Lowering the drinking age ?

Question

I just heard about this . Lowering the drinking age back down to 18 . Parents what do you think ?

Answer 1

I'm not a parent, and I'm well over 18 years old. I agree with a previous poster, people are going to do what they're going to do, regardless of the legalities. Maybe if drinking wasn't such a 'big deal' people wouldn't do it to excess. Besides, if you're old enough to die for your country, you should be old enough to drink a beer (as a previous poster noted)

Answer 2

I'm not a parent yet, but soon to be one. I'm not even of the legal drinking age yet (I'm 20). I think that it is totally stupid if they lower the drinking age back to 18. Half of those kids are still in high school, they will see a definite increase in underage drinking and distributing to minors. I know that legally when you turn 18 you are an adult, but the majority of kids today are no where near adulthood at 18!! They are way too irresponsible the way it is. Don't let them legally add more fuel to that fire.

Answer 3

If you're old enough to vote, fight for your country, attend college, post naked pictures of yourself on the intarwebz, and smoke, you should be old enough to drink.

End of story.

I don't know why they ever put it up to 21.

It's pretty much the dumbest law ever.

Answer 4

i think that it isnt a bad idea... i think most kids drink younger than that and it just causes more leagal issues (0 tolerance laws) then if it was lower... if you can vote and die for you country why cant you legally drink

Answer 5

if you are old enough to sign a contract to go to the military to fight a war then i think you are old enough to have a beer. plus regardless of their age they will drink and maybe some wont because to some its a thrill to do something they arent allowed to do. so i think they should lower the drinking age

Answer 6

It absolutely should be lowered. The US has the highest drinking age in the developed Western world and also has one of the highest drunk driving rates. No one waits until they're 21 to drink so the age is pointless.

If an 18 year-old can go to war, buy a house, own a car, get married, star in p**n, work as a stripper, buy lottery ticket, have kids, smoke, get plastic surgery, then they should be able to have a beer.

Answer 7

I'm all for NOT lowering it.  The younger people start drinking, the more likely they are to become an alcoholic.

Answer 8

I come from Canada and the legal age, here, is 18. I've always think it was just fine. If you are old enough to go to college, you're probably old enough to have a beer.

ps : for Josephine : I am 25 years old and I'll be 26 in 2 weeks :P

Answer 9

Lol Canada is the best. Pretty much everyone is drinking by age 14 and smoking pot by 14-15.

Like honestly, the government might as well just let 18 year olds buy alcohol. Most people just call up a friend that is 18+ and get them to get them there stuff.

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And parents should explain alcohol and drugs to there kids so they know what to expect.

I drank a 40 of vodka my FIRST time drinking, cause i was like ohh well, this looks like a few beer bottles, maybe like 3. LOL

And it only took like 10mins, i coulda got alcohol poising haha.

Answer 10

It was 19 when my sisters were that age, so they were legally allowed to drink at 19.  Didn't seem much different then 21 does.  After all the only reason the age was upped was because if states didn't raise their drinking ages, they wouldn't get federal funds for new highway systems.  

Answer 11

the drinking age use to be 19 not 18. It changed the year my mother turned 19, she was grandfathered into this law meaning she got to drink at 19. I dont see the harm in lowering it back down kids find ways to drink anyways and at 18 your considered an adult, you can do everything else so why not, and the lady who said she wouldnt let her son drink at 18, her kid is going to have issues, at 18 if its legal or not kids will do what they can to get their hands on alcohol

Answer 12

in UK its 18 but  some times it would be better if older ... but they will do it if they want   so its a pointless exercise

Answer 13

If you are old enough to die in a pointless war then you should be old enough to drink too. Also, in most of europe, they have no drinking age and statistically they have lower alcoholism rates and DUI rates and childhood addictions. This is because children and young teens learn to respect alcohol early and have a healthy relationship with alcohol. I am totally for it and think it would be one of the best things that has happened in a while.

***  Whoever said that military personel can drink is ludicris and out of their mind. There are HUGE consequences for underage drinking in the military and even when they are stationed in other countries that have lower drinking ages they are not allowed to drink without the same consequences.

Answer 14

I dont think the drinking age should be lowered, but I do think most are hypocrites when they dont think someone who is 18 is responsible enough to drink, but are responsible enough to die for their country.

I also feel the same way about charging children as adults for crimes.  If you charge a 13 yr old for murder, why shouldnt a responsible legal 18 yr old have the right to decide for himself if he wants a beer.

Its just a complicated mess.  

Answer 15

I'm from the uk and over here its 18.

i think lowering the drinking age is a baaaadd idea!!

It's not nice,we have 12 year olds rolling around drunk at the weekend, and 15 year olds going in nightclubs.

its so so wrong. In the uk you leave school between the ages of 15-16 depending on when your birthday is.

When i watch american movies every ones treated so Young when over here they would be considered a mature adult, you don't leave school till your like 20 or something,???

I say keep it at 21, keep the young, younger for longer

Answer 16

I am actually watching this on the news as I type.

The main point, from what I am hearing, is that it will stop binge drinking on the college campus. They say that since it will be legal it will stop most of the drinking and kids will be more responsible. I completely disagree with this. I drank before I was 21 and I am sure about 99.9% of the population has too. When I turned 21, it did not stop just because I was legally allowed to do it. All it meant was that I was legally allowed to do it and could do it in the open instead of hiding it. It did not stop my getting drunk and I am sure the same goes for the rest of the people over 21 too.

When you are 18, you are just BARELY an adult and most of the time you are still on your parents insurance with the car that they bought you. You JUST learned to drive 2.5 years ago. You still do not have all the skills needed to be an adult, even though the law says you are one. This is putting a HUGE risk on the parents. Even at 33 years old, if I was on my moms insurance and I did something terrible like get drunk, drive and kill someone... they could go after her for being the policy holder. She could lose everything she has... all because of me. I am not prepared to lose everything I have because they want to lower the drinking age to 18. My daughter is 13 right now so I am pretty safe at the moment.

Answer 17

I really dont think it should be lowered.

I got a dwi when I was 18, and I hate the fact that i was careless enough to drive knowing i was drunk and its illegal.

and if its lowered im sure more people are going to make that same mistake.

Answer 18

College presidents are clearly over 21 so you can't dispute that point of the argument.

Answer 19

I come from Canada and it is 19 and I think that is perfect  

Answer 20

I'm not a parent.  I'm a college student who is 19 years old.

I've tasted beer once thanks to an uncle telling me it was water when I was 6, and I didn't like the taste and I've stayed away from it.

Honestly I don't get why my friends drink it.  To socialize ? for fun ? lame excuse for stupidity.

I say keep it to 21.  I sure as heck don't want to get in a car accident thanks to some drunk 18 year old driver.

BTW in the military those who are 18 years of age CAN buy beer.

Answer 21

Only people under 21 will say its a good idea.

It's NOT!!!

Answer 22

Most kids drink way before they are even 18 and no matter what the legal age is they will always have a way of getting their hands on alcohol. So lowering it will not really be that much more different in my opinion.

Answer 23

18 is good, and I think it would actually stop a lot of binging in college.  

Answer 24

I think its stupid because too many teens are turning into drunks already without the legal age being lowered...just think how chaotic it would be if it was legal??? 21 should be the legal age and stay that for the simple fact that with age hopefully comes a little bit more wisdom and by 21 they should seriously know better than to drink and drive...with being 18 they are into the HUGE partying phase (not all of them but most) and won't think twice about drinking and driving...they have prom,graduation,college,etc...too many reasons for them to legally drink and then drive home and get into a wreck they may not walk out of. 18 is still too young!

Answer 25

Oh goodness no.  That would not be a smart move at all.  I know plenty of 21+ year olds that shouldn't be drinking either.  

Answer 26

Our national experiment of a 21 drinking age has been an abysmal failure.  The primary result has been an overwhelming increase in binge drinking among the 18-21 cohort.  What is worse is that we have known about the failure for more than 20 years and have continued the experiment.

The best solution is to lower the drinking age back to 18 which will allow responsible drinking in controlled settings.  It will put an end to the dangerous practice of finishing the bottle before returning to the college dorm.

Answer 27

Im in Australia and the drinking age here is already 18, it needs to be upped to 21 if you ask me.

too mnay young people being killed on the roads from drink driving and too many drunk kids on the streets now days.

Answer 28

I dont think it should be lowered. I was 18 just a few years ago and most arent responsible enough to start drinking legally then. I think 21 is just fine. I turned 21 back in dec and i think that waiting till then is fine. My son is only 3 weeks old, but theres no way Id let him drink at 18.

Answer 29

I'm 30 yrs old and I think it is a good idea.  The more you try to outlaw something, the more attractive it is to teens.  The issue isn't that it is unsafe for teens to drink at all.  The issue is that it is unsafe for teens, or anyone for that matter, to drink copious amounts of alcohol.  We need to have more laws in this country that teach people to be responsible for themselves.  If you tell a 19 year old that he can't possibly make responsible decisions about alcohol so it is illegal for him, then he will drink anyway and be just as irresponsible as you told him he is.

Answer 30

well i live in canada and here some provinces the age is 18, but others are 19 like where I live. I think it's fine. Kids are going to drink no matter what. There going to get it somehow or another and I don't think that's very many people on here that can say that they actually waited until the legal drinking age to drink and I think by 18 people are adults. There's not much difference in someone who's totally drunk at 18 or 21. If there going to get loaded there going to make fools of themselves no matter what age.

Answer 31

I dont think its right, they say that they need to lower it becuase making kids wait until they are 21 puts pressure on the younger kids like 18 19 and 20 year olds, well if they lower it to 18 think of all the 18 year olds in high school that will get it for their younger friends in school and then get them killed and all kinds of other things i think it should stay the way it is, And im only 20 years old i have 6 more months till ill be 21 iv had to wait this long to be aloud to drink in a bar.