What should the legal drinking age be? Would reducing the drinking age to 18 or 19 really cause that many problems, especially since college students will pretty much drink no matter what? Many people suspect that drinking alcohol before the age of 21 can cause developmental problems. Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Do Young adults under the age of 21 experiment with alcohol because it is dangerous and illegal, or another reason?
Thanks for your comments,
Chad Peters 9:00A.M.
21 comments:
There can be two out comes from dropping the drinking age. eigther one there will be a large increase in accedents because the kids that would of been drinking are drinking and the kids that would wait to drink will be drinking and it will cause more accedents. The other less likly opition is that it being leagle will take the fun out of it for some people and the will stop drinking. I personaly thein that if the drinking age is lowerd there will be more deaths from drunk driving, the drivers and thier victums.
the last post was from Jeremy Miller
I find that no matter what the drinking age is kids are going to drink. I have seen kids as young as 15 drinking alcohol. I'm not sure if they do it because it is illegal and dangerous? Lowering the drinking age I think would only cause more problems. The big problem would be an increase in deaths. I have no clue whether the rumor about drinking alcohol before a person is 21 can cause developmental problems is true. I think people under 21 experiment with alcohol because that's the way we were brought up. We see it on tv, the internet, and places in public. Access to alcohol has cracked down a little, but it is still very easy to get your hands on it if you want it. We were brought up in a society that drinks, and I believe no matter what the drinking age is people are going to drink.
Lance Hanmer
As Lance mentioned in a previous comment, no matter what the drinking age would be, people would still drink underage.
However, I do think that the drinking age should be kept at 21. Some people actually do wait until they are old enough to drink, and lowering the age limit on drinking would just cause even more people to drink than there are.
Raising the drinking age wouldn't do a thing either, people would just keep drinking underage until they get to the right age.
So I think keeping the age at 21 is the best idea for this, as there is no good from lowering or raising the drinking age, only bad.
Blake Widmer
I honestly think that leaving the drinking age at 21 would be the best thing to do. Although there are many underage kids drinking they don't neccesarilly do it because it is illegal it's mostly because they see their parents drinking or anyone else, therfore they see how they act and sometimes they take it as it looks fun and they think it would be fun for them to drink. Although most people who drink that are underage they rarely get caught and when they do they don't get a harsh enough punishment for their actions. If there was people out describing the punishments and explaing the reality and more harsh consequences we might see a change. But then again some people don't care and don't obey the law. Therefore sometimes there is nothing to do.
Jennifer J
I think a younger drinking age wouldn't be too bad of an idea as long as it doesn't mean that kids who are even younger start drinking. I do not think that drinking at a younger age really causes developmental problems, maybe at younger ages of 14 or 15 but not at the age of 18. Many countries allow 18 year olds or even younger drink and it doesn't seem to affect them. My parents were allowed to drink at 18 and they don't seem to be too messed up from it. Pat Busey
The drinking age should definatley not get any younger, it can cause mental issues, addictions, health problems and even worse death. College kids drink because they want to fit in, releive stress, already have an addition to alchohol or to numb a painful past. No matter the reason it doesn't make it right. Parents should monitor there kids better, and simply talk about the harmful effects of drinking. I don't think I would leave my house if the drinking age was lowered for fear of drunk irresponsible drivers, Alcohol is a mind altering drug-it's bad enough that unresponsible(not all) 21 year olds are by law allowed to drink.Amy Marx
What should the legal drinking age be? Would reducing the drinking age to 18 or 19 really cause that many problems, especially since college students will pretty much drink no matter what? Many people suspect that drinking alcohol before the age of 21 can cause developmental problems. Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Do Young adults under the age of 21 experiment with alcohol because it is dangerous and illegal, or another reason?
I don't think a younger drinking age would be bad. If it was moved to 18 or 19 that would be fine. Too me, it doesn't depend on necessarily what age someone is, yet how mature they are and whether or not they can handle the drinking. Whether its a little bit or a lot drinking affects everybody and if someone isn't able to maintain there composure than they probably shouldn't drink a lot or any at all.
Luke Brown
I think that the drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19 and permit those of legal age to consume in socially controlled environment such as restaurants and official school and university functions. Currently, it is prohibited for 20-year-olds to sip champagne at their own weddings! that just isnt right. I think if your lod enough to be able to get married that should be able to a drink at your wedding. I also think that individuals of any age should be permitted to consume alcohol under the direct supervision of their parents in their own homes.
Amanda Borders
I do think their would be more problems esspecial with the amount of DUI's. But eventually i believe that it would mellow out. The drinking age used to be 18 and if it was that bad then im sure we would have heard more about it. Its true if someone wants to drink they cant be stopped. You might as well make it legal. If it was legal i believe it wouldnt be as fun for the young adults. Its just an adrenalen rush doing something your not suppost to.
I think the drinking age should be 18. There are some southern states, unless it has changed in the last couple of years, that the drinking age is 18. I figure if you can smoke, go to war, and be expected to work and get by when you become 18 since your concidered an adult why can't you have a beer. There are alot of people drinking between the ages of 18 and 20, if the drinking age was 18 not 21 there could be less accidents and problems. The majority of the people involved could have be safe at the bar with a cab ride home. Instead their running around hiding to keep from getting caught. There are still a lot of alcohol related accidents from people still driving home from bars but that is a different subject all together.
Dustin Claypool
i think dropping the drinking age at the age of 18 or 19 wouldn't have a big effecct on people lives than already are. in my country, there is no drinking age. since everybody can drink when ever they wish to, people do not get drunk more often because they know they can drink anytime. i think if people have the ability to do something they will do it right. if drinking age would be lowered, it would reduce the number of accidents cause by drunk driving. these young adults will feel more responsable on their drinking because they are allowed to drink, and it also mean that people believe on them that they can be responsible when they consume alcohol. cristobal
It pretty much a known fact that no matter what the drinking age is people are still going to do it. The drinking age is kind of like the whole weed situation. Was as citizens of the United States of America are not suppose to smoke or use weed in any kind of way unless prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons, but that does not stop us from smoking it just because we want to and we know that is we get caught there are consequences but we still take that risk. It doesnt matter if the drinking age is 21 or 16 people under both of those ages are still going to do it. So it really doesnt matter if it gets changed or not. If kids want to drink at and early age behind there parents back then let them, but since the want to act like adults then let them be treated like adults even if the means dealings with the police or losing there life in a accident because the choose to drink. We all know the affects drinking can have, but the real question is do we really care about those risk because if we did as young adults we wouldn't drink at such young ages.
Destini Reed
i know that alcohol is a pretty harmful drug. over an extended period of time it will ruin your kidney, and if you drink a lot it will be sooner and you give yourself a possibility of alcohol poisoning. however i beleive that drinking age should be lowered to 18 because i realized one thing, when student are 16 or 17 they want to smoke very bad, they get a cigarrette every other month and get really excited about it, however they turn 18 and they could legally smoke, but they dont want to do it anymore. its like the fad that co-existed with them is actually gone, POOF, like magic. college students drink a lot of alcohol and have fun doing so illegaly, however they turn 21 and the fad disappeared again, they are really not that interested. say marijuana was legal for 30 year olds and over, the same students who smoked cigarrettes before 18, and drank alcohol before 21 would smoke weed before 30. then at thirty, its gone again. i think its just the fact that they want to do whats being forbidden for them. if we lower the drinking age to 18 i think it wouldnt be as big of an impact as it is now.
Bahaa Abu Salim
Even though kids arent supposed to drink they do. Changing the drinking age means alot more children will continue or start drinking.The fact that its something forbiden makes people want to try it. When you have grown people drinking and children drinking to me means more accidents. I think younger people have a lower tolerance for alcohol so they will get intoxicated faster wich means more wrecklesness.
Nolberto
Lowering the drinking age would'nt just be a bad thing to do considering that most people drink when they want to; it can also cause many more deaths, more people in jail, more kids being born with disorders, and many more people taking the new drinking age for granted. I said this because there isn't anything positive to gain from drinking. Drinking is addictive and can harm the human body in all sorts of ways. When someones drinks to much it causes them to do things they didn't plan on doing, and it could leave you with a background that you really would'nt want. If the drinking age lowers it wound give young people the opportunity to either buy liquor or have their 18 or 19 year old brother or sister buy it for them. I saw this sign in the window of a gas station that said if you buy ciggerettes for a minor you might go down. It should be the same with buying liquor for a minor.
WILLIE TANNER
I don't feel the drinking age should be lowered. Yes, there are many college students who are drinking illegally, but if the age limit was lowered, would youths start drinking at an even younger age? I believe underage drinking were to be lowered students would be ruining their chances of a good education. The students who drink will always find a way, but if it were readily available more would chose to drink. This could cause the student to miss classes, doing poorly on exams, and possibly drop out. I don't feel it should be lowered, I think it is at a good age limit of 21.
Cheri A
I think that dropping the drinkning age would be ok. If you are 18 years old and can go die for your country then you should be able to go to the bar and have a beer.
last post by Kelby
I have been going to drinking parties ever since I was able to drive. I wuold hit up the firday night keggers and BYOB bonfires with my friends and watch them get so shitfaced they they couldn't even stand up. All the way through high school including summers, even after going to dozens of blowout parties, I never drank more than a taste of alcohol. That doesn't mean that I was the DD because I never would let one of the those drunk morons throw up in my truck. I would go to the parties up to to point where in was impossible to carry on a decent conersation with anyone and I would leave. Now that I am in college, I have started to drink on occasion and mostly on a social basis and very few times to get too far gone.
I think that the drinking age is at a good place. I know that there are way too many kids out there that are too imature to legally handle the ability to drink alcohol. These kids already make stupid childish decisions and don't need an extra boost with a double shot of Captain. You are right with the fact that us college kids are going to live it up while we still can, but that doesn't mean that the drinking age should be lowered for that reason.
I also know that kids don't know their limitations with alcohol. they just keep drinking until it hits them like a freight train and then they will drink until they pass out. I know several people that while in high school and in college have drank so much that they had to be sent to the hospitol to get their stomach pumped. Even after that experience, they are back at it again the next weekend and didn't learn a thing.
What i have found out over the last several years is that having a social drink is a good way to shoot the breeze with your friends. Maybe a round or two of beerpong to liven things up a bit. We do it to just have some fun while we don' have too many worries. Even with that, I still think that the drinking age should stay the same, it may just save a few more lives.
Ryan Bales 9:00
In my sight, I think if they lower the drinking age to 18, 15 and 16 year olds would start drinking and start doing stupid stuff if it is lowered just to act cool. To tell you the truth, I have drank multiple time but only got drunk once after 3/4 of Tequila without eating anything but I was also with my parents in Mexico and I was 19 1/2. But that is not to say anyone should drink underage just because this world of ours is already screwed up without the drinking age lowered, just imagen the carnage would be if they lowered it.
Agustin (A.J.) Early Monroy Jr.
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