Debate on lowering legal drinking age

<p>it's a teenager's nature to rebel and if teenagers can't have alcohol, they are going to want it alot more. i am all in favor of making the drinking age to 18. i turn 21 halfway through my senior year of college and hell no, i'm going to drink before then.</p>

<p>"You could have a "rationing" law. Perhaps they would be able to consume alcohol in designated, supervised areas, but not purchase it "to go"."</p>

<p>I like this idea, too. Allow 18 - 21 year olds to purchase & consume beer & wine but only in restaurants/bars/venues/private property (not package stores) and must be consumed on premises. They can't bring it back to younger teens. Bartenders/waiters would be under the same obligation not to serve them if they're obviously drunk that they are already under for anyone else. Keep it illegal for 18-21 to transport alcohol at any time.</p>

<p>Hmmmm.....</p>

<p>I don't care WHAT the drinking age is, as long as it's the SAME as the age for the military, cigarettes, being considered a legal adult, and all of that.</p>

<p>You can't say someone is a legal, smoking adult who is a member of the army and kills people and is at risk of dying in a war when they can't even drink. It's ludicrous. </p>

<p>18 or 21 for everything. You know what? 20 for everything. It doesn't matter. Just as long as EVERYTHING is the SAME AGE.</p>

<p>The drinking age in Denmark is ten, and they have fewer than half the alcohol-related deaths than we do.</p>

<p>I think that drinking age for Denmark, 10 years old, is ridiculous. Does anyone else agree?</p>

<p>No, because you have realize the social nature of drinking is different. Kids in the US binged drink in hs when they're at parties, same with college, because they can't drink legally, so when they go to these venues the often drink as much as they can. </p>

<p>In a country where the drinking age is low (or not existent), the same type of impulses don't exist. There are no limitations, so it is more casual. And teh 10 yr old limit i beieve is when there is a parent present, they're not having a ten-year old booze party downing shots like americans do. Different culture.</p>

<p>One question - don't 25 year olds binge drink too? In other words, just the fact that it's illegal to drink doesn't cause 19 year olds to binge drink. If they do it illegally, what's to say they won't also do it legally? </p>

<p>I really don't get the "it's illegal therefore I have to OVER-do it" reason for lowering the drinking age. If it were true, people over 21 wouldn't binge drink - and they definitely do.</p>

<p>that's why my argument is we need a paradigm shift regarding alcohol, not simply changing the age. The kids who are 25 grew up with the law that they had to be 21. They grew up associating the "it's illegal, i got to get my money's worth if I get caught" mentality with the act of drinking. If you've only gotten wasted when you drink, you're going to pavlov yourself into binge drinking whenever you drink.</p>

<p>If kids grew up having 1 beer at a resaturant with dinner, I think we'd see some shifts in behavior.</p>

<p>I'm not saying we won't binge drink or the attitude and actions of college students will just shift down to high school, but...</p>

<p>If the law is telling me I can be drafted to die for my country, the least they can do is let me have my Guinness Draft.</p>

<p>it really doesn't matter what age you can legally drink because people are gonna drink at whatever age they want. And how is this a country of liberty and freedom when you get to tell me when i can drink?</p>

<p>They tell me I can't steal money from people, too. That's infringing on my rights.</p>

<p>^yeah that makes perfect sense amciw </p>

<p>fail.</p>

<p>Finally, some rationality exhibited by college presidents. I would wager that anyone who opposes a lowering of the drinking age has either never been to a college campus or lives their life as a shut-in who studies 24/7.</p>

<p>Even in the second case I don't understand your logic -- don't you want the curve to come down?</p>

<p>^Either that or they've looked at actual statistics compiled by European governments, seen that there's no significant discrepancy in number of binge-drinking minors or drunk-driving related accidents, and that rates of alcoholism are significantly higher, contributing to unemployment, poverty, domestic strife, and a drain on the healthcare system.</p>

<p>But hell, who wants to consider the actual numbers? Let's just stick to our preconceived notions about an idealized Europe while spouting dumb rhetoric about the troops. That's how this debate should work.</p>

<p>As I said earlier, we should just raise the army to 21!!!!!!!Or 20. 20 is closer to 21 then 18 is to 20 so people would only have to wait two more years for the army. I think people make this argument because they are PO'd that they can't legally drink until 21. Stop complaining and wait 3 more years. Don't they say that things that are waited on will be more enjoyable once you receive them?</p>

<p>popcornboy, there is so much wrong with your argument that I can't even begin to address it all.</p>

<p>Kids are going to drink alcohol no matter what. Alcohol has had a storied past with humans and arguably without Alcohol( especially beer) we would have never civilized. That being said I think rather than trying to paint alcohol as evil I believe that schools, parents, ect. Should teach kids that drinking is not wrong but you need to control yourself. Parents especially should teach their kids to drink with in their limit and drink as social means not a means to get completely plastered. With that I think the drinking age should be between 16-18. At that age we expect kids to make serious decisions about their futures and give them important responsibilities. If society treats you like an adult you should be able to act like one by being able to drink. </p>

<p>I leave you with a good example, France. Their drinking age is pretty much non-existent and many kids drink from early ages with their parents. The result is that these kids have grown up around alcohol learned to respect it and learned that alcohol is a social drink that needs to be monitored, which attributes to French kids not getting drunk like American kids.</p>

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Don't they say that things that are waited on will be more enjoyable once you receive them?

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<p>yep, 21 shots bar crawl. :)</p>

<p>^^^ 21 shots bar crawl is a recipe for suicide. I'm not kidding or exaggerating. </p>

<p>"Alcohol has had a storied past with humans..." partly because until a few decades ago there was no way to keep water clean and pure, other than mixing it with alcohol to kill the germs. </p>

<p>vicouspoultry, do you have statistics or proof that French kids don't get drunk like American kids? Check out Melancholydane's post #113.</p>

<p>They should lower the age because everybody has fake ID's anyway. At least then the DMV can make the money that street hustlers are making off of thirsty youngsters. Where there's a will, there's a way, and there is absolutely no teenager or college student in America who wants to drink but can't because, gosh darn it, the age requirement is 21.</p>

<p>What social conservatives dream happens among young people:</p>

<p>Mikey: Hey friend, want to be wild and drink a beer tonight?</p>

<p>Johnny:Ah man, I would, but don't we have to be 21?</p>

<p>Mikey: Yeah, you're right. Let's stay home and play Monopoly. Let's invite the girls over too. They can bake cookies while we men forge our righteous capitalist empires. </p>

<p>Johnny: Wait, your parents are going to be home, right? Can't have girls over without chaperones!</p>

<p>What really happens among young people:</p>

<p>Mikey: Hey, want to get wasted tonight?</p>

<p>Johnny: Got a bit of a problem. I lent my fake to my brother and he still hasn't given it back yet.</p>

<p>Mikey: No worries. Let's just go to the frat party. Just say you're 21 and they'll believe you. Nobody wants to be the tight-ass frat. </p>

<p>Johnny: Person who pukes the most at the end of the night wins.</p>

<p>lafalum: too bad you have a weak stomach. us real men can put down 21 shots without a problem</p>