Drinking age

[h0lmes]

If our society were more open like European culture with the consumption of alcohol with the younger generation (instead of demonizing it as we do in the States), we probably wouldn't have as many underage drinking and alcohol related death issues.

Just my $.02

Jon

This is exactly the reason why the drinking age should not be lowered. Not to mention the fact that I have 3 months left until my 21st. Ill be damned if im going to support this when I had to wait 21 years to drink legally.

[DarkWing6]

Keep it at 21, but make it 18 for those that are in the military. A new way to get people to join the military.

[Charlie]

Bring back 3.2 beer and stick that at 18, 21 for everything else.

-Charlie

[CorvallisBMW]

The legal drinking age here in Australia is 18 (i think it might be even lower in some states),
I think by the time you are 18, you should be considered responsible for yourself. After all there are plenty of 18yo responsible for our countries.

On a side note, how do you guys get by from the age 16/17 to 21!?
What an earth do you guys do? I'm 18 myself and i find me and my friends (1st yr university) go out at least twice a week, do you guys have underage clubs? or just go to a shit load of house parties?
Underage clubs here are fucking lame. I imagine its no different in USA
I do miss the days of house parties, As soon as we hit uni, there were all most none, everyone here just goes out on the town to hit the piss.

I think 21 is too long to wait to hit the pubs/clubs. And as for fake id, thats all ok for 16/17yo here, but i imagine there's few that could pull off 21...

I was more concerned about getting my drivers license when i turned 18,
I guess you guys are lucky in that regard...

I agree. I just spent 6 months living in Melbourne and the kids I met started drinking at the same age that they do here in the states...Kids here are bored to shit from 18 to 21, so they binge drink at house parties or frat parties or school or whatever. They are forced to go behind their parents backs in to less than ideal places and stay away from adutls and cops. What happens if something goes wrong? they are less likely to look for help b/c they are worried about getting in trouble. Wouldn't it be better to have kids drinking legally, in the open, rather illegally and 'underground'? I know I felt much safer drinking at Uni in Aus because it was on or near campus, and if something went wrong we had people to turn to and places to stay. Hell, my RA bought the keg and jungle juice for our dorm party and told me he got 'first dibs' on the beer bong I built (Australia, I fucking LOVE you)

This argument 'if you lower the drinking age to 18 then they'll just start drinking 3 years earlier' is totaly BS. If I make the drinking age 10, are 7 year olds going to get pissed? No.

I think the reason kids in America drink so heavily underage is because of the drinking taboo in this culture. It's the forbidden fruit; the more everyone says no, the more you want it. If you can get behind the wheel of a 4000lb, 250hp steel projectile death machine at 16, what the hell makes people think you're not mature enough to drink a beer at 18? (the driving age is a totally different discussion, lets not get in to that).

For all of you naysayers who proclaim that a lower drinking age would be a bad thing and increase underage drinking, just remember: the US has the highest rate of underage drinking in the world, not those other countries with 18 y.o. limits..

[SchnellerVert]

I was grandfathered in when the last few states changed from 18 to 21.

Vermont was one of those great states. Best summer ever.

[FredK]

Bring back 3.2 beer and stick that at 18, 21 for everything else.

This seems the most reasonable to me. There's already a distribution channel for beer and wine in many states, so kids don't have to set foot in a liquor store and somehow get their hands on hard stuff. You can get drunk on 3.2 beer but it'd take a lot to get to blackout stage. I mean, it could be done, it's just can't be that comfortable.

Also, you can smoke cancer sticks at 18 but not drink alcohol?

[Turf1600]

21 for sure. 18 is a terrible idea. Sure you can fight for your country at 18 - but i think a better question is should we raise the age to enter the military?

[mtechnik]

16 yrs in Europe

[CorvallisBMW]

21 for sure. 18 is a terrible idea.

Why do you say that? like ^ pointed out, you can suck on cancer sticks 18 but not buy beer, wtf? I can understand not selling anything over 40 proof to those that are 18-21, but seriously why not a 6-pack of bud or whatever?

[CorvallisBMW]

16 yrs in Europe

Drinking age for beer and wine: 16
Driving age: 18
Hard A: some later time, 19 or 20 maybe?
Brilliant.

Then kids have 2 years to get the alchohol fascination out of their systems before they get behind the wheel of a car. Most Europeans see drinking beer and wine as a social thing to be shared with friends and family, not an opportunity to black out and puke all over your dog....

I personally would rather have 16 y.o. kids drinking beer than wielding a 3 ton SUV. Ask yourself, which one is more dangerous? Which takes more skill, practice and maturity to operate: a beer can or a car?

[DarkWing6]

Why do you say that? like ^ pointed out, you can suck on cancer sticks 18 but not buy beer, wtf? I can understand not selling anything over 40 proof to those that are 18-21, but seriously why not a 6-pack of bud or whatever?

Smoking will kill you (2nd hand smoke hurts others too, I guess), but dinking and driving etc are dangerous to more than just you. I think the idea is that you are more mature at 21 and will hopefully drink responsibly.

[Turf1600]

Why do you say that? like ^ pointed out, you can suck on cancer sticks 18 but not buy beer, wtf? I can understand not selling anything over 40 proof to those that are 18-21, but seriously why not a 6-pack of bud or whatever?

You guys may be talking to the wrong person about this. I think cigarettes should be 100% illegal and the drinking limit should be raised if not left 21. Marajuana should be legal and alcohol laws should be tightened.

[StereoInstaller1]

Hey...how about making drinking AND military service mandatory at 18?

[Jscotty]

I agree that 18 is OK if you are in the military and you are on base. The way I see it is that no matter how drunk you get, your conduct is not going to get but so far out of hand when you have MP's close by and if you are risking being court marshalled in the event that your drinking gets too far out of hand.

But out here in the real world where there is a bit more freedom and annonimity, its easier to engage in misconduct.

[Turf1600]

I agree that 18 is OK if you are in the military and you are on base. The way I see it is that no matter how drunk you get, your conduct is not going to get but so far out of hand when you have MP's close by and if you are risking being court marshalled in the event that your drinking gets too far out of hand.

But out here in the real world where there is a bit more freedom and annonimity, its easier to engage in misconduct.

Yes lets encourage all of our soldiers to begin drinking at their bases. Sounds like a great plan. Join the military - you can drink at 18!