Lowering The Legal Drinking Age? - Comments

v So is polyester.
Your point?

Alchohol is unnatural!

It's a common misconception that countries with lower drinking ages - 18 or whatever - have lower alcohol-related crimes/incidents/deaths. They're statistically about the same. It doesn't matter when you let people start drinking, they're going to do it anyway.

The problem is this: what do you do about high school seniors? Most high school seniors turn 18 while still in school; how can you control their drinking on school grounds if it's legal for them to drink? If they can legally buy alcohol, what's stopping them from giving it to lower classmen? How can you tell them they can't drink at or around school if it's legal?

Lowering the drinking age causes more problems than it solves.

Actually, my brother's girlfriend said that a cop once told her that if your parents allow it and keep you at your house while you are drinking and are drunk then you can start drinking at age 16. I live in the US too, but that's sort of dumb considering whose parents would let them drink? I don't really think lowering it will help underage drinking, but it should be lowered. The cops have better things to do than chase people that are only two or three years under the drinking age.

I believe it should be 18. You are right, saying no will just cause more rebellion. Like making alcohol in general illegal in 1920.. or was it 1917? either way, a 21 year old is not going to be much, if any, better then an 18 year old.

I think the US drinking age should be lowered. It's absolutely fine in other countries, actually in other countries that allows drinking at 18, there's less violent drunks...

The drinking age here is 18.
I'm okay with that.
I don't think it should be lowered.

I personally, take no interest in drinking. I just don't see why people see it as a big deal.
Sure there's too fit in and to look "cool" ,but people should be able to rise above that.

Just my opinion.

Dude, it's 18/19 in Canada and we're smarter than you academically.

Its actually a topic on an upcoming Dr. Phil show. The audience was like "OMGNOOOOO"

Very nice article, but I disagree with some of your points. Here is a fact I believe would have been useful and I didn't know this until recently myself. When you are in the military in the United States you are allowed to drink on the Army Base.

I don't think the drinking age should be lower to eighteen. Our bodies, including our brains, won't be fully developed until sometime in our twenties. It doesn’t matter how mature you act or how strong-willed (smart ) you are when you’re sober. When you drink it impairs your judgment making you the dumbest smart person then and there. Teen drunks have a higher chance of driving impaired than any other set age group. The same principle applies when someone does drugs.

Also, the younger you start drinking the more likely you will become an alcoholic. So I believe it should stay at twenty one. Besides if you are so desperate to consume it then you should be able to wait.

This is a very well-written article. You argued the question instead of just using one set of facts to support your opinion. Nice job!

I also happen to think the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. It is basic human nature to do things that are forbidden.

I also think that you are never done developing until you stop completelly... that is.... the day you can no longer breathe, you are no longer developing.

I think it would be okay.

I think that if you can live, by yourslef you should be trusted to drink fermented plants.

Maybe they could make it so only people over 21 years could get hard liquirs.


ANd to Squirrely Kassi.

Your brother will not always be 19. He will drink and live and some sad day, die. I know you mean to preotect those you love, but you wonh't always be able to. people have tghe right to make their own judgements, on right and wrong. And they can mess up, and get hurt. But that is the best part because if they couldn't life just would have that apeal anymore.

"It's better to have lived and love, than to have never have loved at all"

It's also better to have lived and seriously screwed up, than to have never screwed up at all, or to have lived, and failed or to have lived and made the wrong choice than to have never at all.

Life is a journey
let us all go with the flow.

( I know you are not trying to control every body, and you mean it from the best. Thanks for your opinion)

I think it should be lowered.

I mean, I hear my friends talking about how drunk they got last weekend all the time, and most of them are only 16-17 yrs old. Things wouldn't really change in my opinion.

in some countries, it's already 18, and 18 is basically when you can do anything that is legal. I don't hink it really stops that many underage people from drinking. although it is a 3 year difference, three years can do a lot of damage

Its 18, here is Australia. But in my opinion it doesn't really stop people drinking. Where I live, its not really big if you drink, but I hear about it all the time everywhere.

Maybe I wrote this from a somewhat jaded point of view...

As I live in the self proclaimed "Live Music Capital of the World" (Austin, TX) and the University of Texas is located blocks from the downtown music and drinking scene it makes sense to me. Around here, many venues allow all ages and I see the 18 year olds sneaking drinks from their 21 year old friends and then walking back to their dorm. Maybe my background of seeing my 18 and 19 year old friends get arrested for underage drinking and fucking up their lives when in all reality they were being really responsible about it made me a bit more biased towards the lowering point of view.

Eh.

Can't change bias.

<3
Kiazi

Ahh! You caught me.
I posted that comment then read others and I was like, "YES!"
It made a lot of sense because lowering the drinking age, is what I'm saying, probably wouldn't even change anything, besides the fact that 18 year olds can buy some beer.
Woo?

"The question is: Should we give a brain damaging drug that kills thousands directly and indirectly every month to a younger group?

Younger group? By that you mean people 3 years younger..."

In this case that 3 years is a big difference,
You can't think of it as [i] oh it's only 3 years [/i]
The person barely graduated highschool and can now do anything
He/she pleases...
Such as bars, probably get drunker than anyone you know, start driving or starting bar fights etc...
IDK... It's my opinion,
Hate it or love it, respect it...

I think that it shouldn't be lowered,
I feel that 18 year olds aren't responsible,
and to be honest they shouldn't be able to vote or join the military...
The only reason they're allowed to join the military is so that we have more people in the forces,
and because they get suckered into it more easilly... (I know many people and loads of family members in the military)

Just because we have friends that drink under the age limit doesn't mean anything,
So they're younger than you, does that mean we should lower the drinking age to 13 because I know TONS of people who drink at that age? No...
I don't think that should matter at all....

I find it funny how onewaytogo is like "I love how people are like NO! We are not fully formed and blah blah blah" then talks about how a 3 years different in reality wouldnt change too much because everyone will still be drinking...
Well hunny as I said up there,
Does that mean we lower it to what people are doing?

I think people who drink,
Are only drinking to be cool.
To fit in, I admit I used to drink, I even did some drugs...
I didn't do it to be cool, or to fit in but to try it.
After I tried it, I hadn't a reason to do it anymore...
That is till everyone else was doing it, and it was a form of social gatherings...
That's why I was adicted...

Some people don't understand the damages that it'll do,
those 20 years and younger people drink because it's taboo,
I understand that... But atleast they get their ass in jail for being caught drinking and driving, even drinking when they're not the age....

That's still someone's kid, at the age of 18.
My brother is 19, I'd be devistated if he could drink legally and go to bars,
That would F his life up, something he's trying really hard to maintain,
since I know that he's immature and would be going to titty bars all the time,
If it's legal...

Everyone has their opinions,
But I hope the gov't does the right thing....

Does it really matter?
I'm confessing, I'm 16, way underage and I drink. So what's the problem? Weither they lower the drinking age to 18, kids under 18 will still DRINK just like kids who are under 18 will smoke and do drugs.