Should the legal drinking age in America be 18?

[PoToGo]

Well, Short term it is a HORRIBLE idea.

But long term, I think it would help things.

Right. Eventually the people who act afool when drunk would either end up in jail or die (or both).

 

[Nostalgia]

My bias is that people drink illegally because they aren't allowed. People want what they can't have. If we got rid of the law[or lowered it], no one would care to drink because it's no longer a rebellious thing.

As many have said and many will say, "Why can I choose to die for my country, yet not be allowed to drink?"

You summed up what I pretty much wanted to say.

 

[Galletea]

The legal age is 18 here, but there have been strict penalties on selling to minors, so it's pretty much impossible to get a drink anywhere without id until you're about 30 or have a really good beard.

 

[DannyDamage]

Seeing as I'm from England, I can see the results of what you're proposing and I'm happy to say: NO.

Granted, I've been to the states like 3 times in my life but the mentality of people out in bars was generally much better than it is over here.

21 is a great idea to me as there was way too many fools around now-a-days that go out drinking for the wrong reasons and end up getting themselves into trouble.

If you wanted a change in the law so it was legal for you to purchase alcohol and drink it in private (your house, friends house etc.) at the age of 18, I could agree with that.

It's the minority that spoil it as usual and there are plenty of 18 year olds over here that drink in public and manage to behave themselves. There are obviously some little bastards that get pissed up at home and then venture onto the streets to start causing trouble but this is something our police should make the effort to sort out.

NOT to lecture me because I'm a smoker and nagging at me, thinking I'm going to throw my tab end on the floor and not put it in a bin. Priorities? Anyone?

Lastly, the amount of whoring advertising that alcohol gets has glamorised it way too much and creates many of these problems. Drinking is a nice way to relax from time to time, NOT something that's mandatory for you to be considered part of an active, fun-loving society. Grow up, preferably to 21.

 

[Lunar Shadow]

So, yeah. The drinking age should be 18. Not because you magically become mature at the age of 18, but because you become an adult at the age of 18, and that means you should have all of the rights granted to adults.

Not true in every state:

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2009/01/13/news/politics/doc496d0b88cf4ca110484289.txt

It's the same in Alabama, what with the age of majority being 19. That ,and for some other reasons, why I hate our fucking state government. If you want to know the other, just look up the Alabama State Constitution,

 

[bjj hero]

18 in Australia cause we rule. Beer makes you fat, Americans are already fat, therefore they can wait for beer.

Give the man a nobel prize, hes a genius.

I'm only talking about traffic deaths, not the risks of substance abuse. I personally think funnels are awesome. The original question was about the U.S. drinking age, however, and that law is mostly about traffic accidents:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.102850.1595328

Its about a culture shift. In the UK drink drivers are seen as scum bags just waiting to mow down someones child. The courts come down hard on drink drivers and take thier licences away. Obviously they are not seen with the same disgust in the US.

For me it comes down to you either consider some one an adult, so you give them the rights of every other adult, or you dont.

For the record Im way past the drinking age in both countries, I was actually in America from 18-20 and still got my drink on. Now I only tend to drink with a curry or a couple on my infrequent nights out. But let the kids play. Theres loads of time to be old and sensible.

 

[Lyiat]

Don't attack me for this, but the last time I checked, two of the large reasons why the drinking age is 21 is because of how your body develops. At eighteen, your brain and liver are still developing to their true ability. If you start drinking before that, it is possible/likely that you can warp that process.

So, essentially, if you drink while your body is still under development, you can muck up your Kool-Aid pretty bad.

 

[Simriel]

Yeah why not? The U.K has a legal drinking age of 18, and it works fine. I mean in the U.S at 18 you can move out, start a family, and basically become an adult, but you are not allowed to consume alcohol? That sounds like a rather strange thing to me

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Couldn't care less myself, I'll be 21 in June, thus this will not be an issue, although I hardly drink now. (I am Canadian by the way, so it is legal here) Now for this driving deal? Why in the hell should we increase the driving age to 21 or higher? I imagine because some fools like to drink and drive? Well you know what, arrest those idiots, take away their license, their car, hell their life (jail time). Why should I be punished for what some drunken mule who could not take a cab home did?

 

[thomasronan]

If I understand correctly in America the following situation can happen and is apparently acceptable:

You join the Army, complete your full tour in country X and then arrive home to all your family. Your dad has missed you so takes you to the local bar but can't even enjoy a beer with his son, who could have killed many people whilst fighting for his country. Somehow, that seems a little backward to me.

Old enough to kill legally = Old enough to drink legally

 

[Hawgh]

The legal drinking age in Denmark is 16, used to be 15. It's always seemed quite reasonable to me, especially seeing as the adulthood rituals of western culture is focused around the 15-18 years of age spectrum.

EDIT: Furthermore, as I've also mentioned in another thread of this nature, I believe it to be a good idea for people to have a chance to get hammered and learn what it does to them a good few times before they're allowed to drive vehicles composed mostly of metal, with a weight measured in kilos and tonnes.

 

[New Troll]

Raise the legal drinking age in my opinion.

 

[MelziGurl]

Legal age to buy alcohol is 18 in Australia. At 18 you're considered independant, so I can't see why you shouldn't be allowed to drink until you're 21. And the argument about age being a major factor in how responsible people are is a load of bull to me. I know plenty of 20 - 30 somethings that act like dickheads when on the piss, it's more a matter of how well you can handle alcohol.

 

[Iskenator67]

I think they should. They could do all there partying sooner and they would mature faster. And why is it I can buy porn, smoke, gamble, vote, hell even take a bullet for my country at 18, but I can't have a beer until I'm 21? What's up with that?

 

[Dramatic Flare]

Your mind isn't ready to drive by 18, lets not go around drinking things we don't understand untill the brain is done setting up shop.

The mind is never ready. They did a study and found that there are literally too many things going on at once, too many things someone has to track, for driving to ever be 100% safe for anyone, regardless of age. Certainly teens are worse than those with experience, but do not delude yourself into thinking that it is simply being a teen that is the issue.
Secondly, drunk driving can still be illegal with teens while allowing those extra three years to drink. Make it into gradual system rather than all at once.

But my opinion is that the true problem is not what age, but that maturity testing went out the window and taboo came in. Instead of saying "you're ready for a drink, have one" mentality that many European nations have, it's become this taboo. "You can't drink, you're under 21!" If America could simply drop the idea of making "bad things" taboo and instead treat them as the bad parts of everyday life, some of our consistent societal plagues would disappear. If people stopped worrying about the drinking AGE and started worrying about the drinking MATURITY, as in when a person is actually responsible enough and reliable enough for the drinking to happen, not just an arbitrary time, then this whole debate will no longer be a factor.

Sure, I'm only 19 and I drink occasionally, and party when I can, but I'm responsible about it. I don't do it often, I request the right days off, and I don't get that ridiculously drunk. Then I either find a DD or simply sleep the night over.
Works out wonderfully.

 

[Peach_hat]

America is the only western country in the world that I am ok with the drinking age being 21.

 

[Danzaivar]

It's 18 in the UK and we have a horrific binge drinking culture. It's 16 in Germany/France and they're perfectly fine. It's all about how mature and responsible your youth is raised to be.

Considering your idea over there of sex education is 'Tell them to abstain until marriage and the rest will work out', I doubt young adults have a big enough sense of responsibility to do it right. Sorry guys. =/

 

[Booze Zombie]

Make the drinking age 16 and educate people about alcohol, I guarantee that crime will go down.

 

[OMGFridge]

Probably. Even in Australia its 18. I'm not huge on drinking (I'm 18) but I'm sure if America is anything like Australia then you drink way before anyway lol.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

It is in Canada, we don't have a big problem with it... actually... wait a minute...

(reads articles on Binge Drinking and Bar Fights)

Maybe it is a problem...