Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Drink legally at 18?


Do you think the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 years of age? Do you think kids of 18 can handle themselves? Should they be able to attend bars? Should DUI be more strict? Will the liver at 18 years old be mature and able to handle the alcohol? If you are allowed to buy tobacco and can legally have sex and can vote in elections and can get drafted to help protect our country, should you also be able to drink legally at age 18?

Landon Weitekamp (11:00)

23 comments:

English student said...

I do belive that the drinking age should be lowered to 18, the only reason for this is for the military members. I think if you can go serve and risk your life you should be able to come home and have a beer. I think though for all 18 year olds it is a little late to give the responsability to them because I think it will get out of hand very quick. I do not know about the liver being able to handle the abuse at a young age but I mean almost all high schoolers are drinking at least by there second year. Under age kids are going to get alchol if they want it thats just the way it is so lowering the age will never help or hurt things because no matter what your age you can find a way to get alchol.

tyler farmer (11:00)

English student said...

I actually think the drinking age should be raised to like 25. I don't agree with the age being lowered to 18 at all. 18 year olds are not mature enough to conduct themselves in an adult manner and not be stupid when drinking. I can say the same for most 21 to 25 year olds, and heck even 40 year olds have a big problem with drunken maturity. Alcohol is a huge problem in our society in that it causes many more deaths, unwanted children, etc. Then again, I think it all comes down to the individual him/her self and how they behave with alcohol use. I do agree with tyler on his reasoning of the military, but in that case, why not raise the military age to 21? Ultimately, I totally disagree with lowering the drinking age.

Melinda

English student said...

Not matter what the laws are they will always be broken or bent. Drinking is very commonly broken with the drinking age at 21 and many college students under that age. I feel that the drinking age is good where it stands at 21 years of age. In the United States there are tons of occurrences that happen that are alcohol related. If we lowered the drinking I feel that these occurrences would increase greatly. I understand that many people drink regardless of the laws, but there are many people that do follow the law. For those people this law change would be a door opening to damaging their liver at a young age or injuring someone because they can't control themselves.

Josh Witt

English student said...

I believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18. A couple reasons for this is because if you are old enough to serve in the military overseas then you are mature enough to handle an alcoholic beverage, then at the age of 18 your parents no longer have to house you under their roof. another reason would be you are legal to get married at 18 without parent consent. There are many countries out there that have a lowered drinking age like: China, Brazil, Mexico, Europe, etc. Now they have had the drinking age lowered for awhile now. If we would lower the drinking age to 18 tomorrow then yes there would be many deaths that would follow that because of the immature people that are out there but in the long run over a period of 10 or more years i believe that in the United States, 18 yr olds would become more mature about drinking. If the drinking age was lowered it also would bring more revenue in. Another possible idea would be just being able to drink with your parents at a younger age. i believe in the state of Louisiana young adults may drink with their parents. This way you are learning your limit before you go to college and you learn to be more mature about it.

English student said...

above comment Jared (1:00)

English student said...

I think the drinking age should stay the same. The reason why I the drinking age should stay at 21because be that time the people who drink should be mature enough to hanlde their liquor. I feel that some 18 kids can handle themselves drinking, because when i was 18 i knew my limit on drinking. I dont know if the liver is mature enough to handle drinking at 18 but with me, my liver is doing ok.

Tavaruss

English student said...

i feel that its all about your maturity levels and if you are mature enough to know when, where and when to stop. i feel that you should be able to drink.

dea shanay

English student said...

I do not believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18. I have been around alcohol all of my life and at a young age decided I would not drink. No one in my family is an alcoholic but I do know people that are and that is not something that I ever want to experience. I see the way people act and I understand not all people act that way but I do not want to do something I may regret later just because I am drinking. I do not know enough about the liver to know whether or not the liver would be able to handle the alcohol at the age of 18 but there are many people who choose to drink under age and they seem to be fine although I do know one young person who already has cirrhosis of the liver.
Morgan Russian

English student said...

I feel like the drinking age should be lowered to 18. We're one of very few countries with the 21 drinking age. There will be people that do stupid things while drunk no matter what age, so it doesn't make any sense for it to be that high.
Allison P

English student said...

I do not believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18, simply because people are not mature enough to handle liquor well at that age. I know when I was 18 I didn't know my limit all that too well and it took me until I was almost 19 to figure my limit out. At age 16 teens are just getting their license and two years later they can drink? Which possibly means their drinking and driving. Teens will drink regardless it's not hard to get liquor but why lower the age and make it that much easier?
*Stephanie Odom (1:00)

English student said...

If we talk about lowering the drinking age to 18. I'd say it is okay because it depends upon the person if he or she can control themselves with drinking liquor. It is better because most 18 years old are mature to think what is good and bad for them.

Samantha E.

English student said...

I think that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 years old. I am not sure if 18 year olds could handle drinking at that age but I believe that teenagers who are hell bent on drinking are going to drink anyway regardless of it being illegal to do so. Whether they attend bars is another story. I think that if they are responsible and modest enough to be moderate in their drinking that it is alright for them to drink in bars. I think that DUI's are a waste of time. If somebody is going to drink and get behind the wheel of a car then that is just going to happen. Although law enforcment means well and the intention is good this is something that no amount of laws and car stops is going to solve. The reality is people are going to do it regardless. I am unsure if the liver of a 18 year old is strong enough to handle liquor but again if they are not being forced to consume it against their will they are pretty much taking their safety into their own hands. In summation, I think that it should be left up to the individual whether or not they consume alcohol at age 18.

Eldridge (11:00)

English student said...

I don't think there should be an age limit for drinking alcohol. I think you should have to be 21 before you can buy alcohol, and I also think you should be 21 before you join the military or allowed to vote, buy tobacco, or marry. I just think 21 is better standard for maturity than 18 is. There are many mistakes we make at 18 that we wouldn't make at 21. That said, I think the countries with no requirement on drinking age have fewer alcohol-related problems (drunk driving deaths, etc.--did you know that NO one in Japan drinks and drives?). I mean, if you start drinking beer or wine at the dinner table with your parents when you're 14, by the time you're 18 (or 21) all the novelty of drinking has been lost. Getting drunk is no big deal because you've been there, done that.

James Burke

English student said...

I think that it would be quite alright to allow 18 year olds to drink. They are legally an adult. They are allowed to live on their own and join the military. I find it quite odd that one can serve their country and risk their life but they can not drink a beer. I also believe that the DUI law should be more strict only because there would be a larger range that is allowed to drink. That means more will drive also.

Darci (11:00)

English student said...

I feel that we should lower the drinking age to 18, but you have to be out of high school. At 18, you can join the military, vote, and you are legally an adult. I feel that you need to be out of high school because alcohol is already a problem in high schools and be able to legally drink will just make it worst. I have been around alcohol most of my life, and I have seen many people handle it differently. Some are just laid back and some get rowdy, it just depends on your body and you maturity.

Clayton B. (11:00)

English student said...

I do believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18. With lowering the drinking age it would glamorize drinking less and would teach people how to drink in moderation rather than binge drinking. I do think DUI should be more strict and have harsher penalties for those who choose to drink and drive. Someone who can serve this country in the military and can get married and make other adult decision should be able to enjoy alcohol.

Brett Scott (11:00)

English student said...

I feel that the drinking age should not get changed. I definitly don't feel most people are mature enough to handle alcohol by 18 and there liver might not be able to handle alcohol yet because there aren't enough developed by 18. Kids are goanna drink at a younger age regardless and making it easier for them to get alcohol at 18 would just worsen the problem. A lot of kids are already addited to nicotine and tobacco products, lets not heavy the load and get them on a path to alcholism. Most kids need to mature and I feel by the time you are 21 you better be on your way to getting your life in order. At 18 things are still really new to you and being able to drink legally may sound awesome at the time but, if you really are mature then you will be able to drink socially and still have fun, just don't get caught and wait till you are 21.
-jake rone-

English student said...

In the 70's Illinois lowered the drinking age to 18. It lasted one year and was raised back to 21. I do not think 18 year-olds are mature enough to handle it, but then again are 21 year-olds? Not in my opinion.
Peg (1:00)

English student said...

As much as I wish the limit would be 18 I don't think it should be lowered because some high school students would be able to drink and by doing that I feel like we would have more drop outs. I feel like people the age of 18 and in the armed forces and on base should be able to drink and most defiantly if they are about to be shipped out to war. But if you aren't a soldier then no I feel you must wait till 21.

Micah

English student said...

I agree with the above statement saying that if you were to serve our country then I see no reason why you couldn't drink, you're risking you life for others. But if your not planning on being in the military then just wait, its not going anywhere! a couple more years wont hurt. Alcohol will be around forever, you're not missing out. Plus high school students will get what they want regardless of the law, if they want alcohol then they will get it, just like any other drug. Changing the age limit to 18 will probably increase the amounts of accidents because, depending on the person, they won't know when to stop, causing harm to themselves and/or to others. So if you're not planning on going into the military just wait, but if you are go right ahead and have a beer.

~Lauren (11:00)

English student said...

if they lower the drinking age they should raise the driving age.i do think people in the military should be able to drink because they due risk it all.as for the liver it will be affected sooner, and it is more likely thta there'll be more alcoholics. even though anybody can get alcohol i dont believe it should be lowered, it could cause even more problems.
cgonzz(11:00)

English student said...

We could limit what they have, because most teens drink because they aren't allowed to. Which is why it's "cool." Doing something you aren't supposed to. In Europe there is no limit age for beer and wine. So when that happens, kids can see what has happened to some of their classmates,so they can learn. Because they want to be sucessful in their lives in stead of ending up like them.
Daniel (1:00)

English student said...

Yes i think it is only fair for the legal drinking age to be 18. If you can vote, if you can be drafted, if you can buy tobacco, and have sex at the age of 18 then why cant you drink alcohol? There are millions of college students who drink and are under the age of 21. Everyone knows it is going to happen, so why not just lower the drinking age to 18. Also if the drinking age was lowered to 18 the U.S. would make more money on alcohol taxes since more people would purchase it legally.

Alex K.