Do you think the legal age for things such as drinking and getting into bars should be lowered to 18? Kids can be enrolled in the army and sent to die for their country, but they cannot drink or club legally. Do you think this is fair or unfair? Either way, please explain your thinking to me. What are the upside and downside to legalizing drinking and clubbing for 18-year-olds? What do you think is the ideal minimum age for drinking and getting into bars?
Are some of our laws outdated? Do you think that age laws should be reformed to a more current society?
Thanks for your help.
Adrian Enriquez
18 comments:
I think that the age limit on alcohol is very fair. I will not allow my 6 year old in a bar getting lifted. Even if he was 18 years old I wouldn't allow it. Because I feel like that a 21 year old can handle their liquor or responsibility of being intoxicated better than an 18 year old. Granted some start drinking way before their able to buy cigarettes, and it's very disturbing to me to see an 15 year old drunk. I dont' think they should change one thing about the age limit.
Makeisha Riley
Great question! I feel that the drinking age for any active military person should be 18 as long as they are currently deployed or stationed at a military institution...on base. I don't feel the drinking age should be lowered to 18 for any who doesn't serve for our country.
I grew up in a military family,my dad was in the Air Force for 27 years, so I understand some of the sacrifices our military and their families make everyday. If you are old enough to die for our country you should be able to have a beer or shot--not while on duty of course.
Personally I don't feel anyone under the age of 21 should be allowed to drink before they are old enough. Yes, I did drink before I was 21, but that does not mean I was truly prepared to deal with the consequences that came with underage drinking. The system is flawed when a man or woman can die to keep our freedoms but is not allowed to celebrate defending those freedoms...DUMB!
I do feel the age laws should reflect the fact that young men and women are putting their lives on the line for us each everyday and they should be able to have a drink when they want to, but with that being said once they are off base or no longer serving on active duty they should have to adhere to the same laws as the rest of society.
In summary I do feel the laws are flawwed and need to adjusted. Military personel deserves special treatment because they are putting their life on the line each everyday, but as I said before if they are not active duty then they should adhere to the same laws as the rest of society.
Buddy Carpenter
I think the age should be lowered to 18 by all means. As you said before, many are sent to war to die by our country at 18 so what makes it so different to drink alcohol. Its no safer to stand in a war zone if you were 21 or 18. I just think that if the laws are changed there should be a mandatory alcohol course in all high-schools that give the precautions and necessary materials to be smart and safe.
Tashaylee Graddy
I agree that for active military it should be lowered to 18.For the rest of america; 21. The law was put in place for a reason. It helps save lives.If you lower the drinking age to 18, you are opening the doors for people to drink at even an younger age. Having a mandatory alachol course in school just promotes to the dependancy and abuse of drinking.
kevin h
Let me start off by saying that I think the age to join the military should be raised to 21. I don't think that a person is truly an adult until they hit that age and most aren't even mature at 21. I am not saying that joining the military is the wrong choice to make, merely stating that at 18 we don't really know what we want to do with our life. I think that the legal drinking age we have in place now is fine. When I think about lowering the drinking age all that comes to mind is how fatal accidents and the number of alcoholics will increase. Due to the maturity level that most young adults have is why so many critical mistakes are made, and they don't realize it until they are older and trying to accomplish what they want out of life.
Amber Johnson-Garcia
I do believe 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 responsibility 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 alcohol if they want it that's 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 alcohol.
tyler farmer
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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 Grayson
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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
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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.
Jared Learner
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 handle their liquor. I feel that some 18 kids can handle themselves drinking, because when i was 18 i knew my limit on drinking. I don't know if the liver is mature enough to handle drinking at 18 but with me, my liver is doing ok.
Tavaruss
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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
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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 Pulabrek
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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
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.
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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 enforcement 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 Chalmers _______________________________
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
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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 Weber
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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 Brown
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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
I feel that the drinking age should not get changed. I definitely 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 gonna 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 addicted to nicotine and tobacco products, lets not heavy the load and get them on a path to alcoholism. 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
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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.
Peggy Goyette
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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 Pope
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I agree with the 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 Huber
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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 that there'll be more alcoholics. even though anybody can get alcohol i don't believe it should be lowered, it could cause even more problems.
Chris Gozz
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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 successful in their lives in stead of ending up like them.
Daniel Mober
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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 Kocher
Being an 18 year old myself, this is a difficult question to answer. I for one, think it is completely ridiculous when someone who can lay their life down for our country can not legally be involved in drinking or going to a 21+ club. If you are in the military, no matter what age you are, and have the guts to die for a country, then you should have the right to do really what ever you want to do in that country, regardless of age.
On the other hand, some 18 year old's are very immature, I can tell you that firsthand. I know for a fact that if some of them could get a hold of alcohol and legally buy it that they would completely abuse it. They would more than likely drink way more than they should at a party, drive home, and put their live and an innocent stranger's life in jeopardy. That is just a scary thought to me.
This is the same for many 21 year old's. Many of people who are legally allowed to drink are not yet ready and not ready to handle it. The downside of being 21 is that if you actually wait until your 21, which people rarely, if ever, do these day, then when you finally go out to a club and get drunk for the first time, things could get out of control because you have no experience. Overall, I think that it is just stupid of or country to have these people who are dieing in war not being able to drink. They should either lower the drinking age to 18 so some of out military can enjoy it, or raise the enlistment age to 21.
Jake Bock
If you lower the drinking age to 18 you can count on more drunk drivers, and more fatalities. Think about your mind set when you were 18, just out of high school, a new found freedom and the worst thing you could do is be allowed to drink alcohol. As for 18 year olds joining the military, they are probably the ones that deserve a drink. They are mature enough to take the step and fight for our country. If they are not mature when they enlist you’ll be damned sure they’ll straighten up once they get into boot camp.
Heather Denam
I don’t really know what to say on this because I don’t drink alcohol. First of all I don’t like it because someone I knew was an alcoholic and because religion forbids it. Religion forbids it because when ALL people drink alcohol, they are poisoning their bodies. Their mindset is different than when they’re sober, making them prone to do bad or foolish things. What I want to ask is why do men and women really go to the military? Free college? A lot of money? Get away from parents? To be higher than another? To be a “hero”? Someone to look up to him? Rebellion?
I think that many of the younger people enlist in the military is because they are coerced, persuaded, influenced, etc. They want to feel important and feel like they belong to something. These young adults are very immature at this age. They may have an idea of what they want and have a set goal--but they’re not sure how to get there. The easiest way; the military (they think). Not only that, the government gets these “kids” all hyped up about the wars; they say “Iraqis are killing Americans”, in return the American soldiers say “Let’s go kill some Iraqis”. But what everyone keeps forgetting is that Americans went looking for the trouble, Iraqis are only defending themselves, same in any other war.
Men/women going to the military are dramatically influenced by the American society, just like drinking, smoking cigarettes, being on welfare, killing people, racism, drug dealing, and having babies early. “Kids” who have “kids” don’t get punished by the law, underage smoking don’t really get punished, etc.
Who are we as a society to choose what is legal or illegal for some people? Even if it’s based on age? All people should have a right to hurt themselves if they want, it’s their body, and it’s their life. It’s not necessarily right to do it in my opinion, but that’s life, and it’s their own life, let them be a destruction of their own self, it’s better than someone else making that decision for you.
I don’t think that if the law lowered the drinking age that it would cause more deaths. Why? Because whatever someone’s age, if they want to drink, they’re going to drink (smoke, do drugs, drive, have sex, etc.) But what the dangerous thing is, is that “kids” do these things without the knowledge of their parents, let alone the law. Not only is drinking alcohol bad for “kids”, it is equally as bad for “adults”. I’d rather be sane and in a good state of mind and be happy, than be miserable, suicidal, and hopeless. Alcohol is just like cigarettes or any other drug, it’s an ADDICTION!
The law enforces more laws that don’t make a lot of sense as opposed to those which are more vital. Such as: needing a license to fish, people not walking in crosswalks, having to be a certain age to work or to vote, etc.
In many other countries there’s no age discrimination on smoking or drinking. People can do whatever they want, but the consequences will hurt themselves in the long run. I think the US government sets a lot of laws just to say “I did this” or “I did that”, to make them think they have power and/or to show other countries an image of America that doesn’t even exist.
Before Christopher Columbus “supposedly” discovered America, there were no set laws, people could do as they wished; all there were was agreements or a treaty between people.
God gave ALL OF US a right to live, but why is it up to the “Governments” to takes our rights away?
Still not enough? Check out these sites http://www.pvamu.edu/pages/2315.asp http://alcoholnews.org/underage_drink.html
Lori
No, I do not think the drinking age or the age of entrance to a bar should be lowered. Kids are not always responsible enough to know their limits when it comes to alcohol, or even some of the other things that are exposed to in bars. I know that some 18-year-olds are responsible, but I think allowing them into bars and clubs is also giving them the chance to get into trouble. I have a friend who was 19 who was drunk one night and fell into a pond and drowned. He didn't think to have someone else make sure he got home okay. Its things like that that cause me to worry about some of the younger kids being in clubs/bars/parties with older people.
I understand that kids are allowed to join the military at 18, but I hope that they are warned enough about what they are getting into before they sign that final paper. Before they get to that final signing and being sworn in, they have more than one opportunity to back out. I'm not agreeing with the fact that they are allowed to go over and die for that country, but I also know that most of those men/women know what they are getting into and they willing sign those papers.
-Hannah Miller
I don't think the legal age to drink or get into clubs should be lowered to 18. Drinking is serious business, and I believe that at 18 a person has not reached a mature enough mind set to be responsible with drinking. We know that people much older than 18 are not responsible when it comes to drinking.
I think to lower the age for drinking and admittance to establishments that serve alcohol would increase drunk driving and delinquency by minors. Sure some laws are outdated, but the age for drinking isn't one of them.
Khattab
Alex
In my opinion I think that they should keep the legal age the same, but extend the age to be sent to war. When your 18 you don’t really understand things because you don’t have the life experiences. I think that if you want to enroll in the army you can do that at 18, but you have to stay in training until you turn 21. I say this because I don’t think its right that you can send someone to die but you can’t let them drink. True you can lower the drinking age, but by 18 you’ve only had your licenses for 2 years. It’s just inviting more wrecks as far as I’m concerned if you lower the drinking age. Also, by 21 you have more experience and have been able to know more of your limitations then when you are 18. When you’re 18, your pretty much still a kid and need more learning,.
I think the age laws are just fine how they are. Why should they lower the age laws to get in to bars and clubs. You have to be 21 to drink and it would be crazy to a hole bunch of 18 year old's in a bar that cant buy the drinks. Clubs and bars wouldn't make any money doing that. Now these days there are clubs just for 18 year old's so they can have there fun also. The army thing is that person's choice to join. The age is 18 because when your that age you are most likely getting out of high school, so they pay for every thing and college weal serving your country. If the age limed for things like that was lower there would be a lot more things to worry about, also deaths.
Robert McClinton
I think that the drinking age should definitely not be lowered to 18. I am against both drinking and war. I believe that being able to be part of the military at 18 is too young. At 18, people are still quite immature and will make unwise decisions that they will regret later on in their life. They do things like this without being under the influence of alcohol, so what would happen if they were allowed to drink? Allowing people who are 18 to drink and go into bars would make the number of drunk drivers go up, which would also make the number of car accidents go up, which would lead to the number of crash related deaths to go up. There are already enough alcohol related accidents happening and if the legal drinking age was lowered to 18, I believe the number of accidents would drastically increase.
Ayah
I believe that many people with kids will say no to this just because they don't want to see their kids come home drunk. But how many of you have actually drank underage and been okay with it yourself? Nobody wants restrictions on themselves as long as their loved ones have restrictions. I'm all for people being able to get into the clubs and drink at 18. People like me do it anyways. They get fake id's, go to an older friends house, gop out party at clubs, etc, so we might as well make it legal for us if it's gonna happen anyways. I don't think it should go any lower than 18 but that it should still be lowered.
SJAG <3
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