21, stupid drinking age?

[johnman]

Whenever i cant sleep i lie in bed and think about the first random thing to cross my mind. Last nihgt it was "Why is the Drinking age in America 21?" You can vote, own a gun, you are expected to either be in higher education or be employed and pay taxes, even watch hardcore pornography and play violent games, yet you cant drink.
In the Uk 18 is seen as the age where you become an adult and can therefore capable of handling alcohol. I assume 18 is seen as the age at which you become an adult in america, so why the higher age?

 

[ace_of_something]

The reason that it's above that is because if you allow 18 year olds to buy booze it makes it much easier still for their younger classmates to get it.

Also American mentally doesn't teach moderation in any way shape or form. SO younger people who have yet to learn this have a hard time drinking as a beverage and not as a drug.

 

[MassiveGeek]

I heard that your body is fully grown at age 21. Maby thats why. Consuming alcohol is never safe, but maby its atleast easier to handle if you bodys full grown? I dunno. Even though here in sweden teenagers drink anyway becuse stupid assholes buys it for them.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

Over here the drinking age is 18. However, if your not throwing up in a taxi by the time your 15, your an outcast.

I have trouble believing ANYONE would wait until they were 21.

 

[johnman]

But you could sucessfully argue that other countires have drinking ages even lower than the Uk's. In italy its 14 and france and spain its 16

 

[Jursa]

We have a anything below 5% alcohol is 18 and anything above is 21 and I personally don't mind, tho on reflection it might be because I don't like anything stronger yet...

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

In the UK it's 18 to BUY any alcohol (16 for beer & wine with 18 for spirits in the majority of mainland europe).
The actual age to drink in a restaurant with a meal is 15 / 16 and it's 13 at private parties.

Edit: that last fact is from the nice policeman at new years

I don't know why it's 21 in America tbh. Although I personally say drinking should come a year or so before driving so you don't suddenly get alcohol while you're able to drive. Learn to manage alcohol before driving - much safer.

I just consider myself lucky to be able to pass as 18 and buy myself alcohol.

 

[Skizle]

So you can die for your country, but not consume alcohol? Hrmm, justice indeed.

thats exactly my point

 

[Legion]

The alcohol age should be the same as the one in which you can join the military/ leave home without any permission. Basically when under the law you have the right to independence and are considered an adult.

It is bizarre that in the US you can join the military and - as Optimus Prime rightly pointed out - can die for your country before you can drink alcohol.

In the UK 18 is when you can do anything an adult can. Although we have to wait until 17 to drive where it is 16 I believe in the US?

 

[fix-the-spade]

The reason that it's above that is because if you allow 18 year olds to buy booze it makes it much easier still for their younger classmates to get it.

Because people genuinely believe crap like this.

Underage drinkers will get their booze whatever the age limit is. Saying that putting three years on the drinking age makes it harder for them is plain wrong.

 

[Abedeus]

I heard that your body is fully grown at age 21. Maby thats why. Consuming alcohol is never safe, but maby its atleast easier to handle if you bodys full grown? I dunno. Even though here in sweden teenagers drink anyway becuse stupid assholes buys it for them.

No, body stops growing at age of 25.

In Poland, you must be 18 to drink alcohol. Any kind of it, beer or no beer.

And I think it's a test - if you can't endure (waiting to be able to poison yourself? Jesss...) till you are 21, then you don't deserve to drink.

 

[ace_of_something]

So you can die for your country, but not consume alcohol? Hrmm, justice indeed.

thats exactly my point

http://www.cdc.gov/Alcohol/quickstats/mlda.htm

"More than half of all active duty military personnel report binge drinking in the past month, and young adult service members exposed to combat are at significantly greater risk of binge drinking than older service members."

I would also like to point out that I am 29 years old and have only had two drinks of alcohol my entire life; Once mead at my grandfather's funeral when I was 21. A 2nd time when I was 28 when my grandmother died, same drink. Most of my closest friends also do not drink.

 

[anaphysik]

History lesson!:

The age of majority in most states at the time of Prohibition's repeal was 21 (still is in Mississippi and D.C.), so the drinking age was set to that. Later on, many states reduced the age to around 18 (later reasons included the lowering of the voting age to 18), until the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The act basically forced states to raise the drinking age to 21 (or else states would be denied highway funds, a major source of state income, and IMO a ridiculous violation of the 10th amendment which has only become more common).


(Admittedly, I personally think drinking alcohol is stupid, but the higher drinking age is just foolish policy.)

 

[johnman]

The join the army and die piont is also valid in Britian, but since you shouldnt be deployed till your 18 its not so much of an issue.
If your old enough to go to war you should be able to drink.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

Whenever i cant sleep i lie in bed and think about the first random thing to cross my mind. Last nihgt it was "Why is the Drinking age in America 21?" You can vote, own a gun, you are expected to either be in higher education or be employed and pay taxes, even watch hardcore pornography and play violent games, yet you cant drink.
In the Uk 18 is seen as the age where you become an adult and can therefore capable of handling alcohol. I assume 18 is seen as the age at which you become an adult in america, so why the higher age?

Nobody knows where the foolish law goes.

It's stupid. One of my favorite theorems of psychology is that if suppress a right people will want it even more. This encourages getting smashed on your 21st birthday and if it isnt bad enough when people d that at 18. It just ruins things and a lot more people probably drink underage because of it.

 

[ace_of_something]

Because people genuinely believe crap like this.

Oi! I'm a person. I am not a computer program address me like I can answer you back. Thanks.

 

[Shugaazer]

My way, the legal drinking age is 19, and yet, kids were drinking through high school. Kids aren't stupid, so they'll get booze either way.

Ironically, we can start driving at 16; I'd rather kids drink at 16, and start driving at 19 because by then they'll know how much booze is too much, and there'll be less 'stupid' on the roads.

 

[Sennz0r]

I think it's ridiculous people get to drive a car first and then drink alcohol.
Here we have a 21 year old who has been comfortable with the roads for 5 years, (in theory) never having been intoxicated by alcoholic beverages. He doesn't know what it could do to his driving abilities. He thinks he's a great driver because he's been doing it for 5 years already, surely he can now drink a little and then drive at least as good as he did when he first started driving, right?

Wrong. People like that get overzealous and not only send their own ass into a hospital, but other people who aren't as stupid as this guy too.

I think people should first get a couple of years to realize what alcohol can to do their motor skills before being allowed to drive. It happens in this order where I live and when I got my first driver's lesson I immediately knew why people who are intoxicated should never drive.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

- as Optimus Prime rightly pointed out - can die for your country before you can drink alcohol.

In the UK 18 is when you can do anything an adult can. Although we have to wait until 17 to drive where it is 16 I believe in the US?

16 for a 50cc moped, matey