General Forums >> Controversial Topics >> Should the legal drinking age be changed from 21 to 18?
Should the legal drinking age be changed from 21 to 18?
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Posted about 1 month ago I was just reading an article in the Chicago Tribune where there is a debate over the arrest of 13 teens that were accused of drinking on homecoming night. They were being chauffered around, and the driver couldn't get in touch with the parents, so he called the police. But in the wake of this is a non-profit organization called Choose Responsibly, that is trying to get the legal age to drink to 18...any thoughts? Ms. Antoinette M. Brown I am a divine original fashioned by God to be radiantly beautiful! Accounting professional committed to integrity, professionalism, and support to drive a business toward success. |
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| Posted about 1 month ago I was in school when the age was changed from 18 to 21 in our state. May want to look at the reasons for the age change back then and then review each reason to see if they are applicable today. Looking back when I was 18-20, I wasn't making the most responsible decisions. I was still a kid. Not that turning 21 all of a sudden made me responsible, either, but I think my maturity level grew with each year, which led to smarter choices. If you want to see underage drinking, go to Panama City Beach during Spring Break (yes, known for the Girls Gone Wild incidents). Every year hotel rooms get trashed, people are injured from doing stupid things like attempting to jump into the pool from their balconies, etc. Yes, some of this is done by drinkers who are 21+, but everyone knows that there's also underage drinking going on, as well. |
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| Posted about 1 month ago I don't know why the legal drinking age is 21. You can start doing every other adult thing at 18, smoking, gambling, voting, go to war(I was 20 the first time I went to Iraq, and it the Eagles won the championship that year, everyone over 21 and not on duty got a 2 beer limit lol). I think it mostly has to do with driving. I think driving accidents would go up, simply b/c there would be more drunk drivers. More of an opportunity to drive drunk. And statistics show that the lower your age bracket is, the more likely you're going to be in an accident. I dunno if any of that makes any sense(anyone know what I'm talking about...?) But other than that, I honestly think the legal age should be 18. Like I said before, you can start doing the other adult things by that age. The heart doesn't ask permission for what it feels |
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| Posted about 1 month ago That makes a lot of sense, des. My husband always wonders the same thing - why can you do everything else at 18, but that? There is another thing - renting a car is another one that a lot of rental companies want you to be 25 or older, so that goes along with what you said about more car accidents linked to younger drivers. Like I mentioned, it would be interesting to find the arguements that led for the age limit to be changed back in the 1980's and review that, and then we'd have more insight into the law. |
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| Posted about 1 month ago The thought of this change bothers me because many are still in high school at that age - some older kids end up in high school longer than that. I wouldn't want it to be legal for an 18 yr old an more than I do for a 15yr old - it just increases the liklihood of very young teens being exposed to it, where they may not be otherwise. It's just giving in, when we know these teens are not mature enough for it in the first place - let's just add to the alcoholism already rampant in our nation and all that comes with it, like abuse, drunk driving, etc...Kids who start at a young age are more likely to become addicted, IMO. I know that has been the case w/ addicts I know IRL. "Your absence has gone through me, Like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color." ~William S. Merwin
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| Posted about 1 month ago According to the International Center for Alcohol Policies, legislation for the minimum drinking age in United States varied from state to state over a decade ago, ranging from 18 to 21. Driven largely by the desire to curb traffic fatalities associated with alcohol consumption, the National Minimum Drinking age Act of 1984 required all states to raise their purchase and public possession of alcohol age to 21, or risk losing federal highway funds under the Federal Highway Aid Act. By 1987 all states had complied with the 21 minimum age law.
Ms. Antoinette M. Brown I am a divine original fashioned by God to be radiantly beautiful! Accounting professional committed to integrity, professionalism, and support to drive a business toward success. |
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| Posted about 1 month ago I think that no matter what the drinking age is, kids will try to drink before they're allowed to. I imagine that if the drinking age was changed to 18, even younger kids will be caught intoxicated, which is a pretty scary thought. Anna H.
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| Posted about 1 month ago TallAnna says ...
My point exactly, you said it better though! "Your absence has gone through me, Like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color." ~William S. Merwin
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| Posted about 1 month ago MADD says that drinking before the age of 21 is associated with:
Ms. Antoinette M. Brown I am a divine original fashioned by God to be radiantly beautiful! Accounting professional committed to integrity, professionalism, and support to drive a business toward success. |
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| Posted about 1 month ago I think it should stay the way it is. Once you turn 21 then you can go out and have a drink (period). I do however think that educating our children about the effects of alcohol (regardless of legal drinking age) is something that needs to be seriously addressed. Our kids aren't exposed to that sort of information, not as much as they should be anyway. Obviously it needs to start at home but IMO it should also be reinforced in school. Need Breeds Ingenuity!
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| Posted about 1 month ago yes...18 with education, better laws/regualtions -- it would be uniform to be legal altogether at 18 -- and held accountable for actions... this one issueI have with legislation, too much back n forth, too much this and that, and way too much ambiguiity... 18 legal period Even A Bird Without Wings Yearns To Fly. |
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| Posted about 1 month ago legal drinking age 18? 21? all your thoughts are great! but I think what needs to be done is tougher laws about drunk driving. I know 40 and 50 year olds who leave work and drink and drive home totally wasted. now they're adults, where is the maturity? if your caught driving drunk once, lose your license for a year, mandated courses should be given about the responsibility of drinking and driving. most people who have accidents while driving do not get badly hurt. its usually the innocent ones who pay. make the laws tougher and maybe people will think twice about getting behing the wheel. also shouldnt bars and dance clubs have some responsibilty also. if they see someone who had to much to drink, i think they should stop giving drinks. period. we need to find different ways to crack down on this. just my opinion. these young kids, (not all I'll admit) do not think about the consequences. many of us when we were younger didn't. its called being a kid. some of these colleges are full of heavy duty drinking. its a shame. rosalia |
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| Posted about 1 month ago I know from seeing friends/family get into trouble from their addictions that the system IS broken. Consequences are usually a fine and/or jail if you break the law while under the influence. It isn't until multiple offenses, unless it's a decent judge, that the offender gets mandated classes, support groups, AA, etc. Jails/fines SHOULD be a conseqence, but it SHOULDN'T be the only consequence, EVER. If a person gets drunk, loses control, beats someone else, drives drunk, etc. he/she NEEDS HELP whether they like it or not, and if they refuse, THEN there is no other option than jail. This is part of the reason domestic violence is so rampant, jail is not enough. Most of these are people who have usually grown up in bad environments and/or had truamatic event(s) in their lives which contributed to their bad choices. Their mentality has been severely damaged and definitely won't be fixed by jail. We have the same problem w/ the way the system treats the mentally ill. Example, what used to be one of my closest friends: I called the police as a last resort when she was in a manic rage (she is bipolar), I later found out she'd choked her daughter that day. I and others there told them, "she is off her meds, she needs treatment/help"! Because she'd broke my phone in the process of her manic-ness, she went to jail - nothing else. When she got out, she ended up alienating me and others from her life, again. Before and since, she's had CPS called on her so many times w/ each person explaining that she is mentally ill/needs treatment, that I can't see why NOTHING has been done.
Sorry for the rant! BTW MzBrown, thanks for the information. Good to know that it's not just an opinion of mine about young ppl drinking. "Your absence has gone through me, Like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color." ~William S. Merwin
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How many lives have to be ruined, even killed, before things change? We could say that about so many things, but this is one issue that I am very passionate about because it's really effected the lives of me, my family, and friends.
I could go on and on.