Lower The Drinking Age?

I'd buy you a beer! thats the major beef I have with our drinking age..

Our sadness at the deep anger felt by soldiers like you who were serving in Vietnam was the reason all were declared to be adults at age 18. It is too bad that few 18-year-olds have taken up the most positive privilege of adulthood: voting.

The lower drinking age didn't work, partly because of actual immaturity and partly because high schools are intensely social places where all should live under the same rules. Allowing all high school graduates to drink would address this latter problem - and yours. In addition, allowing a child to have one drink or share a bottle of wine in a restaurant when accompanied by a sober parent would relieve some of the forbidden-fruit motive for over-drinking.

We also remember your buddies who died when their vehicles rolled over from being driven too fast. They are just as dead as those who ate bullets.

There is a recklessness in some 18-year-olds -and a lesser proportion of older people- that served well the communities of their ancestors who had to fight without benefit of rational military training like yours. Without benefit of thought, they died that others might live. For some, alcohol ignites this recklessness even where by no stretch is it appropriate. That is a fact no one can legislate away.

May God bless you with courage and wisdom, and may the day never come when you must choose between your own life and the lives of others. We all thank you for putting yourself where you face tough choices for the benefit of us all.

rightyo

haha... yeah.

honestly...the drinking age in Ontario, Canada is 19, and the age you can get your permit is 16, which means you can have a full license by 17. And with the government regulations on bars and alcohol and harsh laws on young drivers, we seem to be doing fine.

Alcohol can only be bought at a government run liquor store and alcohol can only be served by a licensed bartender, id's are checked and scanned at the door! Things seem to be working fine here, I don't understand why it would be so hard to implement this in the United States.

United States is infamous for similar outstanding statistics. Similar to this problem, United States has an exponentially high number of gun shooting incidents than any other country out there.

well...drinking in Europe is seen completely different than it is in the U.S. Kids watch their parents drink at dinner and then act civil...where as children in the states watch movies and TV and see that at parties and in college, consuming alcohol irresponsibly is what they're suppose to do.

On top of that...teens in the U.S. seem to drink for the hell of drinking to get pissed! I think it has something to do with the "coolness" of breaking a law and acting like rebels. Once i hit 19 (the legal age in Canada) drinking wasn't as "cool" as it was when i was 15, or 16....most kids just want to act like adults and drinking is something reserved for adults

Yeah, seems though early exposure results to less alcohol abuse in the future.

didn't turning the legal drinking age stop you from drinking as much...or at least took the thrill out of drinking?

yup

mmhmm

lots of teenagers all around the country depend on driving their cars to get them to school and work, I know I did. Drinking is a recreation, driving is often a necessity.

Then we need to step up public transportation to the point where driving is a luxury, not a necessity.

Thank you for your voice of experience.

I was a bartender here in Canada and to keep drunken idiots like the ones you described from acting like drunken idiots, bartenders have to pass this smartserve license which teaches makes sure we know when to serve someone and when not to, and when/how to cut someone off. The government will shut down or fine your bar if you don't have this license

Yeah same down here, we have to take get a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate for every single person who works anywhere near drinks. It has a similar idea behind it, but it doesn't stop 18-19 year olds from getting drunk, it just seems to make bouncers into bigger dicks, and everything a bit tense for employees.

Kids don't really have money to be spending on that kind of stuff though do they? Perhaps if kids were allowed a glass of wine or a beer with a supervising adult at a restaurant... but a) that means intoxicated drivers on the road and b)they just aren't at an age where having a glass of wine at dinner is enough. Kids drink to get drunk. Not because they enjoy it. AND those that do are in the minority. how many people here can HONESTLY say at that age, or at 21, they actually enjoyed the taste of alcohol (beyond a sip of wine or even beer). How many of you even enujoy it now?

I drink because I like the taste of whiskey. But its rare to find someone who drinks because they enjoy it vs someone who drinks to party

Yeah, but if it's not illegal, then they will just take a drink or two to relax. A lot of people only drink a few drinks to kick back and chill. Kids only drink to get drunk because they don't have the opportunity to drink every day out in public. Once it becomes easily available to you, you'll just maybe want one or two after a stressful Tuesday and etc.

Yeah, turn 'em into alcoholics at an even earlier age so they can deal with their stress the way older people do and NOT learn how to cope with their tumultuous teenage emotions without alcohol.

I started drinking when I was 12, and I'm enrolled in the best Hotel and Restaurant Management College in the nation with a pretty decent GPA at 3.5. Yeah, huge problems here. Alcohol ruined my life, seeing how now days I drink a whole lot less than I did when I was in high school.

why? please explain your mentality. I mean in terms of "being old enough to fight so you are old enough to drink."

When that amde sense people were being forced into service. Since that isn't the case anymore and it is your choice to fight or not i dont think that statement holds much truth anymore.

The truth is the majority of 18 year olds are NOT mature enough. Honestly? I think they become less mature as years go on (meaning 18 year olds are less mature than 18 year olds were 10 years ago). Why? Well back in the day 18 year olds were forced to grow up much faster. So many of you today are completely taken care of by mommy and daddy. Reality is you don't understand responsibility the way someone 10 years older would. You (perhaps not you specficically but by you I mean most 18 yr olds) don't worry about making rent, you dont have to decide between groceries for the week or gas for your car. You dont have to sit down and wonder how your savings plan will survive this economy. Your only concern is whether or not you want to go to college and if you dont you better figure it out.

HOW ABOUT THIS. IF you are drafted or voluntarily enlist in the army, you can drink. BUT if you don't, sucks to be you, wait till your 21.

Quit saying if you can fight you can drink. Its not the 70s. We're not fighting in Nam and given the choice most `18 year olds would chose that cute new top over having to pay an electricity bill.

gatormonkey, i was going to disagree with you, however, i've always agreed that if you do decide to serve your country then you wouldn't need to wait until you are 21.

then again, if that was a legitimate excuse to join the armed forces i'd be a bit concerned.

chango - i get what you're saying. I would hate that to be a reason too (although I guess it would help the numbers wouldn't it....) The thing is I dont think kids would enlist just to drink and if they did they'll be forced to mature and see reality.

My issue with 18 year olds drinking is they dont really grasp reality the same way an adult does (i dont even think 21 year olds do but they are much closer and there are MORE of them that do than 18).

I get that realistically its all situational. One 18 year old could be light years ahead mentally than a 22 year old. We've all seen that. But unfortunately the majority aren't. Most of them don't even understand what is going on in our country right now.

ex. my best friend teaches Senior Social Studies and Econ at a high school. She kept trying to engage the students in a conversation about what it meant to have a new president, she wanted to talk about some of the changes, she tried to get them to answer what they think would benefit the country, etc. They, sadly, are more interested in discussing sexual positions and where they can get the best green (lol although if they legalized THAT, i'd say 18!!).

Look I do get that kids who are allowed to drink before they are of a certain legal age have a tendency to learn their limits faster. BUT I think that also has to do with parental supervision. Or guardian, or wise older sibling, you get the point. I attribute part of the reason i never got into binge drinking and the fact that I know HOW to drink and enjoy it to my parents teaching me the rights and wrongs. To them watching me and knowing what i was up to. I think if PERHAPS they lowered the age to 18 on condition of supervision (so they can have a few drinks w/ their parents or older sibs or something... and learn) then that would help out a lot more than just lowering it to 18,

I've also been to countries where the legal age was lower. There are a lot of drunken teens running around. Its not pretty.

LoL maybe the majority of 18 year olds would think they are mature enoug but don't worry, those of us who are well past 21 don't think many are.

"If you are old enough to fight and die you are old enough to drink"

That made sense when people were being drafted into the war against their will. NOW? They aren't. SOME are mature enough... and perhaps enlisting forces you to mature a bit faster. But the reality is most teens are NO WHERE NEAR the maturity level they should be to drink.

Do I tihnk there are issues with binge drinking? Yes. BUT i think that is more an issue with parents sheltering their children vs. what age we can legally drink at. I didn't start drinking till 21 (yes I'd had alcohol prior but never really was into the notion of drinking till i was sick). At 21 I went out, had fun, learned my limits and by 22 knew how much and how little to drink, knew what type of alcohol I prefered and learned the rules, don't mix, stay away from sugary drinks, pace yourself, drink water, etc. NOW while I figured all this outa thte appropriate age, I still had and still have (sadly) friends that began their quest for inibriation prior to 21 who still mix their drinks, drink too muhc (binge) and drink to, well, get drunk.

Why? Well my parents didn't shelter me from reality. I was allowed to drink with them. Sure I had a beer or two with friends at parties but my parents also always knew where and when. I was open because I was less afraid of punishment. They knew my "little secrets." Even if we didn't always talk about them, i was honest with them. The friends who drank underage and continue to binge were sheltered most of their childhood. So they rebelled. And have had a hard time maturing. At least when it comes to "partying." They still drink to get drunk. Myself? I have a drink because I enjoy it.

I don't think changing the age limit will help anything. Perhaps if there are restrictions. Children under 21 (yes to all you teens out there, you're still just kids....) are permitted to drink under the supervision of a legal adult/guardian. Perhaps similar to the driving rule. You can only drive w/ someone who has been driving legally for five years. Perhaps you can only drink with someone who has been legally of age to drink for 5 years. Children will be supervised and learn their limits and hopefully reduce binging without allow idiotic teens to be out partying it up. AND someone would be responsible for them.

If they are not mature enough to drink, they are sure as hell not mature enough to sign a 4 years contract to fly off to a far off hell, to kill, watch friend get killed, and to be killed themselves. My brother-in-law joined at 19 became a sniper, was shipped off for 18 months at a time. I have no doubt that he has killed many men, but also within the first 2 months of being in Iraq he saw 6 members of his unit get killed. What has done more damage, the memories of all the death or some drinks he might have had before he turned 21. I think 18 year old are equally mature when it comes to drinking and enlistment. They are lacking in both categories. Up the enlistment age or lower the drinking age.

i agree...although I've never been in any situation where a friend or relative has been off to war, but I definitely think that if you can enlist in the army, then you should be able to drink!

Yes. The few and brave that go off I would imagine are more mature _ OR are forced to be more mature_ than those who wouldn't. NOT that kids can't be mature and not enlist, but I think the two groups are different. Would I be for raising the age limit for someone who was enlisted? Yes. But knowing as many kids in that age range as I do and observing them, especially today, they just aren't there yet.

I mean thikn about it. Those that enlist and fight, they're forced to understand not only responsibility but action and consequence. Most kids 18 are still more worried about partying and college. Not, well if a +b = c and does c equal sometihng good or bad and how do i go about it from there.