Lower drinking age?

[CraigRT]

it's fine here in Canada.... 19 in most of Canada and 18 in Quebec

but in Quebec, as long as your head is as high as the bar, you can get a drink... they really don't care.... heh, it's great.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: damiano
why not
people drink more because it's NOT legal
if it was legal to drink at 18 people would drink less

That has to be one of the most stupid comment I have read in a longtime. The drinking age when I was growing up was 18 and hell we started drinking when we were 14-15 because the laws were a alot less strict.

I remember numerous times going to the local bar when I was 16 and picking up a couple fifths

Ausm

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: freegeeks
the drinking age where I live is when your mother stops with breast feeding

hey, i been to Gent

i think the US has as much/more problems than Europe with kids drinking (driving/fights/alcoholism, etc), so having the legal age at 21 is meaningless

 

[Judgement]

Originally posted by: justint

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
You can be sent to die for your country when you're 18, but you can't have a beer. Amazing logic on that one.

You can't be president, congressman, senator, at 18 either. What's your point?

I think his point is that if the government feels you are old enough to make the conscious decision to willingly risk your life for the well being of your nation or anyone else, as well as being old enough to vote for who you want to lead the nation then it doesn't make sense for them to restrict your ability to drink.

IMO, both of these choices/decisions are much more important and mature then anything to do with drinking alcohol. If the government feels you're not mature enough to choose to drink at 18, but they think you're mature enough to choose to risk dying for their country, then it seems to me that the government is just taking advantage of all the 18-20 year olds who aren't truly mature enough to make good decisions about joining the military. Not to mention the constant advertising to try and get them to join.

 

[PunDogg]

should be 18, cuz you can go to war and vote, and everything else at 18

Dogg

 

[DWW]

I think it should be lowered to 16. (Age to drive)

Kids, even many irresponsible ones, can drive hunks of metal that weigh a few tons, barreling down highways at speeds in excess of 80mph, with the ability to fatally injure others even.

I think it is ass-backwards. Drinking is less of a responsibility than driving don't you agree? If not change the drinking age, increase the driving age.

Here in Canada the drinking age is 19. I understand in a few states it is the same, but for the most part it is 21. By 21, most of us have been so sh!tfaced that we don't binge drink. I got that all out of my system when I was 19. I don't drink till I puke anymore Start from a younger age and they will be more mature with it.

 

[cloude27]

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
You can be sent to die for your country when you're 18, but you can't have a beer. Amazing logic on that one.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: cloude27

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
You can be sent to die for your country when you're 18, but you can't have a beer. Amazing logic on that one.

Your logic wouldn't be flawed if those who were old enough to die for their country weren't volunteers. Maybe we should just let those who are in the Service drink at 18.

 

[Ryan]

How about a big NO.

 

[Judgement]

Originally posted by: Ynog

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Linflas

Originally posted by: Chrishuff1
We have a class debate coming up in the next week or 2 and the topic is lowering the drinking age. What do you guys think? Should it be lowered and if so why? If not, why? Just want to get input from other individuals on this subject. Thanks!

I think that if you are old enough to vote, enter contracts, and die for your country then there is no valid reason to deny you this one particular adult activity. All it does is encourage abuse by putting alcohol on a pedestal that it should not be put on.

Nah they should leave it where it is at. A lot of people over 20 have problems with booze, could you imagine how much worse it would be if 18 yr olds were allowed to drink legally? The roads would definately become more dangerous.

This is the problem with dropping the age. While I would definately support lowering the age at military bases,
lets be honest. Most people, especially in the US, are stupid. And most kids who drink, drink very heavily.
Even legal 20 somethings do this. There is a problem in the US when it comes to alcohol. Parents don't
ever explain the problems alcohol can cause, or responsibilty when it comes to drinking. and its just something kids
want to do. However people say that if it were legal kids wouldn't want to do it. Well tell you what in this country it
would take a while for that to happen. Because every kid would still do it.

I would argue that after the initial rush if they changed the age to 18, things would slow down. If alcohol was legal, a lot of the thrill would be gone... not to mention they would become more experienced drinkers in a safer environment. They would learn their limits and safe drinking habits at a younger age. It would also force parents to teach their kids safe habits, because I think a lot of parents now don't bother with talking to their kids about alcohol. Most of the time it goes from absolutely no alcohol tolerance from their parents, to complete freedom when the person turns 21 and is most likely no longer living at home. They have little to no experience drinking and thats whats most dangerous. Sure kids are careless and reckless, but the worst kids can and do drink now whenever they want anyway. If it was legal at 18, they wouldn't need to be as secretive, so it would be easier to monitor and influence their drinking habits. Teenagers should be educated in correct methods, not treated like idiots until everyone thinks they're old enough to take the fall for their own inexperience or somehow at 21 they're safe from drinking problems they weren't at 18.

IMO the drinking age should be at 18, but they should make it more of a privilage than it currently is. Any infractions in school or elsewhere would take away the priviledge to drink, even if no drinking was involved. Teach kids to be responsible for their actions, but also educate them and give them more credit until they prove that they don't deserve it. Even the reverse would work, make them earn the right to drink instead of giving them the right to drink then taking it away. Make them take an alcohol safety course, defensive driving, and do some community service or something along those lines.

 

[Red Dawn]

They should also raise the age to get a License to 18

 

[dullard]

My thoughts:
1) Overall statistics show that in countries with higher drinking age, the people who drink young abuse it - while in countries with a lower drinking age, the people who drink young drink it much more responsibly. If you tell kids not to do something, then it is instantly cool to do that. Thus parties are based on doing the cool thing and abusing it for all its worth. By reducing the age limit, you can over time reduce the coolness of abusing it.
2) I agree that it is stupid that at age 20 you can drive and kill people, you can join the military and be shot, you can in many states gamble all your money away, you can move away and live on your own, and you can get married and already have quite a few children - but at age 20 you cannot have a piece of liquor candy.
3) The penalty for drinking younger should be simulateously increased as the drinking age decreases. In my hometown, the penalty for a MIP is $45 (including all court costs) and over 50% of the people arrested get off without any fine. Plus when you turn 18 your record is even erased. So what is stopping a 16 year old from drinking? Nothing. The punishment should be severe enough to stop some kids from drinking.
4) The penalty for abusing alchol (ie drinking and driving) should be much more severe. This will help negate much of the problems that alcohol causes. You hear of people all the time on their 20th DUI and they still get behind the wheel. These people should be off the streets forever.

 

[Richdog]

Originally posted by: Linflas

Originally posted by: Chrishuff1
We have a class debate coming up in the next week or 2 and the topic is lowering the drinking age. What do you guys think? Should it be lowered and if so why? If not, why? Just want to get input from other individuals on this subject. Thanks!

I think that if you are old enough to vote, enter contracts, and die for your country then there is no valid reason to deny you this one particular adult activity. All it does is encourage abuse by putting alcohol on a pedestal that it should not be put on.

You've hit the nail on the head. In Germany the legal age for consuming beer is 16, which means that from a younger age kids are introduced to alcohol therefore learn more respect for it, whereas instead in England at 18, or even worse America at 21, as soon as people reach a legal age they somehow think that this means they have to neck as many drinks as possible on a night out, and get drunk as a skunk to boot. Some bars over here and in Europe are also allowed to open 24 hours a day, which stops the race to drink as much as possible before the bar closes and causes far less trouble.:beer:

 

[Red Dawn]

Some states at one time lowered the drinking age to 18 but the Feds threatened to with hold Funds for Highways unless those states raised the age so every State now has a 21 yr old limit topurchase and drink booze. Obviously we can debate this until we are blue in the face but it will not change anything as the age limit will never be lowered.

 

[Judgement]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Some states at one time lowered the drinking age to 18 but the Feds threatened to with hold Funds for Highways unless those states raised the age so every State now has a 21 yr old limit topurchase and drink booze. Obviously we can debate this until we are blue in the face but it will not change anything as the age limit will never be lowered.

Wont be != shouldnt be

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: cloude27

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
You can be sent to die for your country when you're 18, but you can't have a beer. Amazing logic on that one.

Your logic wouldn't be flawed if those who were old enough to die for their country weren't volunteers. Maybe we should just let those who are in the Service drink at 18.

my understanding is that the reasoning most people use all ties into something about how younger people have poorer judgement (i.e., they're more likely to get piss drunk and drive or something). if we think their judgement is good enough for purposes of joining the military, it seems silly to question their judgement when it comes to something so relatively trivial as having a drink.

 

[Regs]

Many physiologists state that increasing the drinking age limit only makes matters worse. Then teenagers would have more reason to rebel against authority etc etc..

It's also a matter of responsibility. Point: I've seen more maturity and responsibility from my 20-year-old friend than my 45-year-old drunk as a skunk' mother.

 

[MaxDepth]

Dezign put you up to this so she can take her kid out...

 

[GoatHerderEd]

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I think that the age should be RAISED! and enforced! Its amazing how imature people are when they drink, and to drink under age for that matter. I live in a college dorm, and if people followed the law, my life would be so much nicer. All the drunks yelling, and destroying things piss me off. GET A CLUE!

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[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: cloude27

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
You can be sent to die for your country when you're 18, but you can't have a beer. Amazing logic on that one.

Your logic wouldn't be flawed if those who were old enough to die for their country weren't volunteers. Maybe we should just let those who are in the Service drink at 18.

my understanding is that the reasoning most people use all ties into something about how younger people have poorer judgement (i.e., they're more likely to get piss drunk and drive or something). if we think their judgement is good enough for purposes of joining the military, it seems silly to question their judgement when it comes to something so relatively trivial as having a drink.

Well in the Service those young men and women are taught discipline from day one.That's why I said that those in the Service should be allowed to drink at 18. Those who aren't shouldn't be.

 

[Judgement]

Originally posted by: sonyboy851
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I think that the age should be RAISED! and enforced! Its amazing how imature people are when they drink, and to drink under age for that matter. I live in a college dorm, and if people followed the law, my life would be so much nicer. All the drunks yelling, and destroying things piss me off. GET A CLUE!

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Live a little man, college isn't just about school. I can understand how it would be annoying, but if you were having a good time I don't think you would be bothered by any of it.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: cloude27

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
You can be sent to die for your country when you're 18, but you can't have a beer. Amazing logic on that one.

Your logic wouldn't be flawed if those who were old enough to die for their country weren't volunteers. Maybe we should just let those who are in the Service drink at 18.

my understanding is that the reasoning most people use all ties into something about how younger people have poorer judgement (i.e., they're more likely to get piss drunk and drive or something). if we think their judgement is good enough for purposes of joining the military, it seems silly to question their judgement when it comes to something so relatively trivial as having a drink.

Well in the Service those young men and women are taught discipline from day one.That's why I said that those in the Service should be allowed to drink at 18. Those who aren't shouldn't be.

but that's *after* they've already exercised their supposedly inadequate judgement in regards to joining the military. what i'm saying is that if the judgement of 18-20 year olds is so horrible, and that is our rationale behind a drinking age limit, it seems odd that we would deem that very same individual as being capable of making a judgement that is most likely going to have much more and more severe far-reaching affects than a drink ever will.

 

[DaiShan]

Originally posted by: CraigRT
it's fine here in Canada.... 19 in most of Canada and 18 in Quebec

but in Quebec, as long as your head is as high as the bar, you can get a drink... they really don't care.... heh, it's great.

They don't serve midgets in Quebec? Damn frenchies...

 

[Ladies Man]

I'm 20... i drink.... Sure i'd like the age to be lower but it shouldn't be....

With the age at 21 that means college kids and their friend can get 18-20 year olds beer and if you get caught, from my experiences, at most cops will dump it out. I've heard of alcohol citations being given but where I am I have never recieved one.

With the drinking age at 18 that means that high school seniors can go out and buy beer. So now we have 14 and 15 year olds getting drunk with their high school buddies. Doesn't exactly sound like the best of ideas.....

With the drinking age at 21 in my 3ish years of drinking I have never had a problem anywhere getting a drink. Bars are easy enough, walk in blend in, and don't draw attention to yourself, ball games just have a buddy buy it or even just ask a guy if he'll do you a favor, most smile and grab one for ya and say return the favor one day, restaurants can be tough sometimes but I haven't had problems.

 

[gopunk]

restaurants can be tough sometimes but I haven't had problems.

yea probably something about fines and whatnot. what i find stupid is that i was with my dad, he ordered the drink for me, and then i still couldn't drink it. government's trying to raise our children