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Well if I had to wait until I was 21 I think every other brat should have to as well. I mean there is a reason for everything, if the drinking age is lowered it would hinder kids' development.
As far as physical development, at 18 "kids" are basically done growing.
The main reason I can think to lower the drinking age is collages. Many universities are actually trying to get the drinking age lowered because the current law creates problems. Universities are forced to either a) ignore students breaking the law or b) invade their students privacy in order to arrest them for constantly breaking the law. This is a very unfair situation to put the Universities in.
In addition, 18 is the age to become a full adult citizen of the U.S. In nearly every other country on earth, that means you're treated as an adult, and given the right to drink. Here, you can buy tobacco, vote, and even serve and die for your country! But not drink. When you treat people like children, they act like children, and this leads to bad choices when it comes to alcohol. If you ever go to Europe, you will see a completely different, and more healthy attitude towards alcohol, that leads to less dangerous binge drinking (the main problem we have in the U.S.).
Therefore, let's treat adults like adults. I personally am in favor of putting the drinking age at 19, therefore most collage students could legally drink, and alcohol would be kept out of the hands of high schoolers.
I think it's a great idea to treat adults like adults. However, just because an 18 year old is physically "all grown up", it doesn't mean he is mentally the same. The government doesn't ban certain substances because they feel like it. They make things illegal because they are harmful to the citizens of the country. When it comes to illegal drugs, I believe this is obvious, as long as you took a D.A.R.E. course or a health course. When it comes to alcohol, I think we all know the effects of long-term excessive drinking. However, I don't think many people understand that alcohol can seriously affect a minor. Excessive drinking before the age of 21 depletes the myelin layers and Schwann cells in the nervous system. In simpler terms, drinking basically harms the nervous system of young adults. In girls, even, the nerve cells aren't fully matured until 23!
Now, I'm 17 right now. I'll be turning 18 in June. Believe me. If drinking had no negative effects on me right now, I would beg for the age to be lowered so that I could go to a bar on my birthday and get hammered. However, I know the negative effects of drinking before 21. The government doesn't create these laws to suppress the rights of young adults; it creates these laws to protect the health of said young adults.
Don't pity the universities of America for the trouble caused by student drinkers. Underage drinkers should not be ignored. I don't believe students should have too much privacy. Secrecy leads to illegal possessions. If a student had a right to privacy no matter what, he could easily bring illegal substances into his dorm. However, if this student didn't have so much privacy, like if the college had the right to check his room, then he would most likely not bring illegal substances to his room.
And as for Americans versus the rest of the world, we are a supersized nation. Look at us. Our portion sizes are so much bigger than those around the world. This includes alcohol. Yes, people around the world are taught from an early age to respect alcohol and to imbibe these beverages responsibly. In America, students are taught about alcohol in school, but when they finally get their hands on it, they overindulge. We, as a nation, do not measure our food and drinks the same way Europeans do. We continue to eat or drink until we feel an effect. This leads to excessive drunkenness. Perhaps, if the parents of this nation would teach their children about the responsibility involved in drinking, then we could lower the drinking age. But first, we need to get the parents to learn this responsibility as well.
Although I respect your opinion, I must disagree on a number of points.
You are thinking on the assumption that making something illegal stops people from doing it. Clearly, if we look at marijuana, alcohol prohibition, and even the number of current high schoolers that currently drink, we can see that this is not the case. In fact in each of these instances, the laws have had the exact opposite consequences as have been intended.
Let me give you an example of how the current law hurts people. In order for a high school teenager to drink, he has to sneak around to get alcohol. This means not getting caught by both his parents and the police. This means, when he does start drinking, you can bet no parents are going to be around to make sure he's doing it safely (moderate amounts, and no drunk driving). Instead he ends up drinking himself sick, or driving while drunk. Had a parent been present to take the keys of all the guests who were drinking (I have been to parties like this) or if the teenager felt comfortable calling his parents for a ride, then the major negatives of drinking could be avoided.
As far as colleges, you say there shouldn't be drinking in the dorms... but you must know that college students are going to drink. If not in the dorms then where? Out somewhere? Where they have to drive back? Where they might get into a car crash? Clearly the dorms are the safest place.
I also disagree with your conclusion about American consumerism being the main cause of our substance abuse. Maybe that has a small role, but the fact that kids are being told "don't drink" instead of "if you do drink, be smart about it" has a major role. In Europe, drinking is not made such a big deal, and therefore you don't have the "forbidden fruit" idea that causes so many people to drink in the first place: "if it's illegal it must be awesome!"
The only way we can have parents to teach their children to be responsible about drinking, is to allow people to drink at an age where their parents still are a significant part of their lives. By college it's too late.
Laws don't stop people from using illegal substances. However, they do deter people from using said substances. There will always be minors who drink alcohol illegally. But if the law is lowered to 18, there will be many more people drinking alcohol than there are now. Hell, if the age was lowered to 17 right now, I'd go out to a bar in a heartbeat. For minors like myself, the law basically scares us into following it. But in no way does a law STOP the act from happening. The same goes for drugs, alcohol, theft, etc.
As for the American teenager, I believe parents should educate their children about responsible drinking. For the teen who sneaks around his parents and the police in order to get drunk, this shows signs that the teen has issues. People drink many times to alleviate the pain in their lives. Thus, a teen who sneaks has problems in his life that he doesn't know how to handle. Perhaps, parents and guidance counselors should be more vigilant in seeking signs or depression and stress in teens.
And no, college students shouldn't be drinking in dorms. Just because a student goes off to college, this doesn't mean he has to drink. Many young adults and teens give in to peer pressure way too easily. If each of these students were educated in how to deal with peer pressure and drinking problems, perhaps they would not feel the need to head toward alcohol. It is a drug, technically, and drinking can become an addiction.
Education is key. The thought of "if it's illegal it must be awesome!" would not exist is children were educated about substance abuse. Drug addicts would not have begun taking drugs if they had known the negative effects. If a person knew what cocaine did to the body, they would not begin snorting. He would begin either through peer pressure or because he wants the pain to go away. The same goes for excessive alcohol consumption. The age should stay the same so as to give American citizens more time to analyze the effects of alcohol and to understand how to drink it in the future, if they choose to.
"Drug addicts would not have begun taking drugs if they had known the negative effects"
Find me a single person who thinks cigarettes are not bad for you. Now think about the fact that cigarettes kill half a million people a year. Clearly people doing heroin and cocaine know that it's not healthy, yet they do it anyway. In fact, sometimes anti-drug campaigns have the opposite effect. In fact the meth ads shown in some areas of the U.S. have the exact opposite effect. Clearly scare tactics are not the answer, but instead open discussions about how drugs are bad. As I said earlier, drinking is bad because 1) people drink and drive, and 2) because they drink too much. Both of these can be avoided if kids learn to drink in a safe environment. This way when they do go to collage and drink on their own (and please, don't be naive, kids in college will drink) they won't go batshit insane (if you'll excuse my language), but will instead make good choices.
Now you are talking as if every kid who drinks underage is some depressed suicidal kid with serious issues. I'm not sure where you live, but in almost every other high school in America, underage drinking is extremely common. And most of this drinking occurs socially. Does this mean that it's all healthy? No. Is it a good thing? No. Why? Because they're 16-18 year olds drinking at a house party, with no one to ensure people aren't over consuming, and not driving.
I think that what you don't see is that the U.S. is one of the only nations in the world where the drinking age is 21. And guess where the biggest problem is. The U.S!!! It doesn't take a genius to see that there is some type of correlation.
Finally, you say prohibition laws prevent people from using substances. I have already given my examples of how this is false. In fact in the Netherlands, where marijuana is legal, marijuana smoking rates are less than in the U.S..
Now, you may notice I gave examples to prove my points here, as I have in my previous arguments. I hope that you can substantiate some of your claims, otherwise we'll just be talking in circles.
Well spoken! Everything else I've said is pure opinion. But my main qualm is the negative effects drinking has on the nervous system.
Obviously, these other countries are doing something right since their citizens are not overindulging to the same extent as Americans do. If our government could do something to deter minors from excessive alcohol consumption, then maybe we could lower the drinking age. But with a lot of teens I know, their parents give them an inch and they take a mile.
In my opinion, most of legal standard, such as drinking age were being fully recognized for suitable in this society. Lowering the legal drinking age would stimulate side effects; limitation of younger's physical development and unpredictable social problems. Preservation the legal drinking age is more persuasive that other.
You take a look at the number of drunk driving deaths and accidents in the standard year and it will not amaze you that those numbers are sky high. The legal drinking age 21, is already a problem for "mature" adults, who think that they can take the alcohol and it will have no effect on them. If you lower the drinking the age you are opening up an opportunity for uneducated, small attention span kids who think they are on top of the world and barely have the attention to balance the basic school day with outside life, let alone the thought it takes to drive and pay attention to your surroundings. Lowering the age will just result in more driving accidents and more stress and heartache. I bet that over 80% of the people who are saying that it should be lowered are yet to reach 21 and would just be looking forward to drinking without persecution.
I personally believe that we should get rid of the at period or raise it to like thirty or something. That probably because I'm a goody-two shoes or something likewise. You guys will probably hate what I have to say and I understand and agree with you. The only reason I'm saying that is because there are so many drunk drivers that have killed someone, imagine having that on your consceince for the rest of your life. But if there was no drunk drivers or men or women getting drunk to beat their spouse or children, then hell lower it to sixteen but until then........................................
To lower it now is to give way to a slippery slope--soon we'll be legalizing marijuana, and soon enough, we may be lowering the alcohol age again. Keep it the way it is. Why change a working system?
It needs to stay the same and more strictly enforced because the death rate from drinking in teens is way too high. It could be lowered if teens knew that if they drank they would get caught to bad this is highly unlikely to change but it would be nice if it did.
Also teens are still trying to grow brain cells and obtain more knowledge so drinking younger would probably not help to better the worlds next leaders :p
I’m not saying that if you drink at younger ages your stupid I’m just saying its not the best idea and they already know that so don’t yell at me for stating the obvious.
okay the last time they lowered it, crashes beause of drunk driving blew therw the roof, and i am 16 yes i want to drink, but i think if i did my ability to learn would be hindered, it is better to wait
I think 21is just right legal age for them to enjoy the bilge drinking session with their buddies. Lowering it could be prone to more incidents because they may not be mature enough to handle the situation carefully.
I'm 17. I can't WAIT to drink... legally. However, the law should stand. Yes, many teens break the law by drinking underage. If the age lowers, the rate of drinking teens will skyrocket. This will lead to more alcohol poisonings and drunk driver related deaths and accidents. Don't deny this.
Even if none of that happened, it is proven that drinking alcohol before 21 (23 in some girls) depletes the myelin sheaths in the neurons http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec07/ch108/ch108b.html which can seriously harm the nerve cells in youths. This is the main reason why the drinking age is where it is.
What about the majority of the other countries on this PLANET? It is 18 years old in most places and it is nonexistant in others so are those other countries being ignorant to their citizens?
Way to shoot down valid information with that cliche "Everybody else is doing it..." Just because other nations have the drinking age at 18, doesn't mean our nation should do that. If you are so obsessed with drinking your face off at 18, then move to one of nations. Americans are different when it comes to drinking. In Italy, for example, people may be allowed to drink at an earlier age, but they don't use this right to drink insane amounts of alcohol to get drunk. They drink one glass of wine with dinner. Americans use this same right to go to bars and drink obscene amounts of alcohol.
(Obviously, not all people act this way. I'm just saying this way of acting is more common in America.)
"In Italy, for example, people may be allowed to drink at an earlier age, but they don't use this right to drink insane amounts of alcohol to get drunk. They drink one glass of wine with dinner. Americans use this same right to go to bars and drink obscene amounts of alcohol."
Then this points to a cultural issue that won't be resolved whilst alcohol remains a taboo before the appropriate age. You've hit the nail on the head and haven't even realised you've done it. The problem lies in the fact that you have to wait until a certain age for proper access to alcohol, and thus a taboo surrounds it. In certain European countries people treat alcohol with respect because they are allowed access to it from a young age and are taught that alcohol is a drink to be appreciated and enjoyed, not just thrown down your neck as quickly as you can.
The problem with alcohol in both the UK and US won't be fixed by simply stopping people from drinking it. Infact that is totally the wrong way to deal with it, as demonstrated by some of these European cultures. Take away the taboo and educate correctly. That's all that is required.
But how would lowering the limit do any good right now. It would cause a huge frenzy in young adults to buy liquor right away. Sure, maybe if you give it a generation, but you can't simply lower the drinking age and expect no consequences.
THe legal drinking age is set to high. I think it should be 18 maybe. Having the drinking age up so high only increases the problems for kids that drink when they are in college and prior. I have drank since I was 14 not heavily of course maybe just a beer once a month, maybe have a restriction to how much a kid can purchase. They do not seem to have problems in China and Italy where I could buy whine by the gallon without getting any strange looks. All in all it just to high and do not say it hinders their brain development and all that crap. You can legally start taking time off of your life at 18 and smoking kills so many more than drinking per year.
"All in all it just to high and do not say it hinders their brain development and all that crap."
That's a funny quote... because you're wrong. Alcohol depletes the myelin sheaths around schwann cells in neurons. This occurs in boys up to age 21 and girls up to age 23. So basically, drinking DOES hinder brain development.
I am not saying that it does not hinder brain development because that does not stop anyone else. I know it does hinder brain development ... I am saying I do not want to hear about how smoking kills when there are so many smokers ya dig?
Smoking does kill. It's an addiction. Do you really think people get cigarettes thinking "i want to die from cancer in a few years/decades!" No. They try one, love the way the nicotine makes them feel, and get more and more.
Besides that, what does smoking have to do with this?
The point in mentioning cigs is that you can smoke cigs at 18 and cigs claim way more lives that alchohol does per DAY. You can smoke legally before you can drink. They may not be thinking of the consequenses but they know that they are there. If they lowered the drinking age people would know the risks but that would not stop them from drinking as it does not stop a 21 year old from drinking
I have to say I agree. I had drank alchohol before I was 21 and it was always a risk. At the college parties I was at the majority of the party goers were under 21, if they lowered it the colleges would have less pressure on them, and they would not have the worries about their students being caught drinking.
College is a time for higher learning. It really shouldn't be a time for constant partying and underage drinking. These laws should be enforced. Regardless of effort put in by colleges.
Inform the population of the pros and cons of alcohol, then lower the legal drinking age.
If they choose to abuse, by all means screw'em.
Underage people will continue acquiring and drinking regardless of what the limit is, actually last time I checked they get their kick out of breaking the law.
=> Reducing the limit will help moderate drinkers stay out of trouble with law enforcement and may reduce alcohol abuse with the underage segment :)
The legal drinking age is entirely to high. It should be 18. Just like you can legally be kicked out of your house at 18, you can legally be classified as an adult, or buy cigaretttes. so yes it's to high
The key word in this debate is "they," and who are they to decide whether somebody else can have a drink? As if it was by the indulgence of one class of citizens that another enjoys the exercise of their inherent natural rights. This blatantly unjust law was totally unacceptable to me when I was a victim of it and remains totally unacceptable to many of its victims today. If you actually thought it would protect people under 21 from dying in drunk driving crashes, check out the link I add to this post.
