21, stupid drinking age?

[Thirsk]

Here in Denmark, drinking alcohol is legal to anyone, but it's only legal to buy it from the age of 16, though most "cool" kids start several years before that. I have heard that (some) people from other countries find this insane, and that the Danish supposedly drink like bastards.

I find it perfectly reasonable, though - I am fifteen years of age and drink regularly, even though it's very rare that I drink so much that I loose control with myself. Same goes for most of my friends, and none of us have ever had significant problems with alcohol.

Of course, there's always stupid teenagers who can't drink responsibly, but the vast majority get through it unscarred. In general, I don't feel that there's any significant amount of drinking problems, least of all among the youth. Also I've heard that the Danish are among, if not the, happiest people on earth, so apparently our drinking rules doesn't hurt (even though I have a hard time believing those statistics)

It's legal to drive from the age of 18, by the way.

 

[mattttherman3]

In my opinion alchohol should be banned everywhere because it is basicly a drug, people die of alcohol related deaths every day, the same with drugs, now on the flip side, 21 is stupid, you have to be 18 to enlist in the army, so IMO if your old enough to die for your country, your old enough to drink.

 

[Teachingaddict]

I have to disagree that age limit is a bad thing. In some ways, I feel the UK needs to increase itsage limit, as it has done with cigarettes and fireworks. I teach people of 16, and half of them don't have a clue about maturity and behaving responsibly. The binge drinking culture has sky rocketed over here, and I personally can't understand the point in getting absolutely blasted, spending a fortune, and a)not remembering or b)being that drunk if the offer of going home with someone came up, it would be pointless.

Kids these days have no idea how to behave correctly, and even at 18, most show signs of not being mature enough to handle responsilibity.

Yet, most of you want to hand alcohol, in any quantity, to these people. To hell with it, this may be me being self righteous, but personally, until a person is 'mature' enough to understand how to behave like a responsible adult,they should not be allowed to partake in adult activities.

I do appreciate many people on this forum, are probably more likely to be found on a computer, or at a friends house, rather than on a street corner with a bunch of similar looking 'hoodies' with a can of special brew, or (this will take some of you back) a bottle of 20/20 . However, when contemplating age restrictions you need to take a look at the country as a whole, and I for one believe this country (UK) would be worse with lower age restrictions.

 

[GRoXERs]

In my opinion alchohol should be banned everywhere because it is basicly a drug, people die of alcohol related deaths every day, the same with drugs, now on the flip side, 21 is stupid, you have to be 18 to enlist in the army, so IMO if your old enough to die for your country, your old enough to drink.

People die of a lot of things every day, especially junk food and car accidents, but that's no reason to ban them. This is frankly the wrong approach to the problem - people WILL drink whether it's legal or not, just like in the 1920's with Prohibition.

 

[johnman]

I have to disagree that age limit is a bad thing. In some ways, I feel the UK needs to increase itsage limit, as it has done with cigarettes and fireworks. I teach people of 16, and half of them don't have a clue about maturity and behaving responsibly. The binge drinking culture has sky rocketed over here, and I personally can't understand the point in getting absolutely blasted, spending a fortune, and a)not remembering or b)being that drunk if the offer of going home with someone came up, it would be pointless.

Kids these days have no idea how to behave correctly, and even at 18, most show signs of not being mature enough to handle responsilibity.

Yet, most of you want to hand alcohol, in any quantity, to these people. To hell with it, this may be me being self righteous, but personally, until a person is 'mature' enough to understand how to behave like a responsible adult,they should not be allowed to partake in adult activities.

I do appreciate many people on this forum, are probably more likely to be found on a computer, or at a friends house, rather than on a street corner with a bunch of similar looking 'hoodies' with a can of special brew, or (this will take some of you back) a bottle of 20/20 . However, when contemplating age restrictions you need to take a look at the country as a whole, and I for one believe this country (UK) would be worse with lower age restrictions.

You do have a good piont, but i am starting to see the Uk as a lost cause, no mattter what age we have over here, idiot parents will buy their kids booze who will go act like dicks thinking that they are being "cool"

 

[Zykon TheLich]

on a street corner with a bunch of similar looking 'hoodies' with a can of special brew, or (this will take some of you back) a bottle of 20/20 .

AWWWW YEAH! 20/20 you vomitous strawberry sick, how great you were...
"ooh you taste like strawberries!"
"yeah babe, 20/20, fuck that rank lager shit!"

 

[Hawgh]

You do have a good piont, but i am starting to see the Uk as a lost cause, no mattter what age we have over here, idiot parents will buy their kids booze who will go act like dicks thinking that they are being "cool"

Doesn't that completely negate any age requirements to purchase alcohol anyway?

 

[Vivvav]

Yeah, it's stupid. I can drive but can't drink? I'll be able to buy crap from spy shops before being allowed to drink? I can enlist in the army and risk my life for this good-for-nothing country, killing other human beings, but I still won't be able to drink?
No. That's bullshit.

 

[naftali1]

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?

If you look at the history of the drinking age, you'll see that it was a genius scheme by a lot of the big breweries (like Anheuser-Busch) to get more money. It sounds ridiculous, but they knew that the appeal of making it illegal for those under 21 would draw in more people because of the allure of illegal activity. As a result they funneled money into the legislation that raised the drinking age.

Sad thing is it worked and now America is screwed in a sense because nobody in the government wants to lower the age because of the current drinking culture (aka outrageous parties and heavy drinking) that was created by a higher drinking age.

 

[Whiskyjakk]

I have to disagree that age limit is a bad thing. In some ways, I feel the UK needs to increase itsage limit, as it has done with cigarettes and fireworks. I teach people of 16, and half of them don't have a clue about maturity and behaving responsibly. The binge drinking culture has sky rocketed over here, and I personally can't understand the point in getting absolutely blasted, spending a fortune, and a)not remembering or b)being that drunk if the offer of going home with someone came up, it would be pointless.

Kids these days have no idea how to behave correctly, and even at 18, most show signs of not being mature enough to handle responsilibity.

Yet, most of you want to hand alcohol, in any quantity, to these people. To hell with it, this may be me being self righteous, but personally, until a person is 'mature' enough to understand how to behave like a responsible adult,they should not be allowed to partake in adult activities.

I do appreciate many people on this forum, are probably more likely to be found on a computer, or at a friends house, rather than on a street corner with a bunch of similar looking 'hoodies' with a can of special brew, or (this will take some of you back) a bottle of 20/20 . However, when contemplating age restrictions you need to take a look at the country as a whole, and I for one believe this country (UK) would be worse with lower age restrictions.

Yep, because obviously age automatically correlates with responsibility. On that argument maybe we should raise the voting age to 21 as well so that only the 'mature' can make political decisions. Personally I'd want to see some more proof of the underlying assumptions first.

 

[forever saturday]

wanna watch an R rated movie? 17. M rated video game? 17. buy a gun? 18. be tried as an adult? 16. buy a drink? 21.

wait, what!?

can anyone explain how this makes any sense?.

i think in america its actually the highest in the world here. what makes them think "oh they can shoot bloodthirsty terrorists just fine but they arent responsible enough to make sure they stop drinking before they drown themselves"? you know what i think that if a kid has the right to get amputations and shell shock then he can put a little alcohol in his system. he probably needs it (american forces in iraq and all that arent allowed any alcohol, while brits get i think two drinks a day, but thats beside the point).

so why cant our boys overseas drink? i think its because there are a lot of moral guardians in america, more so then pretty much anywhere else. they want to see upstanding young patriots shooting those bloodthirsty terrorists. if they lower the drinking age then people would suddenly start massive protests. and by protests i mean riots. this is why we still fight the war on drugs even though 74% of people think it isnt working. its because they want to make voters happy.

another thing is that they think that american kids are going to drink. a lot. this is because, i admit it, we arent as cultured as most countries. here in america nobody really respects alcohol, we dont see its importance or have any respect for it, thinking of it mostly as a way to get drunk.

now i have been to italy a few times, mostly to see relatives, but heres the thing: the drinking age is something like 14 or 16 over there. that means im old enough to drink. i had maybe one glass of wine. i tell you though, nobody there is familiar with the problems of fratboys and stuff. and you know why? because they moderate themselves. they dont just go out and get hammered. they do drink, but they also talk, and laugh, and all that. getting drunk is not the point. the point is enjoying yourself.

let me just reiterate that: im sixteen now. people who are younger than me are going out and drinking, but they arent crashing their cars and drowning in their own vomit like their american counterparts. this is because they believe in moderation. you know, not drinking too much?

ah, the land of the free, home of the brave, house of the teetotalers. i remember in every health class that i have ever been in that they teach us that drinking is bad, on the same level as smoking. i cant remember a single time when they said "okay you can have one beer or two but dont overdo it". they only taught us about cirrhosis and drunk driving and alcoholism and all that. why cant they teach us the stuff my distant italian relatives learned? because they think that americans are too thick to understand this.

heres another thought: you know about prohibition? you know, when the drinking age was, oh i dont know, infinity? back then in chicago al capone was running over ten thousand speakeasies. i dont know what it is today, but i bet its a lot less than that. and drinking actually increased then. i shit you not. people like doing what they arent allowed to do, and if we arent allowed to have it then we get it from someone else. seriously, most people i know who understand metric are weedheads. that should tell you something.

people get a thrill out of doing things they arent allowed to do. when you were under 17, i bet you wanted to play a lot of M rated games. you got them anyway i bet. now, i bet you would be perfectly happy with a similar quality T or E game. back then, you would do anything for Halo or whatever.

lowering the drinking age wouldnt make it easier at all to get beer. its not hard at all right now, what with older brothers, parent who agree with this argument, and even stupid convenience store clerks who dont care. even before that, im about ten feet from a fridge full of beer right now, and i bet i can take one without my dad knowing. he probably wouldnt even care.

so ask me again, what good does it do to make beer have higher age to buy? i guess you win, ill just go shoot someone with this shotgun i can legally have even though i cant get some beer.

 

[Danzaivar]

When the smoking age was 16 I saw 11 year olds smoking. Now that it's 18 (in the UK) I see 11 year olds smoking.

Leave it to the parents discretion I say.

[edit: I started drinking (House parties) at 14, started drinking (On the town) at 18, i'm 21 and a half now, and i've got the 'drink til your stupid' out of my system, if I drink it's just a pint or two. The later you leave someone to do something the worse they'll be at it, moderation is no different (IMO)]

 

[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.

Yeah, that's what I've been told as well. Here in good old Blighty, I've been drinking alcohol since I was about 13/14 (I actually have a funny story about my brother drinking if anyone's interested...), although a few of my friends are teetotal (and they, like me, are 18 or over). America seems to be quite tolerant in most respects in terms of ages (I mean, you guys drive at 16, right? 17 over here.). However, most Americans I've seen and spoken to
haven't waited until 21 to drink, so why have such a high limit...?

I'd say it's better to find your limits early on and know how you act when drunk. I know I become very friendly when drunk and occasionally expose myself (nothing sexual, I just find it funny) whereas some friends of mine becomerather aggressive. Once you know that you can make decisions on drinking later on.

 

[insanelich]

Drinking age? What?

I started at 13. I had my fill of beer at 15, until I in my adulthood found hard liquor.

 

[MelziGurl]

Drinking age is 18 in Australia. But I was drinking at 14...my parents still don't know that 21 is a bit stupid though.

EDIT: Ultimately though, it's up to parents and other role models to teach teenagers different values. Most don't know any better because they aren't properly informed.

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

Dude, everyone drinks once they pass the age of 17, it may not be legal, but it is expected.

 

[hopeneverdies]

Here in America you graduate high school at 18 and go to college till you're about 21-22. It could be a test to see if you can resist your feelings of freedom. Personally the higher the age, the less people will have it, if you get it at like 15 just think how many people will have had it by 16. Do you really want to get addicted before you're even legally an adult or drive?

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

Drinking: Dumb activity?

 

[Skizle]

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.

Woah, I envy you. You lost the last of your grandparents at age of 28? I lost my grandmothers at ages 5 and 8, never got to meet my grandfathers.

But the sad truth is - if your 18 friend drinks and forces you to drink too (which is pretty plausible) and you are under 18, you are breaking the law.

21 is a good age.

ok if you dont drink thats fine, but the point is is that if your government can use you as a pawn the least they could do is give you more leagal rights

EDIT:

yes America does not teach moderation when it comes to drinking, however every country has some kind of moderation problem. such as China and World of Warcraft