21 to drink. Fighting in Iraq, smoking, chewing tobacco, and voting are personal choices that do not have a direct impact on the people around you. Smoking comes the closest, but even that is limited to designated places. Drinking, however, can result in the loss of life of an innocent bystander should you choose to drive afterward. Study after study shows that people under 21 are more likely to abuse alcohol and get someone killed. So the alcohol age has nothing to do with those other rights. They are irrelevant to the argument. The law is designed to protect the rights of those who do NOT drink... the right to not get killed by some dumb drunk.

By the way, unless you live in Reno or something, 21 year olds still can't hire a prostitute. No one can. It's illegal. Even in Nevada the legal age to hire a prostitute is 21, except in two counties. So that is a bad example.

Answer 3

21 is an excellent age. Out of everything you listed there, beer is the only substance with a drastic effect on the human brain. Studies have shown that the brain may not be fully developed until about 25.

Also, think of what American teenagers are like with alcohol? For the first couple years, chances are teenagers who already drink will just drink more because they no longer have to hide it. Those who don't drink will experience more pressure and lose an argument to resist a harmful substance just because someone wanted to get drunk sooner.

It may work in other countries where the concept of drinking is more of an everyday thing instead of a party thing, but America currently lacks the responsibility to make such a change.

Answer 4

I think that having a drinking age of any age is stupid. I hate how we are so quick to take away freedoms in this country. This is not to say that I think kids should be drinking when they are 10 or 12, but I do think that it should be up to parents to set the guidelines on their kids drinking.

When I was in high school, my parents would allow me and a few of my friends to drink at our house because they always knew that we were not going anywhere and they knew that having us there being safe and somewhat supervised was better than us driving around drinking or going out doing stupid things and getting in trouble.

Now, obviously all parents are not like mine and may not want or allow their kids to drink. But I think that learning of the effects, both good and bad, of alcohol at a younger age have made me more responsible about drinking. I learned how to drink responsibly at a young age and it has helped me in the fact that I am one of only a handful of people I know without a DUI or other convictions related to alcohol (except I did get caught drinking a beer at age 18, when I could have been off fighting a war and killing people, and had to spend six months on probation).

In summation, I believe it should be up to the parents of the kid, not the government, only problem with that is the lack of responsible parents out there. So we punish the whole society for a few bad parent's misgivings. Good idea, base what society should do on the lowest common denominator. That's pretty sounds policy if you ask me. Thanks and have a nice day.

Answer 5

I will be very honest. I think 21 is a stupid age...you know just about nothing more than you did at 18..you have nothing more experience wise that makes it different from 18.
However, 18 is the finish line for so much that I think it is stupid to separate drinking booze from everything else.

If you say someone doesn't know how to handle booze and not ready to drink how can they possibly be ready to vote responsibly? How can you give this person a gun and tell them to go fight a war? How can you empower someone with the right to buy a weapon but say they cannot handle a drink? Answer is you cannot do it and have any semblance of rationality and intellect.

Europe shows us that if you reduce ages or get rid of them you remove the taboo of booze and usually end up with much less booze problems...but i don't think that will work in America because we are too impatient and impulsive.

My answer is I think the new age to be considered a legal adult would be 25 and would confer all the rights, privleges and responsibilities of adult status, including drinking+smoking. Driving would be allowed at 17 with completion of driver's education and 18 without completion of the course.


Mr Taco> So giving them gun and telling to go kill does not affect others? I can see your point but I have to disagree because again how can a person be expected to make a decision about becoming a soilder and participating in war when they are not considered mature enough to drink...there is no logical, intellectual or moral reasonsing to support saying 18yr old possess maturity to smoke+become soilders+go to maximum security prison but lack maturity to drink booze.

Answer 6

I would prefer to keep the age at 21. Being several decades on the other side of 21 gives me the benefit of a lot of life experiences. I do not believe that most 18 year olds can be responsible drinkers. It takes more maturity. Even some cannot be responsible at 21 unfortunately.

Answer 7

When I was 18 that was the drinking age (in New York). Over the years it was increased in an effort to reduce the number of drunk driving fatalities. My feeling, as it relates to the military, is if someone is old enough to carry a gun into combat he should be allowed to order a beer while on leave. Maybe they should have two drinking ages, one for active military,18, and a higher one for civilians.

Answer 8

Hate to tell the person who said the military "lets you drink" that is bunk - go into any club on a base where they serve alcohol and try to get served at 18 -- not gonna happen.

To be honest - our country can't handle the responsibility of alcohol period! I know that it will never be outlawed so then I think the drinking law should remain 21 -- even then I think that's low. At 21 you have yet to learn the art of moderation and responsibility.

Answer 9

The legal drinking age should be 16...the legal age to buy alcohol should be 18. The reasoning behind this, is that kids learn about alcohol in the HOME instead of at parties with friends - so they learn a little bit of responsibility. In Europe, auto accidents caused by alcohol are significantly lower than the US - and most of the reason is that people aren't as stupid about it. They don't drive drunk because they learn responsibility when they begin to drink - not having to figure it out by themselves when they are in college and going crazy.

Answer 10

These days kids mature in some ways too quickly but are not responsible enough to drink because of the dangers involved. I believe 21 is an appropriate age. Before that your just not responsible enough to drink.