Survey on Lowering the Age for Drinking Alcohol?

Question

I am doing a report in school and I need some replies regarding this issue. The stance of my report is in objection to lowering the age to 18 and keeping it at the age of 21. I strongly feel that lowering the age might bring more distrastrous circumstances to lives, like uncontrolled alcoholic behavior. I realize that those that are in support of lowering the age might argue that if their children are able to go to war and fight for their country, then they should be allowed to drink. That is not a well supported reason, in the issues as I look at them. Here are some questions I need answers for: 1. First name and your age 2. What State do you live in? 3. Male or Female 4. Do you have children? 5. Are you opposed to reducing the age of adults to drink to the age of 18? 6. Are you in support of reducting the age of adults to the age of 18? 7. Can you give me the reasons and/or facts for your opposition to this? 8. Can you give me your reasons why we should keep the age like it is now.

Answer 1

Wow. This is a loaded question, but it's one I've considered myself several times. Let me start by getting you the information you requested

1. Just call me "Firestorm", age nineteen

2. I live in the great state of Michigan

3. I am a male

4. I do not have any children yet

5. Provisionally (read below)

6. Provisionally (read below)

Now, to answer the rest of the survey in my own words.

I don't support immediately lowering the drinking age to eighteen, since this would do little to solve the problem of underage teen drinking.

However, I do see some sense in lowering it and allowing parents to, at their discression, introduce alcohol to their children at thirteen years or older. In countries like France, where alcohol is a way of life, we don't see nearly the problems we do now regarding DUIs, underage drinking and the like.

Knowing an underage drinker, I've come to the conclusion that a major reason for this is that it gives the teen a way to rebel against their parents, and against authority in general. By introducing it earlier, and teaching young drinkers RESPONSIBILITY (IE, avoiding high blood-alcohol levels, not drinking and driving, etc.), we not only take away the "rebellion" insentive, but we can greatly reduce the number of problems caused by underage drinking.

Of course, no plan of action is perfect. There will always be those who will abuse alcohol, no matter what laws we write. However, given our imperfect humanity and our imperfect legal system, we must do the best we can to ensure that the levels of casualties, accidents, etc. are reduced.

I firmly believe that lowering the drinking age, over time, can help to accomplish this.

Answer 2

1. Shannon, 23.
2. California.
3. Female.
4. No, I don't have those.
5. I am opposed.
6. No.
7 and 8. I think that the drinking age should not be 18 because kids in America can't even drive correctly without the whole alcohol affecting them. In Europe it works because these people are introduced to alcohol younger and do not operate vehicles since you really don't need a car.

I think that teens in America think that their is some coolness factor with being drunk, whereas there are a lot of people in other countries who associate drinking with family and having a good time without getting drunk and acting like an ******.

I don't think American teens are mature enough to handle alcohol at 18. I am not saying all teens are like this. I didn't drink until I was 21. Why? Because when you are 21 it makes it that much better. You waited this long. Why drink at 18 so the on your 21st birthday you can say, "Oh, I've been doing this for years...nothing new."

Until teens can learn to drive without texting and racing, let's not add alcohol to their bad driving.

Answer 3

1. First name: Cantcu and your age: older than 30
2. What State do you live in? NH 3. Male or Female M
4. Do you have children? Yes
5. Are you opposed to reducing the age of adults to drink to the age of 18? yes
6. Are you in support of reduc(t)ing the age of adults to the age of 18? 18 is the age of an adult as outlined in current law. That does not make it the age that one should drink as they are not linked!
7. Can you give me the reasons and/or facts for your opposition to this? My son, who was 22 and in college, went to a frat party in Florida. His friend was driving his car when they hit a tree. Both are dead!
8. Can you give me your reasons why we should keep the age like it is now. 18 year-olds, by personal experience, do not hold their liquor very well and most are totally irresponsible when drinking. Young adults have a hard enough time driving a car sober (They have very limited experience in poor driving conditions) , much less drunk! Moreover, if the states tried lowering the age to 18 the Feds would take away our highway money, which is how it got to 21 in the 1st place!

Answer 4

Ok, dude, you're asking a lot...lol, but here goes. name is Gretta, age is 32, live in Rhode Island, female, I have two children, and I am opposed to lowering the drinking age to 18. I believe that children in this country are already growing up too fast but they are hardly responsible. In the U.S., it is like children want all the privileges of being an adult but none of the responsibilities. Drinking alcohol and controlling one's drinking takes a lot of responsibility. I do not think an 18-year-old possesses this yet. However, I do not see really too much of a difference between 18 and 21 to tell you the truth. These days, many 21-year-olds are hardly responsible, either. The main reason for my argument is that I believe there would be a larger number of vehicular accidents and fatalities due to these accidents. Teenagers are already more reckless and impulsive in their driving (not all but in general), and then if they are drinking on top of it, I think it would have disastrous consequences. As for 18-year-olds fighting in wars. I think that needs to be changed, too. I believe that this age needs to be raised to at least 20 or 21. Actually, I am a pacifist anyway, but that is beside the point.

Okay, hope that helps your report some.

Answer 5

When I was a teenager in NY, the drinking age was 18. the legal age to drink in Vermont was 21. The youngsters in the 18 to 21 group came over to NY in droves to drink/party. There was a great club in my hometown. They had so many accidents and problems related to this that the state of Vermont finally convinced NY to increase their legal age to 21. I am certain this resolved some of the problem. Truth is, you can get booze at at about any age if you really want to. Although I thought it was great at the time, looking back, it was a really bad idea. I was in the military in states where 21 was the legal age, still got a few beers.

Answer 6

I am a 27 year old female from Canada. I don't have kids.

Your drinking age is stupid. People are being sent to Iraq and Afganistan younger than that. In Canada, by the way, our drinking age is either 18 or 19 depending on the province.

Answer 7

I'm opposed to arbitrary age selection by legislation. All people are different. There are young men and woman more mentally mature at 16 than people of 40. The laws are there to allow parents to be lax in their duties in training/teaching/nurturing their kids. Makes it easy to say "It's against the law" instead of "Because I said so" and have to actually speak to the kid and explain. In 1940 in England, a 17 year old could be a bombardier and an 18 year old a pilot. These kids flew massive bombers and dropped thousands of tons of bombs on German civilians but couldn't drive a car in England. Wasn't safe! What a joke!!!

Answer 8

i'd meet u half-way. let's say 19 yrs of age. my name is of no business of yours. but it's my name on here. i'm from minnesota. i got 1 minor when i was a kid. i had a 0.20 blood alcohol concentration. i had like 3 pints of root 100.

Answer 9

The sooner they start the quicker they'll realise how bad it is for them, and/or they'll die sooner due to alcohol poisoning, drink-driving, fighting, liver cancer, etc.