Drinking Age


xxdabombxx's avatar
Should it be lowered to 18 becasue that's when people are legally adults
Or kept at 21?? (why is that anyways)

I say 18 because 21 makes no sense.
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rustyironmonger's avatar
In Utah, the drinking age was 25 at one point IIRC. That is even more fucked up than mandating that alcohol be restricted to 21 and over. There should be no drinking age, no one should be branded criminal for putting something into their own body. No smoking age and no drug laws either.
LexisSketches's avatar
It's that age probably to try to prevent young drunk drivers.

Whether it has been effective or not, I'm not sure. If it hasn't been effective, I say lower it to 18. I think people are more attracted to things if they're not allowed to have it, at least in some situations I've observed.
CA-WOLF's avatar
Well this is the same problem as for guncontroll; taking it away will make more people use it. I say that you should be able to drink at age 10. That way less people will get hurt! Logic!


Btw: Sweden says hi with a drinking age of 18....
zodiacgal's avatar
To quote a friend of mine, "The drinking age should be lowered to 18 and the driving age should be raised to 21."

I sort of agree with that theory. A lot of teens get into car accidents, and drink alcohol. It's nearly impossible to keep alcohol completely away from teens. But if a teen drives without a license, they can get caught and get fined. The stakes are a bit higher in that way. :shrug: Just an idea.
Bobbelebien's avatar
18 doesn't sound like a bad age to be allowed to drink
But then again, 16 is the legal age to start drinking here
I say prohibition part II.
bohobella's avatar
Twenty-one is fucking bullshit. I can't believe you live in a country that lets you buy guns, join the army, go to college, get married, move out, all that jazz -- but won't let you drink oh lawdy no until you're 21. I live in a province where the drinking age is 18. It just makes sense. Not to mention, by the time people turn 21 here I find the novelty of drinking can wear off considerably whereas it's just beginning for American young adults (not to suggest ya'll don't drink before you turn 21, that would be incredibly naive).

Here, there is a 0% alcohol tolerance for young drivers I believe. That makes sense.
DaintyDinah's avatar
Its 18 in the UK (but you can drink wine in a restaurant with parents at any age)
Detective-Inspector's avatar
All your secrets wouldn't be secret for very long at the bar. Especially with your parents. XD
Princess-Amy's avatar
Drinking age is 18 over heere in europe sweetie ! so there is no need to lower it.
JackMolotov3's avatar
it should be at 18. along with all other "adult only" activities.

we need to set standards of what constitutes adult and child. Not 16 for responsibilities(being tried under the law), and 21 for rights and privledges(like buy a handgun, or booze).
JessicaBlood's avatar
ruamsa144's avatar
I think the age was raised to decrease drunk driving. Yes there are underage drinkers, but their many more law abiding citizens.
qwertywithak's avatar
By the way, the government shouldn't have to protect people from themselves. They should protect people from others trying to hurt them IMO.
Rhichter's avatar
The government definitely has to protect people from themselves in a many number of ways. People are retarded ...

If no one had to wear a seatbelt, then the people most likely to take stupid risks, namely the types of people who won't wear a seatbelt when one is available, will most likely get into crashes and are then most likely to die.

So, paternal law is important.
qwertywithak's avatar
I think people being retarded has more to do with education than law.
qwertywithak's avatar
Well the drinking age is 21 because the brain doesn't stop developing fully until you reach your mid-twenties. It's put in place that way to protect people from themselves.
SpaniardWithKnives's avatar
I agree lowering the age when people learns to drink. I do not know what the hell happens in the US concerning alcohol, I think is a cultural thing. Our drinking age in Spain was 16 until recently. Now its is 18, the same to vote or smoke (I think it got raised too).

We grow up in Spain with the wine going around the table. As little kids, it is common to get drunk eventually, because you ended up taking sips from our parents wine (specially if they were not looking). Nobody called the cops, nobody got their children custody taken away from them. We learned since childhood how to handle the wine. We have alcoholics, of course, but we know how to drink

If somebody wants to get wasted, get wasted in a friend's house or your own house. I can not understand those fucks who drink and drive. I drink like a fish sometimes, and then, I do not even take the car
moofactory's avatar
I think it should conform to what ever the legal age for adult entertainment is.
If your allowed into a strip club at 18 then it should be the same for alcohol.

As for us in Australia.
Its 18 for alchol, 14-9 months to start work, 16 for sex, 16 for driving and 18 for basically anything else considered adult such as strip clubs and gambling/ smoking.

There is some debate about it being raised to 21 which I dont think is a bad idea.
18's year olds are considered legally an adult here.

But I dont think most 18 year olds could be considered an adult regarding their maturity.
CrookiNari's avatar
As an extra note, alcohol is bad when you're kids, but when you turn 21 it becomes very, very good! So don't be making yourself stupid on the dumb juice!
CrookiNari's avatar
It's 18 here already, so ha.
evb16's avatar
I didn't see this so I will say this: The reason that the drinking age is 21 is because post-prohibition age the government withheld money as a bribe to raise the drinking age to 21.
macker33's avatar
In ireland you can drink at 15, just not in public and you cant buy it until you are 18.
15yos used to be able to buy it in supermarkets but i think the pc crowd had the law changed.
Crotale's avatar
Actually, the age is set by each state. However, back in the 1980s, the USG passed law that prohibits certain highway funding to states who allow person younger than 21 to legally obtain and consume alcoholic beverages. In other words, each state has to decide if allowing persons under 21 to drink is more or less important than general highway safety.