Drinking age

[Kacie_bride]

Do you think the drinking age should be 18 instead of 21?

[MOB Karen]

No, by changing the age from 18 to 21, we have saved many, many lives. It's like when we changed the speed limit to 55. I think the government does these things for our own good, because we won't do them for ourselves.

[Kacie_bride]

I think it should because you can vote at 18, smoke (which I think is worse for you), and you can die for your country. I think you are legally an adult and you should be able to drink.

[LaceyinPgh]

No!!! I work with 18 year old kids. Most of them are quite mature. None of them need to be drinking. I shouldn't have been drinking at 18 (federal laws never stopped me though). Hell, there were a few instances where I shouldn't have been drinking at 21.

[Kacie_bride]

No, by changing the age from 18 to 21, we have saved many, many lives. It's like when we changed the speed limit to 55. I think the government does these things for our own good, because we won't do them for ourselves.

They changed out speed limit to 55, but it didn't last. It went back up to 65 and 70. There is one area of West Texas that has a 75 MPH speed limit. I didn't know that until I saw it. I think studies here indicated that there was no difference in traffic related death and injuries.

[AngelinLove]

Smoking may or may not be worse for you, depending on how much you are smoking versus how much I am drinking. An alcoholic drinks a lot and on a regular basis and is causing many negative effects to their body...just as a smoker does. The main issue with drinking is that when people drink they become impaired and then they drive. Teenagers are already that population with the highest death related car accidents...and adding alcohol to that will just make it worse. I feel that the three extra years may just give them some time, as adults, to learn about being more responsible and how not to drink and drive.

[MOB Karen]

Smoking may or may not be worse for you, depending on how much you are smoking versus how much I am drinking. An alcoholic drinks a lot and on a regular basis and is causing many negative effects to their body...just as a smoker does. The main issue with drinking is that when people drink they become impaired and then they drive. Teenagers are already that population with the highest death related car accidents...and adding alcohol to that will just make it worse. I feel that the three extra years may just give them some time, as adults, to learn about being more responsible and how not to drink and drive.

And besides that, they are killing themselves and us too!!!

[Kacie_bride]

Well I drank more when I was 18-20 then I do now. I am still in college (sad I know) and almost every single 18-20 year old I know there drinks. It would not matter what they law was. There were 21 year olds in the dorm I lived in that would supply alcohol in the dorms. It was like a bar in there on Thursday nights.

[AngelinLove]

Well I drank more when I was 18-20 then I do now. I am still in college (sad I know) and almost every single 18-20 year old I know there drinks. It would not matter what they law was. There were 21 year olds in the dorm I lived in that would supply alcohol in the dorms. It was like a bar in there on Thursday nights.

That doesn't mean that it should be legal...IMO!!!

[WebLady]

I think it should because you can vote at 18, smoke (which I think is worse for you), and you can die for your country. I think you are legally an adult and you should be able to drink.

I agree ... while I know that many 18 yr olds are immature and shouldn't be drinking, but they do it anyway, even though it is illegal. Kids are gonna find a way to do things if they really want to.

This is another issue that I think starts in the home. Educate your kids and teach them responsibility and tell them the good and the bad about things. Don't just say "No you can't do this until you are old enough" KWIM?

[LaceyinPgh]

I agree ... while I know that many 18 yr olds are immature and shouldn't be drinking, but they do it anyway, even though it is illegal. Kids are gonna find a way to do things if they really want to.

This is another issue that I think starts in the home. Educate your kids and teach them responsibility and tell them the good and the bad about things. Don't just say "No you can't do this until you are old enough" KWIM?
Exactly, the don't do this until you are older doesn't teach them anything. When they are older they still don't know how to act.

[Kacie_bride]

I agree ... while I know that many 18 yr olds are immature and shouldn't be drinking, but they do it anyway, even though it is illegal. Kids are gonna find a way to do things if they really want to.

This is another issue that I think starts in the home. Educate your kids and teach them responsibility and tell them the good and the bad about things. Don't just say "No you can't do this until you are old enough" KWIM?

I agree with you!

[ladymelissa]

I think it is really messed up. I think that either the drinking age should be lowered or everything else should be elevated to 21. I have a hard time understanding why you can enlist in the army, work in a strip club, pose for Playboy, get a tattoo, smoke a cigarette, vote for our leaders and get married but a margarita is out of the question?! If they aren't mature enough to have a drink why are they mature enough to pick the president?

I also think that maybe this country should view alcohol as they do in Europe. In most places there, kids grow up having wine with dinner and alcohol and drunk driving is hardly a problem.

[hummingbird521]

I feel that the drinking age should stay the same. And like Melissa said raise the age for everything else as well.

[WebLady]

I think it is really messed up. I think that either the drinking age should be lowered or everything else should be elevated to 21. I have a hard time understanding why you can enlist in the army, work in a strip club, pose for Playboy, get a tattoo, smoke a cigarette, vote for our leaders and get married but a margarita is out of the question?! If they aren't mature enough to have a drink why are they mature enough to pick the president?

I also think that maybe this country should view alcohol as they do in Europe. In most places there, kids grow up having wine with dinner and alcohol and drunk driving is hardly a problem.

I wanted to just add to your reputation, but I have to spread the love ... anyway I just wanted to agree ;)

[AngelinLove]

I think that if the age of everything else was raised we would have a lot of pissed off parents because they would then be responsible for their children until they were 21. Although somE contol freak parents would love this...others would not be so happy!!!

[Kacie_bride]

I think it is really messed up. I think that either the drinking age should be lowered or everything else should be elevated to 21. I have a hard time understanding why you can enlist in the army, work in a strip club, pose for Playboy, get a tattoo, smoke a cigarette, vote for our leaders and get married but a margarita is out of the question?! If they aren't mature enough to have a drink why are they mature enough to pick the president?

I also think that maybe this country should view alcohol as they do in Europe. In most places there, kids grow up having wine with dinner and alcohol and drunk driving is hardly a problem.

Well said!

[SoontobeMrsClark07]

There are people like my sister and her friends who make me vote no on this one. They are not responsible at all when they drink, however they have a 21 year old buying alcohol for them which isnt very responsible either. Adside from my sister, I have mixed feelings about this debate.

[CarlosHoney]

I think that there isn't really a magic age where you are responsible to drink, vote, make adult decisions, etc. I'm quite fond of the more relaxed sensibility about alcohol. If you forbid it and make it a taboo, of course your kids are going to go nuts. I got all that out of my system, and now that I am 21, I've barely had any alcohol. Mainly with dinner at a restaurant. We still have the unpoened champaigne from the wedding. :)

I think that it should be lowered, just because it doesn't really stop anyone from getting booze.

[Valmai]

In the UK its 18 - legally here ur an adult at 18 and can do the same as anyone of 28 or 38! x

[LizabethDavis]

I think it is really messed up. I think that either the drinking age should be lowered or everything else should be elevated to 21. I have a hard time understanding why you can enlist in the army, work in a strip club, pose for Playboy, get a tattoo, smoke a cigarette, vote for our leaders and get married but a margarita is out of the question?! If they aren't mature enough to have a drink why are they mature enough to pick the president?

I also think that maybe this country should view alcohol as they do in Europe. In most places there, kids grow up having wine with dinner and alcohol and drunk driving is hardly a problem.

Exactly. I don't think I need to say anything else!

[70707Bride]

I know that it used to be 18 when my mom was growing up. But I voted no. I think that having a older drinking age helps a little, but regardless of the drinking age, people will drink anyway, so what's the difference? If you want to drink, you're gonna find the way.

[AllyM1]

You could drink alcohol when my mom and dad were a lot younger, but the level of alcohol in the beer or what not was a lot lower.

I can't really add anything else, Melissa said it perfectly.

[WhiskeyGirl]

Well here in my neck of the woods of Canada the legal drinking age is 18. I was a responsible drinker at that age and don't feel that everyone should be singled out because others can't be responsible. I have been drinking since I was 12 and only ever had alcohol poisoning once! I have only had two experiences where i don't remember where I was or how I got there. I think as long as parent's raise their children right, there shoudl be no reason not to have a legal drinking age of 18.

[Jenn060306]

Here the legal drinking age is 19.
If you can make all this major decisions in your life like stated in other posts you should be able to have a drink. I do feel like there should be more education about it growing up.

[rainbowtreat]

I think it should stay the same. Yes kids will find a way to drink if they want to drink but drinking impairs their jungment. Yes they can make the choice to do all that other stuff once they are 18 but I dont see the harm in making them wait a couple of more years to be able to go to a bar and have a drink. I think having the chance to do that other stuff will give them a peek at being a responable adult. I know when I was growing up we all jsut walked across the border to Canada to go to the bars and I would say that about 75% of the people there were Americans my age. As I said we found a way. But it doenst make it right.