http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20249460/ Woohoo. Man I wish this would happen. I can't stand how i'm responsible enough to get married, have children, have a full time job, live on my own, serve this country, buy a gun, fly, etc but I can't go buy me a case of f*****g beer? Or I can't order a beer with my meal at a restaurant? I understand why a group such as MADD wanted changes back in the 80s but the problem wasn't 18-20 year olds drinking, it was drinking and driving. Why not make the consequences for getting a DUI a little more harsh? It's not like people don't drink and drive as is. And maybe the number of deaths due to DUIs have gone down because of the drinking age being 21, or maybe people are just more educated now and know not to or let their friends get totally smashed and drive. There are 18-20 year old people out there who go and buy themselves a handgun just to blow someones head off, why isn't the age to buy a gun raised? I understand that DUIs should not be tolerated. But it's DUIs that were the problem, not 18-20 year olds consuming alcohol. Drinking and drinking and driving are two different things. Pretty interesting debate though. I wrote an english paper on this last year and i'd very interesting. I just hope that NYRA and John M. McCardell and people like him can get it changed. I'll be 19 in a couple months so I don't really believe it will be changed in time for me to really affect me but I hope it gets changed in the next 5-10 years. It should.
While the legal drinking age no longer affects me directly, I do think it should be lowered to at least 18.....although, if I made the laws, I'd lower it to 17. I was 18 when the laws first increased from 18 to 21 in some states. My home state, IL, increased to 21 my Sr year of high school and that had a HUGE impact on where I would attend college. I went to South Carolina, one of the top party schools in the country and drank responsibly, just like many other young adults do. One thing that I've noticed is that the increase in the drinking age has truly driven the drinking underground. Every few days I read in the paper or on the internet about a house party full of teens that ended up with the police at the door. When one is allowed to drink legally in public, one learns his/her limits much easier. You get drunk and obnoxious, you normally get cut off, and in some instances, thrown out of the bar. At a house party, there is no one to cut you off so you just keep drinking. Dram shop law enforcement would cut waaayy back on the drinking/driving problem. If they do lower the drinking age, they should also hit bars & restaurants with HUGE fines and temporary license suspension if a patron is allowed to get blitzed and leave the premises. Many bars and nightclubs in Chicago are starting to offer to pay for a cab to keep patrons from leaving and getting into trouble. I think that is a great idea. Others are offering to comp a meal and non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers.....again, I like that idea as well. I'd love to know how some other folks who aren't directly affected by the legal drinking age feel. Michelle
go european stylee and get it down to 16, or 14 - whatever it is i remember buying beer in germany when i was 13 :lol: i think when you're younger you tend to have some pretty bad experiences with alcohol, and you learn what you like and your tolerances which is never a bad thing. i'm going to contradict myself here as im 25 and i still go out and often get way overserved :wink:
My thoughts... just because the government says you're allowed, doesn't mean you're responsible enough. my point exactly Without knowing how booze medically effects teenage development patterns, I don't see an issue lowering the drinking age. If I did know, my answer may be different. I do think the laws need to be a little stricter with the bars, or at least have the bars enforce stricter serving policies. If anyone outside my group is obnoxiously drunk, they should be asked to leave or at least moved to a different section of the bar and should not be served until they stop bothering us.
I am torn on this debate. Yes when you're 18 you are consider an adult. you can die for country pay taxes, but cannot drink. Really doesn't make since. But since the age limit was raised to 21. There has been a considerable less alcohol related deaths every year in the US. Over 40,000 people die every year in car accidents. Do you think lowering the age would increase this rate??? I do. Do you think an 18 year old just out of high school is responsible enough to drink and not drive, or get into fights etc... 21 year olds sometime aren't responsible enough. I read in the spring break forums how people are getting more violent and wanting to start fights. These are 21- 30 year olds. So the younger we let our kids drink, the more violence we see. Our Gov't passes the laws to save lives. Just like wearing seat belts. I think I should decide whether or not I put my seat belt on, but if I don't, I know the chance of me dying in an accident has increased tremendously. so I do. Plus I don't want a ticket. Just my opinion.
Here is someone I have always wondered since they say that your brain isn't developed enough to drink alcohol until you are 21. If my brain isn't developed enough to consume alcohol at 18 then why are my lungs developed enough to smoke?
Btodde, I agree, it's a sticky issue no matter what side of the fence you are on. I really appreciate you posting your opinion as it does make quite a bit of sense. I would like to say that while some younger ones may not be able to handle their alcohol responsibly, there are certainly more DUI convictions and cases against adults who should know better, but never seem to learn their lesson. I don't think the younger adults have a corner on the market for irresponsible drinking at all. I personally think it depends entirely on the individual in question and their level of maturity at the time. Some folks never "grow up" or mature into responsible adults and some mature quite early. Back when the drinking age was 18, I know many folks here in Chicago would get off work and rather than sitting in traffic for a 3 hour ride home, they would hit the nearest bar and drink for 2 and have a 30 minute ride home after the traffic cleared. The bars took total advantage of that and were serving irresponsibly. They would serve 2x1 and compete with every bar in town for who could serve the largest glass of booze. Gargantuan sized glasses started poping up in every bar and they would serve up 2 drinks in glasses that almost rivaled the Bubba Kegs we see now. It got waaaayyyy out of hand. I think there is blame to go all around....not just the drinkers involved, but also the bar staff who are out for that all mighty dollar and turn the other way when a patron is clearly in trouble and not a likely candidate to make it home safely. Then you have the legislature and judges who seem to think a slap on the wrist for 1st time DUI's is quite sufficiant. It's NOT....people sometimes have to learn their lesson the hard way. Tougher laws and tougher enforecement could go A LONG way to curbing booze related incidents. Dunno what the answer is to SOLVE the problem....but there are clearly great arguments on both sides to be had as Btodde points out so well. Michelle
hmm its a tough call, but in my opinion i think 18 is the right age. It seems a bit backwards to call someone an adult at that age but deny them some of the responsibiilites that go with that status until they are 21. You give someone that responsibility and they will probably embrace it - but maybe i have more faith in people than they deserve lol. Like you said earlier, its not just those new to drinking who go out and act irresponsibly, i'll be the 1st to admit that i've been drinking (legally) for 8 years, i know my limits (found that out pretty quick), i still go out drinking quite heavily on the weekend but i'll never drink and drive. Then you see 40-50 yr olds who go down the pub, get hammered and drive home. I dont think its down to age, its down to the attitude of the person. I dont know what its like in the states, but over here we live in a serious binge drinking culture. Some towns now have 24hr pubs to try and curb this but the fact is we drink to get drunk and the vast majority of people leave their cars @ home. From what i see, its the older ones who are more likely to drive back. It doenst help when kids go to places like mexio where there doesnt seem to any drinking age, and they go stupid for a week or so. Then when they get back to the states, find that alcohol isnt available to them and probably drink illegally. Where as i think it would make more sense to legalise sale of alcohol to 18yr olds so it can be controlled. It will also bring the states more in line with european drinking laws. Bottom line is, its all down to education and re-education, an 18yr old who is new to drinking is probably going to act the same as a 21yr old who is new to drinking. I don't really see much difference - its just a case of saying that there are certain effects to alcohol and there are things that you just can't do or you'll get penalised for it. You get done for DUI, you lose your license, simple as that. just thought i'd put in my 2 penneth worth hope it makes sense, its hard to form a decent argument when you're this hungover lol!!
