Lower the drinking age?

Question

Whats your opinion about the drinking age? Do you think they should higher, lower or keep the drinking age?

Answer 1

To many teens that are irresponsible. So No on lowering. Leave it at 21.

Answer 2

I say lower it to 18. In the US we've created such a mystic sense and idea to alcohol to those that are underage to the point to when they get their hands on it they just go crazy and drink as much as they can as fast as they can. I know, I'm still in college (though over 21 now) and I see it all the time.

Do you see this happening in any other countries where the drinking age is 18 (or even lower)? No. Because they don't turn it into a binge while you can thing. Its acceptable to have a glass of wine or a couple beers with a meal. Its rare that you see anyone go overboard.


What we need to do, however, is have better enforcement on catching drunk drivers and have more strict laws over that. Thats our real problem. Not a bunch of kids sitting in their college dorms drinking.

Answer 3

Its hypocritical to pick and chose what you can do as an adult. If you can vote, serve in the armed forces, be executed, own a home, serve on a jury, be a guardian, and SERVE alcohol then you should be allowed to buy it. If alcohol were socialized as it is in many parts of the world there would not be the taboo nor have the thrill associated with it as it does now. Nobody is mature at 18 yet we give them mature responsibilities. History proves that the drinking age has no bearing on traffic fatalities, alcoholism or any other circumstances mitigated by alcohol.
I expect the drinknig age to be rolled back to 18 for beer in the near future.
Let's make the pot smoking age 21. Do you think it will have any bearing on who smokes it? Of course not. If underage kids want to drink, they are going to drink but adults, adults of any age should be able to make that decision themselves.

Answer 4

At 18 you can get married, serve in the armed forces, buy and sell property, own a business, serve on a jury, enter into contracts and have them legally binding, buy tobacco, take someone under 17 years old to see an R-rated movie, but somehow alcohol is beyond all of that and can't be trusted to someone who isn't 21. There are some 60 and 70 year old people that I would not trust with alcohol, and some 18 and 19 year olds that I would.

It's all about maturity and responsibility, and teaching people how to be responsible. You don't give a 16 year old the keys to your car without teaching him or her how to drive it in a responsible manner first. The same principle should be applied to drinking. Model responsibility and good habits, and see where that goes.

Answer 5

Personally, I think it should be lowered to 18. That is technically the age in which one is considered an adult. I think it's kind of funny that people always use the military as a reference for this debate. It's always said if you can go to war at 18 then you should be able to drink at 18. There's a loop hole there. If 18 and in the military stationed at the right place you may drink at 18. I was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX and to keep those under 21 from going across the border to Mexico and drinking the legal drinking age on base was 18. I find that kind of unfair for everyone esle but at the time...good for me!

Answer 6

I don't have too much of an opinion on this, other than one thing I heard someone mention on here previously- At 18, you can go to war for your country. So the government will say you are old enough to take a gun, or tank, protect the country,and kill other people in a foreign country. But they don't think you can handle a case of Bud Light. To me, that is the only part that doen't make any sense. So I think either the age for the army should be 21, or drinking should be 18. It's sort of proof that we think people ARE in fact responsible by 18, so why wait longer? . . .But, once you're older and especially since I don't have any kids, this isn't really something I care too much about or put too much thought into.

Answer 7

What I think is that if you're 18 and your drafted into the service you should be able to drink while in the service of your country. Otherwise I think the age for legally drinking should be raised to 25. There are way too many 18-24 immature adult wannabes that get drunk and then become a weapon behind the wheel of an auto.

Answer 8

Lower the drinking age to 18 or raise age of enlistment to the armed services to 21.

I think it's a shame that an 18 year old can fight and die for this country but he's considered too young to have a damn beer! It's totally screwed!

Answer 9

They should about to raise higher the drinking age to 23 years. Many people who are underage has many problems as had attend the nightclubs during college time as known as Party School and not respond, don't know, or ignore the drinking age law. Some drunk people do have the weapon and some had the drunk driving.

Answer 10

I am totally biased here. I think that they should ban drinking altogether. People that drink (in general) cannot control how much they drink - I for one am addicted to iced tea. Anything that impairs your judgment should be outlawed. Really, and being realistic here (prohibition never worked anyway), the drinking age should be left as it is; a young person has plenty of time to mess a life up without our giving a free ticket to do so. Alcoholism is a serious disease, and like smoking or any of the choices that we make usually has an effect on our closest loved ones who would rather that we didn't drink or smoke or partake in drugs or have tennage sex. We have to educate our young people not overpoweringly control them - that is the role of the parents, but with our lifestyles as they are and the broken homes for children to be raised in, there is no wonder the training never happens. To answer your question, I think the drinking age should be left alone, and (if you drink) please drink responsibly.

Answer 11

It should remain at age 21, no younger. I would not have a problem if it was raised to 23.
The exception would be enlisted men and women who should be allowed to drink on base/ post at designated and controlled areas. Any alcohol related incident would make them lose that privilege until they reach 21.
Maturity is the real issue.