Where do you stand on lowering the drinking age?

Question

There is an aricle in USA Today that talks about certain legisators trying to lower the legal drinking age to 18 based on the argument that if men and women are old enough to fight for us in Iraq they should be allowed to purchase alcohol. They are trying to pass a bill that makes it legal for 18 year olds to buy alcohol in bars and restuarants but not liquor stores in the state of Minnesota. They plan to use that as a dry run to see how it works.

Answer 1

It should stay where it is.

Answer 2

I think that all the 18 year old's should wait. I am tired of hearing about how "if I'm old enough to sign my life away to the government, i should be old enough to drink." here is your answer: NO. the military is a job. Just like you sign up for college, you sign up for the military. Your signing up for an obligation. Do you realize how immature you are at 18? Why don't you think your insurance is high. I'm only 23. I understand what its like. how about you find some water or kool-aid. Leave drinking to the 18 year old's in canada and mexico and stop complaining. Be happy your in the US. Drink illegally, its more fun.

Answer 3

there shouldn't even be a drinking age.......

people who are 'under aged' drink with friends because friends are able to get the alcohol......and that when you drink the most...since your having so much fun........

but if there wasn't a drinking age.....then a teen who wants to try alcohol can just get some themselves (no sharing because of $).......then drink alone......and when you drink alone....no peer pressure..........then they will learn to moderately drink.....instead of seeing who can take more.....

with the drinking age its become such a big deal to turn 21 or 18.....should put less focus on that period of time.........

Answer 4

I'd vote for a law saying IF you were in the military you could drink at a younger age. But otherwise, as far as I'm concerned, you're still a kid.

Answer 5

No.. this is a faulty argument -there will be 'binge drinking' whatever the age is; if it were lowered to 18, you would have 15-16yr olds who 'look' 18 getting alcohol -no, this will not work!  

Answer 6

We need to lower the drinking age to 16 and set the driving age at 21 or 25. This will drastically reduce the use of oil in the U.S. and also give people a chance to figure out the personal effects of drinking before they learn to drive, rather than having people get so comfortable with driving that they think it is not dangerous to do while drunk.

Answer 7

If anything, it should be raised.  I've met very few people at 18 or 21 who could be responsible about alcohol consumption. I know I wasn't, at either age; and that is speaking as someone who joined the military at 18 and served in Iraq at 21.

Aside from the damage to a developing brain, there are studies out there which show that underage drinkers have a much higher risk of developing an alcohol dependency.  Finally, far more people 18-21 die in alcohol related traffic accidents than in war.  It would be a tragic disservice to young people to pass legislation which would make those numbers even higher.

Answer 8

I think if you're old enough to kill yourself smoking, then you're old enough to kill yourself drinking.

Answer 9

when we turn 18 we are adults. our brains do not fully mature until we are 24 or 25. yes we are old enough to vote, buy ciggarettes, but we are not mature enough to make decisions under the influence. i think the age of 21 should stay. if anything it should be raised to 24. Here is a good argument. When we are 16 we are old enough to drive, why not also be old enough to gamble? I think that they're One argument is not strong enough. It's one little thing that might cause a huge difference in society. I would be fearful of it being legal to 18 year olds. (although most of them do it anyway. and just becase they're "gonna do it anyway" doesn't mean we should OK it. after all 15 year olds are having s*x, they're gonna do it anyway why not make it legal for them?) the 18 year olds i know...i fear for when they get behind the wheel. i fear that if they do follow through with this then younger teens will be encouraged to drink. i don't think that alcohol is more important than our country. what i mean by this is, shouldn't we focus on the war...global warming...the lives of innocent people? instead of getting drunk? yes i realize that when you are over there you might be very stressed and would want to escape. i just don't think that getting our soldiers drunk (so they can be impaired and have bad decicions) is the way to ease their stress.

this is a rediculous argument. i hope that america sees this.

Answer 10

Stupid idea, been there done that and used the same lame argument. Late 60's, vietnam, Nixon. Reduced the drinking age to 18. Carnage was awe inspiring. The rate of deaths in auto accidents of those under 21 skyrocketed, especially during that twilight period after the bars closed in the wee small hours. That is the reason that no states allow drinking at 18 now.  No point in experimenting again, the results are well known.

Answer 11

We have many more important issues that besets the country, and these legislators choose to prioritize 18 yrs' old rights to get drunk?