Before I post this, I have a disclaimer to make: I don’t find my any of my posts repetitive. From my Uber/DD post to my other situations, they’re are all apart of the same theme, but they’re all separate topics from that theme, which makes them not repetitive. Also, the following post might push some of you over the edge with me:
I do not have a drinking problem, but it just baffles me once you realize that you can do almost everything once you turn 18, but not drink? Yeah yeah, I know that immaturity can play a role, but once teenagers turn 18, they need to be smart when they drink because only one mistake can lead to their death. But, smoking or joining the military can as well? Also, the parents should do more to let their kids know about the possible consequences of drinking. They should tell them to drink responsibly and to always have their friends around them while they’re drinking. There should also be a sober friend as well to make sure that everyone is okay. And if they break the rules, then the parents should ban their teenager from drinking until they learn from their mistakes. It’s honestly all about parenting. But, they’ll still break the rules at some level.
Or we could just keep the age at 21 for only the stronger alcohols like vodka, rum, tequila, bacardi, etc. In other words, you can drink anything that’s in a wine and spirits store once you turn 21. But once you turn 18, then you can drink beer, wine coolers, or any other drink that doesn’t exceed 10% alcohol. And as usual, the legal limit will always stay at .008%.
They TRIED reducing the drinking age to 18 back in the 80s. It was a disaster - lots more driving deaths due to kids drinking. And kids can get drunk even on beverages with a lower alcohol content.
The drinking age in a state is set by each state individually. Every single state has set their drinking to 21, because the federal government did a study when most drinking ages were set at 18 and found that most drunk driving accidents occurred with drivers between the ages of 18 and 20. Accordingly, they began withholding federal highway funds from states that did not make 21 the legal drinking age. Since then, drunk driving deaths among young people have decreased. Therefore, no, I don’t think the drinking age should be 18. We tried that already and it was detrimental to the safety of our young people.
Now to answer your question. As my username might suggest, I’m from Europe, where no country has a drinking age of 21. That said, most European teenagers also don’t have their own cars, or ready access to one. Additionally, and solely IMO, European teens seem less likely to binge drink, in part, because we’ve been taught from a young age to drink responsibly. So to that end, I’m in agreement with @doschicos ; simply lowering the drinking age is not the answer, but needs to be tied in with other items.
I’m never fond of that argument. Just because something did not work before, does not mean that it will not work now.
I believe that I once read that the choice of age 21 is related to the maturation of the myelin sheath, which can be damaged by alcohol. The driving study cited above is another powerful argument.
But students always will make their own decisions, whether about drinking or anything else, regardless of what is legal. So the educational focus needs to be on knowing risks and thinking through the decision making process.
I’d like to see a uniform age for alcohol, full driving license (vs. junior which generally comes with a curfew), military entrance, reserving a hotel room or cruise stateroom, labor hour laws, and anything else that = “adult”.
How about being considered independent of parents for college financial aid purposes? (currently, that age is 24, unless the student is married or a military veteran)
The day of D1’s orientation at her college (which parents attended as well), the university President had given a quote to a national newspaper saying he though the drinking age should be lowered to 18. A huge kerfuffle erupted on campus that day, and he kept getting pulled away from presentations to do phone interviews all day long. I have to say, the parents were pretty uniformly aghast. We were entrusting our kids to this college, and the head of the college was promoting a reduction in the drinking age. This was quite a few years ago, I can’t honestly remember what his argument was, and obviously it didn’t carry the day.
I would think he was being pretty pragmatic having first hand knowledge of how much underage drinking goes on even when efforts are made to enforce it. On college campuses, cracking down often leads to clandestine, stealth drinking, pre-gaming for example, which can often make things worse not better.
I’m sure many parents of incoming first years might not want to acknowledge that but I think it is true.
When I was 18, in my state the legal drinking age was 18. I went to college out of state where the legal age was 20. I believe when I was 19 all states went to 21 so I was then illegal (no grandfather clause). It’s true, when I was in high school there were a lot of drunk driving deaths. But I believe it lies in education rather than a legal age. I’ve noticed today’s youth are much better educated about drunk driving and take it very seriously. They typically have a designated driver, have sleep over parties, take an Uber etc. They impress me with how responsible they are.
I agree, we will send them off to war but won’t allow them to go into a bar and have a beer - that is ridiculous. We want our young adults to be responsible yet we don’t allow them responsibilities. The colleges have become much more strict about drinking but I think what has been created is staying behind closed doors, spending time on technology, drug use (it’s quiet and discrete) whereas when students were all of legal age they were out at parties and bars socializing. They met in person rather than on Tinder. What a novel idea. Yes, they were indulging in alcohol consumption but it’s a matter of drinking responsibly. I do believe the mystery of drinking needs to be taken away so it isn’t a big deal (Europe has this one right).
That’s an interesting idea to have only beer and wine available at 18. I hadn’t thought of that - maybe a good starting point.
It has always baffled me how people can rationalize different ages for “adult” activity. To me, it seems obvious that if you can vote, and must register for the draft, you should be able to drink.
And “it saves lives” is also asinine. You really care about saving lots of lives? Eliminate cars entirely. Vehicular deaths would vanish. Or make it illegal to produce and sell liquor (i.e., prohibition). That’d save lives too, not just from drunk driving but from alcohol-related illnesses.
All of this boils down to “I think that it’s ok” so I really don’t need to be rational.
Yes it should have said absolutely be reduced. They could start with 20. 21 is a ridiculous drinking age and colleges spend all their time focusing on underage drinking when they could be focused on other things.
While I may be in the minority I would lower the drinking age substantially for beer and wine. Rather than it being in the open and supervised its being done behind closed doors. Binge drinking once unusual is the norm today with underage drinkers. Its more difficult to conceal beer than vodka. Learning to drink responsibly does not happen when its underground. Its easier for kids to obtain drugs than alcohol. Makes zero sense to me. While there are certainly students who refrain from drinking there are many who do so on a regular basis. Its just many parents have no idea their kids are drinking.
^I like that idea! Years ago, we toured the JFK aircraft tour when it docked in Portland’s harbor. The crew was available to talk to people touring the ship. I was shocked at how young most of them were! Seems crazy to let kids that young serve. Of course, my FIL enlisted in WWII before he was even 18.
I agree with as a society we want them to act as adults and we don’t give them adult responsibilities.
Not to leave out that these young adults can also have children. Talk about the ultimate responsibility and you still aren’t allowed to have a beer. There needs to be more education at a younger age to avoid the pitfalls of irresponsible drinking. We all would be safer in society. I’m sure some adults could use a refresher course.
