Drinking Age

[Train]

Originally posted by: SSSnail
You know what's stupid? You can join the armed forces when you're 18, they'll give you a rifle and train you to kill, but don't you dare drink else punishment is harsh.

The military used to allow troops on base to buy at 18, even in states where the age was 21. The military preferred this, because the troops were safer drinking on base vs going off base and getting into trouble. For some reason this got axed (IIRC sometime in the mid 90's). Some mom probably complained to a senator or something.

 

[alkemyst]

sadly those advocating a 21 majority age are just shooting themselves in the foot with our masses of 13-21 year olds pulling off adult lives. There are alot of 16+ kids living on their own (albeit with roomies)....they can do crimes add just get juvie/pat on the wrist/etc.

 

[FDF12389]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: FoBoT
http://www.nationalsafetycommi...inking-age-law-101.php

Evidence proves that the 21 minimum drinking age law is effective, having saved over 900 lives a year since its inception.

900 lives although important to those individuals are sadly insignificant to the masses.

Unfortunately, as many as 360000 of the nations 12 million undergraduates will ultimately die from alcohol-related causes

Text

I bet you a hell of a lot more than 900 deaths could be prevented out of those 360,000 if the drinking age was 18. Don't be a sheep.

 

[alkemyst]

lol I am a sheep?

How about we don't decide how others take their own lives?

Most alcohol related deaths and injuries are self inflicted.

"DUI" bullshit is what gets dudes like you hook, line and sinker. It's a revenue and vote generator.

don't be a sucker.

 

[Jeff7181]

Because the last thing teenagers need is ANOTHER reason to act stupid.

 

[imported_Champ]

I saw it saves 900 lives a year in traffic fatalities, but how many people between the age of 18-20 die because of binge drinking?

also where I'm from in Canada its 18, we don't really have any problems because of that, people at 20-22 age don't go out nearly as much as 18-19 age group...

 

[CRXican]

no good reason really

 

[FDF12389]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
Because the last thing teenagers need is ANOTHER reason to act stupid.

And people over 21 do?

 

[cpacini]

I stopped caring about the drinking age when I passed it.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: FDF12389

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
Because the last thing teenagers need is ANOTHER reason to act stupid.

And people over 21 do?

Teenagers are no worse now than they were when I was a teen... blah blah blah. Having been there already I see no need for kids to be in a hurry to grow up.

 

[Bill Brasky]

I haven't read the thread, but I think we should lower the drinking age and increase the driving age. Both should be 18 IMO.

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: mafia

Originally posted by: ChanHo78
jesus says you must be 21 to drink

Yeh then why do people drink Wine in Church? Or the Blood of Christ? Furthermore, minimum age to "purchase" alcohol in Italy and Vatican City is 16. But there is no minimum age to drink it!

Contrary to popular belief, there's no minimum age to drink it in the USA either... unless there are some crazy local laws somewhere. A parent can buy and serve their children alcohol. They can't buy it for them, as in, with their children's money, but they can certainly buy them a case of beer and send them off with it. If another adult does it without parental consent, he or she could be charged with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor," so a 21yo can't buy an 18yo a drink in a bar to get a girl's phone number. The vast majority of parents use the law's arbitrary age restriction as circular-reasoning to bar their kids from drinking and refuse to buy their adult offspring alcohol. "You can't have any because you aren't 21" / "You can't have any. If you don't like it, you can just wait and get your own when you turn 21!" / "You want some? Too bad. You aren't 21."

I'm 29 tomorrow and I've never had a sip.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Originally posted by: mafia

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: mafia
In Europe most countires have their minimum drinking age at 18 years of age. Some countires like Austria and Germany allow 16 year olds to drink beer. Why is it 21 years in America? If you are 18 years old you are technically a adult. If you are an adult, why can't you drink alcohol? What if we changed it to 18? What do you all think?

Argument: In Europe, people drink from an early age, yet they do not have the alcohol-related problems we do. We need fewer restrictions, not more.

Answer: The claim that the relaxed European attitudes toward alcohol consumption creates a culture where youth don't engage in binge drinking and that it leads directly to more responsible drinking is an urban myth and has no basis in fact or reality.

According to 2003 data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs revealed that of 35 European countries, 31 had a greater percentage of 15-year olds who had been intoxicated in the past year than in the U.S. Most European countries' youth are out-drinking their American teens with regards to both binge drinking and drinking to intoxication.

http://www.nationalsafetycommi...inking-age-law-101.php

Hmm.. but why didn't they make the study on 18 year olds?

Duh of course they're drinking more because they can legally at that age. How about afterwards when they are past the minimum age at a few years in when that whole excitement of "oooh i can buy liquor" goes away.

 

[irishScott]

IIRC it's due to the biological maturity of the brain. Personally I just waited. It wasn't hard, and I don't understand why people make such a big deal out of it. Peer pressure much?

 

[harobikes333]

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
Fuck MADD.

wow... kinda a harsh reply dude. My mother is a member of that because half of her family died in a car accident because a drunk driver went into the oncoming traffic ( their lane ) and hit them head on.

MADD has its extremists in it yes... but not everyone that belongs to made is bad. geesh.

Just thought i'd put that out there....

I agree 18 would be more practical. Also, I'm against drunk driving, as should anyone who has any common sense.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: TridenT
Not sure, don't care. I don't drink.

You aren't old enough to anyway...

 

[Mike Gayner]

USA is so backward. It always amused me that in the USA you can go to a battlefield and kill the enemy, but can't spend an evening at the garrison club.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: FoBoT
http://www.nationalsafetycommi...inking-age-law-101.php

Evidence proves that the 21 minimum drinking age law is effective, having saved over 900 lives a year since its inception.

900 lives although important to those individuals are sadly insignificant to the masses.

They should quote it properly in the article...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that since the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age was enacted in 1984, approximately 900 lives a year have been saved in traffic fatalities alone. (1)

Which makes it obvious that the 900 saved lives pertain to drink driving, not preventing people from binging and dying related to alcohol poisoning...

They should also state the references used to support it. There is no point saying "the evidence supports" and then not presenting the evidence. Anyone can do that...

The evidence supports that legalising gay marriage would lead to world peace.

The evidence supports that going back to the moon would end the recession.

The evidence supports that banks should not be bailed out.

The evidence supports that legalising marijuana will reduce violent crime rates...

Etcetera. Without backing it up they are just pointless statements :|

 

[mafia]

Originally posted by: PlasmaBomb

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: FoBoT
http://www.nationalsafetycommi...inking-age-law-101.php

Evidence proves that the 21 minimum drinking age law is effective, having saved over 900 lives a year since its inception.

900 lives although important to those individuals are sadly insignificant to the masses.

They should quote it properly in the article...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that since the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age was enacted in 1984, approximately 900 lives a year have been saved in traffic fatalities alone. (1)

Which makes it obvious that the 900 saved lives pertain to drink driving, not preventing people from binging and dying related to alcohol poisoning...

They should also state the references used to support it. There is no point saying "the evidence supports" and then not presenting the evidence. Anyone can do that...

The evidence supports that legalising gay marriage would lead to world peace.

The evidence supports that going back to the moon would end the recession.

The evidence supports that banks should not be bailed out.

The evidence supports that legalising marijuana will reduce violent crime rates...

Etcetera. Without backing it up they are just pointless statements :|

Yup

 

[polarmystery]

<-European raised male here (Mother from Spain) and I've been able to drink since birth. Never abused it, never had a DUI, and if I go out, I might have 3 drinks maximum. Lame 21 year old law is lame.

 

[cronos]

meh. increase it to 25 imo.

 

[crownjules]

Originally posted by: CZroe
Contrary to popular belief, there's no minimum age to drink it in the USA either... unless there are some crazy local laws somewhere. A parent can buy and serve their children alcohol. They can't buy it for them, as in, with their children's money, but they can certainly buy them a case of beer and send them off with it. If another adult does it without parental consent, he or she could be charged with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor," so a 21yo can't buy an 18yo a drink in a bar to get a girl's phone number. The vast majority of parents use the law's arbitrary age restriction as circular-reasoning to bar their kids from drinking and refuse to buy their adult offspring alcohol. "You can't have any because you aren't 21" / "You can't have any. If you don't like it, you can just wait and get your own when you turn 21!" / "You want some? Too bad. You aren't 21."

I'm 29 tomorrow and I've never had a sip.

In Massachusetts, there is a Zero Tolerance policy for under 21 y/o. That means if you're under 21, get stopped by the police for any reason, get breathalized (I just made that up), and test positive, you're in trouble. Even if you're .01 BAC. It happened to me almost 10 years ago.

Me and some friends were at a public party, some stupid shit happened and the police showed up and were talking to us. The officer smelled alcohol on my friend's breath and subjected us all to breathylzer tests. Even though we only blew 0.05 or less and weren't even driving, we were officially in trouble. Thankfully since none of us had a record, the cop let us go with a warning and just called our parents to pick us up.

So while Federal law prohibits just the sale of alcohol to minors, some states do get even tougher. I find it all ridiculous. My family is English with most of my relatives there. We visited when I was 15 and my cousin who's just a year older than me took me out to the pubs and clubs and got me drunk.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: mafia
In Europe most countires have their minimum drinking age at 18 years of age. Some countires like Austria and Germany allow 16 year olds to drink beer. Why is it 21 years in America? If you are 18 years old you are technically a adult. If you are an adult, why can't you drink alcohol? What if we changed it to 18? What do you all think?

MADD

/thread

 

[meltdown75]

it's 21 so all the Yank honeydips can come to Windsor every weekend and get liquored up. from what i hear, they're all sluts. makes me wish i was a young buck again.

 

[JTsyo]

American idiots are dumber than other idiots?