Lowered Drinking Age in USA?

[shreddedbullet]

What are your guys/gals thoughts on a lower drinking age in the US? This just occurred to me of just how silly it is when me and my fiance went out to dinner for her 21st birthday (I'm 20). I find it funny that she can drink alcohol, but me her fiance, an equally responsible adult, is unable to. I believe the 21 drinking age is quite pointless, why not make it all 18? If you're responsible enough for cigarrettes, being able to go to war, get married, and go into mass amounts of debt, you should be able to drink a beer.

Thoughts?

 

[Salt]

I can see it from both sides. If you are legally considered an adult at 18, and can serve and die in the military, I think you should be able to do what you want... including buying and drinking alcohol.

With that being said, if you lower it, everyone starts drinking at a younger age because it will be so much easier to access for high schoolers.

I think they should lower it 19 as a compromise.

 

[Gus]

I’m older than 21 so it doesn’t matter to me. I will say, there are millions of people in the 18 - 21 age range. Why would I want to put millions more drunk drivers on the road?

 

[Salt]

I’m older than 21 so it doesn’t matter to me. I will say, there are millions of people in the 18 - 21 age range. Why would I want to put millions more drunk drivers on the road?

Why don’t we up the drinking age to 40, it will remove so much more drunk drivers.

 

[Gus]

I’m older than 21 so it doesn’t matter to me. I will say, there are millions of people in the 18 - 21 age range. Why would I want to put millions more drunk drivers on the road?

Why don’t we up the drinking age to 40, it will remove so much more drunk drivers.

Cool story bro.

 

[Salt]

I’m older than 21 so it doesn’t matter to me. I will say, there are millions of people in the 18 - 21 age range. Why would I want to put millions more drunk drivers on the road?

Why don’t we up the drinking age to 40, it will remove so much more drunk drivers.

Cool story bro.

I don't really get your argument? Good discussion bro.

 

[Fiona1964]

In the UK you can drink at 18 in the pub but yes I think in the USA it should be lowered because if you can join the Army and fight for you country at 18 then you should be allowed to drink

 

[Gus]

I’m older than 21 so it doesn’t matter to me. I will say, there are millions of people in the 18 - 21 age range. Why would I want to put millions more drunk drivers on the road?

Why don’t we up the drinking age to 40, it will remove so much more drunk drivers.

Cool story bro.

I don't really get your argument? Good discussion bro.

I don’t get yours either, bro.

 

[shreddedbullet]

I’m older than 21 so it doesn’t matter to me. I will say, there are millions of people in the 18 - 21 age range. Why would I want to put millions more drunk drivers on the road?

Here's a better question?

Why should you restrict a legal adult's freedoms just because they're not a certain age? 18 is a legal adult, therefore they should be able to enjoy the freedoms that come with adulthood. Every other country does it. Not to mention, lowering the drinking age would save lives. Countless teenagers in the 18-20 age bracket die from alcohol poisoning because they're afraid to get help because they think they will get in trouble from being under the influence. Lowering this age will allow people, who are legal adults mind you, not be afraid to get help.

 

[Gus]

Not to mention, lowering the drinking age would save lives. Countless teenagers in the 18-20 age bracket die from alcohol poisoning because they're afraid to get help because they think they will get in trouble from being under the influence.

That’s a bit far fetched. There might be a couple people that your scenario will apply to, but those millions of brand new drunk drivers will boosting the death toll by a lot. 18-20 year olds are the most reckless, irresponsible people on the planet (in general).

 

[shreddedbullet]

Not to mention, lowering the drinking age would save lives. Countless teenagers in the 18-20 age bracket die from alcohol poisoning because they're afraid to get help because they think they will get in trouble from being under the influence.

That’s a bit far fetched. There might be a couple people that your scenario will apply to, but those millions of brand new drunk drivers will boosting the death toll by a lot. 18-20 year olds are the most reckless, irresponsible people on the planet (in general).

There's the problem though. You're lumping people and giving them characteristics just because of their age. That's stereotyping. There are plenty of irresponsible and reckless people at any age. Age does not equal maturity. Of course drunk driving went down in that age group when the drinking age was raised. It would have lowered if it was also raised even higher.

The point is, you're restricting adults and their choices. If they're old enough to take a bullet, pay taxes and get married, theyre old enough for a beverage.

 

[Gus]

You're lumping people and giving them characteristics just because of their age. That's stereotyping.

Don't make me pull up statistics to prove that I am not stereotyping. 😛

 

[shreddedbullet]

You're lumping people and giving them characteristics just because of their age. That's stereotyping.

Don't make me pull up statistics to prove that I am not stereotyping. 😛

Go and pull stats. Of course drunk driving incidents went down after the law passed. Would've happened to other age brackets if the age was higher too. And if it it is already a problem today, then it's obviously not working or doing its job. Individual liberties are just as important, and education is more effective than barring substances.
Look at literally every other country. Education helps them learn to not abuse it unlike the drinking culture we have. But if the drinking age is 21 and 18 to 20 year olds are not responsible enough then they should just raise the age of being an adult if they feel that way. Because if you can do literally everything an adult can do but can't drink, that's just wrong. They should have the choice.

 

[teamGlide]

In the UK you can drink at 18 in the pub but yes I think in the USA it should be lowered because if you can join the Army and fight for you country at 18 then you should be allowed to drink

AGREED

 

[Gus]

But if the drinking age is 21 and 18 to 20 year olds are not responsible enough then they should just raise the age of being an adult if they feel that way. Because if you can do literally everything an adult can do but can't drink, that's just wrong. They should have the choice.

Well they don’t have the choice, and I’m fine with that. Buying and consuming alcohol is a privilege, not a right.

 

[shreddedbullet]

But if the drinking age is 21 and 18 to 20 year olds are not responsible enough then they should just raise the age of being an adult if they feel that way. Because if you can do literally everything an adult can do but can't drink, that's just wrong. They should have the choice.

Well they don’t have the choice, and I’m fine with that. Buying and consuming alcohol is a privilege, not a right.

That's kind of like saying that food is a right/priveldge, or drinking water. That doesn't really make sense. It's a product to be consumed by people. Saying a 21 year old is more mature and capable of consuming it than an 18 year old who is classified as an adult is silly. They're both adults. Age does not equal maturity. With that in mind, why restrict alcohol from an 18 year old adult, but give it to a 21 year old adult. That doesn't make sense. They're both adults!

 

[Gus]

That's kind of like saying that food is a priveldge, or drinking water.

No it’s not. You need food and water in order to stay alive, not booze.

 

[Corzhens]

I have relatives in the US so I know that 21 is the age limit for drinking alcohol. Here in our country, it is 18 which may be the cause of some problems recently that drunk young people engage in a melee which were often caught by the cctv camera. When apprehended, those young people engaged in the street battle would just reason out that they were drunk and that they were sorry. Owe it to their young age?

 

[Gus]

Owe it to their young age?

Absolutely. People in that age group are just a ticking time bomb, ready to explode. Add alcohol to the mix and they become even more dangerous.

 

[judel]

I was 18 when the drinking age went from 19 up to 21. I was mad about that. My sister was 20 and was grandfathered in, so she could still drink. We in the US can join the military, vote and are considered adults at 18, but we can't drink for 3 more years? Yeah, it is pretty stupid.