i dont' think so...but A LOT of underage teenagers drink already -_-

Ehh, then cut out everything I said about cigarettes. I guess it was a bad reference.

Since a prohibition would directly cause an icnrease in competition in the organized crime world, and since we're nowhere near ever getting rid of alcohol, I guess I'll contribute to the debate a bit.

The driving age is too low, the drinking age is too high.

Level them out at 18. If 18 is the steppingstone into adulthood, then let 18 be the steppingstone into adulthood for EVERYTHING. If I can get sued for everything I'm worth and have bad credit for the next 21 years of my life, then I ought to be able to drink a beer and purchase a handgun to end my worries.

Everyone overlooks the fact that this has been the way things are for decades.

People just need new things to fuss about and they go on whining about lowering the drinking age.

Leave it where it is; it has served its purpose well.

No way. People are stupid as it is in what they do with alcohol. Making some kind of "step into adulthood" at 18 for alcohol is just creating potential accidents already. There are so many accidents that happen even now because people don't know how to drink in moderation and that's a common sense issue. What makes you think that 18 year olds are going to have more common sense than someone that's 21 years old? What good is that going to do?

And yeah, I agree, driving should be at 18, but keep the drinking limit at 21. You need some experience in driving before it's legal for you to drink. Otherwise, you might just go crazy in your excitement to get to drive, go to a party or something, get drunk and start driving and kill yourself and other innocent people.

Sorry, this was the most pointless thing I've written. My dad is blaring movie previews and sneakpeaks on the computer near me (internet) over and over and I can't think right now.

helll no.

i think we should be like europe. most european countries have it that you're allowed to drink at 16, drive at 18. that reduces the probability of accidents due to drunk driving since these kids are already used to alcohol.

ehh i'd rather be able to drive at 16. drinking isn't that great anyway..

in some other countries, its lower

most reason people under 21 drink is to look cool
but if its legal it would just be like "bigg deal, its not like hes doing something that great"

i think it should be like 18 or 19

Read the posts and post something in response to contradict them. It's debate; not 2-word posting time.

I grew up in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. I live in the U.S. and spend most of the summers back in Austria.

The drinking ages in these countries (and most other countries in continental Europe) was and is: 16 (sixteen) for beer and wine, and 18 (eighteen) for spirits (Schnaps, Whiskey etc.). This works out well in those countries as people learn responsible social drinking instead of hidden binge style drinking as I've seen in the U.S.. In Europe you'll see a few young people get together in beer gardens or quaint pubs and have a beer or two with friends. Here in the U.S. you'll hear of high schoolers go to a "party" at someone's house whose parents have gone for the weekend for example. This usually turns into a mad binge drinking exercise with 'beer bongs' and people vomiting on themselves. Then you'll see 'spring break', where young people engage in the same type of activity, only out in the 'open' like Ft Lauderdale but still hidden from their parents.

My point is that in the U.S. people learn how to become alcoholics rather than responsible social drinking in moderation. Sneaking around and binge drinking are traits of an alcoholic. The problem is in the way people are raised. In the U.S. people are treated like children until a much later time in life when compared to the rest of the world and this has some negative repercussions. If the drinking age is lowered it has to be done slowly with the understanding that at the same time society must begin treating young people (16+) more like young adults rather than like children. If they are treated like children, and are expected to act like children, then they will be just that. If they are treated more like young adults and expected to act more like young adults around this age they will, in response, become young adults. This is what must change first, in order for the drinking age to be lowered. This is my experience from what I've seen growing up in Europe and then living in the U.S..

NOOOOOOO ok im tottaly gonna sound liek a loser grandma freak but i think everything with teens "now a days" is starting wayyy too young...no one used to lose their virginity when they were like...14....15 and 16 yr olds didnt used drink and smoke n stuff....if its lowered...everyones gonna be drinking and stuff and then ill be a loser lol

It's a little strange that people learn how to drive before they learn how to drink. But, as I'm sure many people have already said, the age isn't necessarily set because 21yrolds are more responsible, but because their bodies are more mature. I'm almost 18, and being a lightweight, I puke after one drink. No lie. I don't know if I'll even be ready to hold any alcohol by the time I'm 21, but I can't expect a majority of people under 21 to handle it much better than I can.

To me, however, drinking is completely pointless. Why even do it? What do people get out of it? It tastes bad (IMO), it inhibits your senses.. I'm not seeing any pleasure about any of this. The only time I ever consumed an alcoholic beverage and enjoy the taste is when I use it to marinate a steak, and by the time I'm eating it, the alcohol has all been cooked out.

Maybe a lot of people under 21 are mature, right? Maybe if we removed the laws, everything would be peachy because everyone would use alcohol wisely and we wouldn't have anything to worry about. Maybe. You can't rely on what-ifs, it's just not good enough.

Hi Lib,

The idea is to drink in moderation. A social drink shouldn't be 1/2 gallon of moonshine and a trip to the ER.

I don't like the taste of straight spirits, but if it's mixed - like a Bailey's Irish Cream - it tastes pretty good sipping it over a nice conversation with someone. The alcohol does give you a nice feeling - i.e. it relaxes you. But it's something that shouldn't be overdone. If you can't drink more than 1/2 of a drink then don't drink more than that - and sip the 1/2 that you are drinking sloooowwwwwly!

The reason why the drinking age is 21 in America isn't because people under 21 are little children and it'll immediatly rot their poor little livers - It's because the Reagan Administration in the early 1980's threatened to stop federal highway money to any state that didn't raise its' drinking age to 21. This was a pure political move to quiet down screaming interest groups such as MADD and the like. I remember when it was 19 in the State of Maine and when I moved to OHIO for college we had to get 21 year olds to buy it for us.

So, if anyone asks you why the drinking age is so high in America you can tell them it was extortion by the Reagan Administration against the States to gain political brownie points by hysterical special interest groups!

CrackedRearView -

'...Leave it where it is; it has served its purpose well.'

No it hasn't. America's got one of the worst problems with alcoholism in the Western World. People don't learn how to drink socially because they have to sneak around and hide it - and then when they do get a chance to drink they do it in excess. I submit to you that having the highest legal drinking age in the world has had the opposite effect on society from that which was desired by raising it. It's the same old problem. If America has an issue just make it illegal - but for god sake don't do anything dramatic to resolve it like USING OUR MINDS!

nope. i think it should go UP.

Any particular reason to support that opinion?

i think it should be.

i think it should be. if the government thinks that 18 yr olds are old enough to fight for their country, and smoke, then they should be able to drink too. if those were raised though then no.

I don't think the age should be lowered. I think it should stay the way it is.

No because the higher it is, the more people are going to want to drink...just my opinion.

hey guys, please help me out and take this quick survey. it's for a good cause (substance abuse among youth) and your participation will be greatly appreciated! you can just click the link below. thanks~~

[censored. this has NOTHING to do with the topic. don't mess with the debate forum-fae]

quit posting this silly thing. here for the survey[/url]

ppl do drink illegally so if the age was lowered the illegal drinking age would be lowered

no. young people dont deserve to be able to drink at younger ages. lowering it would mean increasing the driving age.

think about that!

^ Uhm, ok, I'll think about it.

I think it works pretty well in Europe. What's your point?

Yeah, it works great in Europe, also known by many as the 'cradle of filth'.

Please, unless you've taken a stroll down a German street at midnight, don't voice your opinion about the state of Europe's social nightlife.

Economic-wise and Social-wise..what do you think?

Do this survey by the way.

THANKS!

18.

2nd. The positives seem to outweigh the negatives.

FOUND IT! I knew if I looked long enough, I'd find the thread.


Topics Merged

What about the students that are in high school when they are 18? ...going to school intoxicated.

^Kids do that already. People put that stuff in mountain dew bottles and carry it around like its soda.

I think it should be 18. People already drink before turning 21, but of course if they lowered it to 18 I wonder how many people would start drinking earlier than that.

Yes.

Lets lower the drinking, gambling, and smoking age to 12. Legalize Marijuana and all other drugs while we are at it. Allow people to rent pornos at any age and have sex on the streets. Then we can have drive-thru abortion clinics where you can trade in the fetus for a dog or cat. While we are at it, we can out-law heterosexual marriage and encourage everyone to experiment with the opposite sex. Also, have condom-dispensing machines in our elementary schools. This way, we wont be stuck in the "traditional" age anymore, we can progress into the "enlightened" age where we have freedom to do EVERYTHING.


I think that sounds nice.

^Uh yeah, sure. You can totally compare lowering the drinking age to eighteen with drive-thru abortion clinics. And "experimenting" is going to send everyone who does it to hell.

Please.

You forgot the part about trading in the fetus' for dogs and cats.

It sounded ridiculous enough without that part, so I didn't feel the need to put it in.

Drinking when you're a legal adult is impossible to compare to trading your unborn baby for a cat. C'mon now. While I don't really think I'd be participating in protests to lower the drinking age, I don't think I'd be outraged if it happened either.

no lowering the legal drinking age.

They did that when I was in school too. But dealing with it was a lot more black and white than it would be if the legal age was 18.

I still think we should distinguish between hard liquor and alcohol and have harsher punishments for people who drive intoxicated (there's really no need for someone to get their eighth DWI). In Germany you're allowed to have beer (and wine) when you're 16, but can't have liquor until you are 18. But you also can't obtain a drivers license until you're 18.

If the drinking age were to change, other laws would probably change along with it.

N.O.

No, but I like the idea of making people get a license to drink.

Yea and the laws that changed probably wouldn't be that huge. I mean I just don't think its that big of a deal but of course there is some dumbass out there to completely take advantage of it and f*ck it all up.

For now things should just stay as they are because if someone changes things its going to be a bigger hassle and more bitching from everyone else.


Having a license to drink is dumb, then we just have some people getting them and going out and buying drinks for everyone else. It would be completely pointless, no need in making something like this more complicated.

I think that the drinking age should stay where it is cause i mean one if someone is under 21 and they are drinking then they require someone to get alcohol for them usually it's a friend and usually they drink with a friend either way.
but if they were to lower the age for it i think it should only be for beer and wine whereas hard liquor that you'd def. need to be 21 for that because one it can mess you up real quick especially if you're a light weight and two cause if someone can't hold their liquor it makes situations worse.
either way i think that the drinking age should sstay the same
and the people who get them selves in trouble for drinking underage or go to school drinking alcohol out of soda bottles that's their choice and they will deal with their own consequences because it's their fault if they get hurt in the end for making the desicion. The only think I'll regret is that the innocent people that get injured or killed because of someone who abuses the alcohol could have avoided the situation if the idiot who wanted to be cool and drink underage decided to be smart.

and yea I lost one of my best friends to an underage Drinker who decided to drive and i had to sit there with one of his arms in one hand and the rest of his body in the other. so i don't approve of drinking and driving (not that anyone would)
but also I jus recentl lost another friend who was about to graduate to similar reasons causeof underage drinking and stupid stuff like that she's dead so yea.
if you drink at least have someone there to take care of you and NEVER drive i don't care how much you drink.

ily.

If you can send someone off to war and fight for their country then by all means they should be entitled to drink.

If I can join the military, fight and die for my country, buy cigarettes, star in pornography, and file my taxes all at 18, why can't I legally purchase and comsume alcohol?

It used to be 18 in Ohio. But they changed it.
:/

I think it should be 18.
But that's just me.

Sure. It's not going to change much, but why not.

^^ exactly

there's not much of a point to change it. 18 yr olds already drink. along with ppl younger than that.

Most 18 y/o's aren't mature enough to drink responsibly. But then again, many 21+ y/o's aren't either.

Prohibition sounds good to me

yes to 20 so i can get dee drunk

what's the point? Kids today all drink anyway, regardless if they're underage.