<p>The number of people from age 19-20 that drink is rather high, and although it's illegal, that doesn't tend to stop them. Would lowering the age of drinking to 19 be a good way to go? In Germany the drinking age is even lower than that, and they don't seem to run into any problems.</p>
<p>19... still too high.</p>
<p>it's 16 here</p>
<p>I think it should be 18 or 19. It is ridiculously easy to gain access to alcohol if you're under 21. It really is a lark!</p>
<p>I think America (maybe North America) has a different take on alcohol than does most of Europe. Here, lots of kids are taught that alcohol is the "big no-no," so when they get to college, they suddenly find themselves completely awash in beer. It's sort of like the classic example of uber-strict parents having completely wild 18-year-olds.</p>
<p>The drinking age is lower here but we still have our share of problems with kids drinking. The only difference is those kids can't drive. I'll take drunk teenagers on a train over a car any day though.</p>
<p>I don't like lowering it to 18, because I think there's a lot of inmature high school students out there. 19 secures the fact that your either in college, have graduated from high school and have a job (I hope). Drinking in college is pretty much a norm. High school drinking is just plain out stupid.</p>
<p>i think the drinking age should be lowered to 19 and the driving age to 18. if they were both 18 we'd run into too many problems with kids drinking without knowing how to drive very well much less sober.. so 18 and 19 seems a good compromise.</p>
<p>^
I'll second that.</p>
<p>I don't have a problem with the drinking age at 19, but I do have a problem with the driving age at 18. A lot of kids work and need to get there... prior to being 18... Plus, I don't think many high school kids are that experienced with driving after only a year... Maybe I'm wrong on that.</p>
<p>"i think the drinking age should be lowered to 19 and the driving age to 18. if they were both 18 we'd run into too many problems with kids drinking without knowing how to drive very well much less sober.. so 18 and 19 seems a good compromise."</p>
<p>Right, because no one drinks before turning the legal drinking age.</p>
<p>I think you should be able to drink before you can drive.... A lot of people drink before legally being able to, but a lot of people drink a lot when they turn 21 and then drive off somewhere... Also, a lot of people wouldn't drink so much if it wasn't illegal. It would be considered as a completely different idea then...</p>
<p>Drinking in foreign countries is different. It's a bigger part of their culture. It isn't unreasonable for younger people to drink a little bit every day. They are better able to handle the amount of drinking they do then the drinking that Americans do.</p>
<p>It's 18 here...and we rarely hear stories of deaths caused by excessive drinking. Americans have a terrible attitude towards drinking. People get their kicks out early here.</p>
<p>No, raising the driving age to 18 is stupid. Like someone said, most people have to partially support themselves by the time they're 16 and thus need transportation to and from work.</p>
<p>And besides, it would suck. :p</p>
<p>Just wait until you get to college. The amount of stupidity that I have witnessed by 18-20 year olds has cemented my faith in America's comparatively high legal drinking age. Of course, my opinion may be slightly skewed by the fact that I can drink legally. ; )</p>
<p>I think 21 is a decent drinking age, but you're still going to have people who are too immature to actually drink.</p>
<p>How about this....YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DRINK BEFORE YOU DRIVE????? Europe's drinking age is lower than driving age, but they sure have fewer accidents!!!!!</p>
<p>Studies show that learning to drink before learning to drive reduces the number of accidents. This study was conducted based on the results gathered in a 300mile stretch of the Autobahn (no speed limit) compared to a 300mile stretch of I-95.</p>
<p>whatever... its not like 21 is going to stop anyone from drinking anyways</p>
<p>part of the appeal of drinking for us is that its illegal for our age group</p>
<p>Where I'm from its like where jpps1 said but its more along the lines of 13 lol. You can just walk into a supermarket and get the alcohol and I've never heard of nationals binge drinking and passing out and stuff like that. Not even young ones. Quite a few tourist drinkers though, to whom this does happen. They go to a country at say 16 and go wild because in their's its not legal. But then they get used to it if they live there and the forbidden fruit factor disappears and usage goes down.</p>
<p>21 is too high definitely.kids go to college and start drinking even though its illegal.19 will be an appropriate age.</p>