Do you think the drinking age should be 18 again?

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Maybe we should be talking about instead raising the age to go into the military, vote, etc, to 21 from 18...I know more than a few 18 years olds that wouldn't even be able to point to Afghanistan or Georgia (the country) on a map, much less made educated decisions on politics, public service, and alcohol consumption.

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Yep, I'm digging this line of reasoning :gj:

Ok I have a rather differing opinion than most here it seems so bare with me please :please:

Ahe risk of being hung drawn and quatered I voted no, because I believe that there are too many negatives attached to drinking at a young age and the more rouned , grounded and mature you are the better you will handle drinking.

I believe that there are alot of youngsters who just are not mature enough or resposible enough to handle it. I know there are many youngsters and I see some on here that seem very well put together etc and come across very well but whatever way you look at it drinking is mind altering and does influence behavior.

I do sympathise with the if you can fight for your country etc you should be able to drink but thats a seperate issue. Drinking is not something that will have an adverse affect on your growth as a human being if your not allowed it when a teenager.

There are no positives, or anything, that would substantiate an arguement for drinking at a young age imo that offer any kind of incentive to encourage it.

Drunk driving, rapes, muggings,assualts,unwanted pregnancy all kinds of erratic behavior can and have been documented as such as being due to or part of alcohol abuse whether it be a regular or infrequent thing.

The worst thing to happen imo from "Not" lowering the age is the statistics will be slightly less in drunk related crime in whatever form, than if it is reduced.


I think in terms of maturity overall there is a huge difference from your early to late teens when talking a couple of years as apposed to some one in their 30's or 40's. By that I mean someone 15 if you see them 3 years later at 18 there is both physical and mental growth as apposed to seeing a 30 year old at 33.

In short I think there are more positives than negatives to not lowering the age ;) now where is my beer I put down :D

Well I was born and raise in a country where the drinking age is 18 (which is the legal age for everything driving, drinking, voting etc) and I can tell you from my experience that binge drinking and other alcohol related issues are not encountered as much as they are here.

Not sure if it is the age or the fact that people are more open about alchol (among other things) in France but there is definitely a respect and more moderation where I come from.

I say NO!!!!!! i just turned 21 let me live it up for like a year then they can change it haha

I think the drinking age should be 21 still. I'm probably alone on this, but I don't care. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the drinking age is lowered to 18, then you're going to have more driving fatalities and accidents because more kids will have access to alcohol. Plus, like someone else said crimes will go up as a result. I think only negative consequences can come from this.

Last time I checked we weren't forcing people to enlist anymore. People who are fighting right now for our country signed up to be there, And while I personally think they all Deserve a huge Beer,I don't think we should reconsider the drinking age for civilians because you can volunteer for the military at 18? Voting is one thing, and that age has been changed...and rightfully remains at the legal age for enlistment. A 20 yo Navy Private volunteered to serve a country that enforces a drinking age, and our country enforces these limits for a reason. Military duty, the policies surrounding it, and the enlistment age should have nothing to do with the legallity of alcohol, or the age at which civilians should be able drink it. Unless I am mistaken once you join the miltary you sign away a lot of the rights that you posses as a civilian anyway, and you live under a whole different set of rules. Civilian Life and Military Life are completely different, and knowing how some poilicies with our military run, I am suprised alcohol is permitted in the armed forces at all. For the sake of the soldiers I am glad they are allowed to enjoy the occasional drink, But the argument about fighting for our country when you can't even have a drink lost its weight when we stopped forcively drafting kids into the military right out of highschool.

Some statistics on DWI offenders.

http://www.subboard.com/legal/inform...ackets/dwi.asp

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What Age Group Constitutes the Typical DWI Offender?

Throughout the United States, 61.4 percent of those arrested for DWI offenses fall into the 25 to 44-age range, slightly above the age of the traditional college student. The second highest age range, at 24.5 percent is the college student age – individuals 18 to 24. Individuals 45 to 54 composed 8.5 percent, 55 to 64 accounted for 3.3 percent, and individuals under 18 constituted 1.0 percent.

These statistics indicate that the effects of DWI touch all groups and ages in the United States. There is not single isolated group that persistently violates DWI laws. This class of criminal activity is not confined to a single race or age, but is a problem that effects all groups. Education and awareness efforts must be aimed at all individuals to prevent the potentially destructive consequences of DWI.

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at 18.. You can get married.. move out.. die for your country... choose the president..buy ciggarettes... and many more.. Hell, all of that makes me want a shot right now :D

No, Simply because I am 21 now and I feel that it's something to look forward to! As well as Vegas. I love Vegas and I just got back, you really should be an adult before you can get the booze. As for the military thing, they will take young people to fill positions, you are made to be responsible in the military while giving a 18yr old alcohol is often the opposite of responsible.

anyone that says no is rediculous!
the people voting no are most likely parents of a teen or had no friends in high school... either way... you ALL know you were drinking before 21

we are the ONLY country in the world were you have to be 21. I drank more when i was 18 than i do now (21) even when it was illegal so legallize it. I also wont have to worry bout gettin a ticket for hookin up my lil bro and his friends (who are 18) up cuz the country is ran by a buch of prudes with too tight of an A hole. thats just how i feel..

PARTY! :banana:

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Originally Posted by SoCaliSon

Last time I checked we weren't forcing people to enlist anymore. People who are fighting right now for our country signed up to be there, And while I personally think they all Deserve a huge Beer,I don't think we should reconsider the drinking age for civilians because you can volunteer for the military at 18? Voting is one thing, and that age has been changed...and rightfully remains at the legal age for enlistment. A 20 yo Navy Private volunteered to serve a country that enforces a drinking age, and our country enforces these limits for a reason. Military duty, the policies surrounding it, and the enlistment age should have nothing to do with the legallity of alcohol, or the age at which civilians should be able drink it. Unless I am mistaken once you join the miltary you sign away a lot of the rights that you posses as a civilian anyway, and you live under a whole different set of rules. Civilian Life and Military Life are completely different, and knowing how some poilicies with our military run, I am suprised alcohol is permitted in the armed forces at all. For the sake of the soldiers I am glad they are allowed to enjoy the occasional drink, But the argument about fighting for our country when you can't even have a drink lost its weight when we stopped forcively drafting kids into the military right out of highschool.

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I am an E-5 in the US Navy currently Stationed at Camp Pendleton Ca sorry socalison but i have to hit you on something lol in the Navy we are called seamen, firemen, airmen, corpsmen or constructionmen until you hit E-4 where you earn the title of petty officer as for the ability to drink at age 18 on base that is no longer so and its changing everstill when i first enlisted 7 years ago the drinking age is the same as what ever country you are currently in unless as in the case with the navy you are out to sea for 45 consecutive days then you get what we call a beer day where as long as you are 18 you get 2 and only 2 beers even though you are technically on US Sovereign territory. but as i mentioned before they are starting to change the rules and alot of captains of ships are enforcing when you pull into a port of call that even if the legal drinking age is 18 you cannot drink unless 21 as well as some units in the Marine corps are doing the same thing as much as it appears a vast majority of the general public thinks that the age should be 18 it is highly unlikely it will change. as for us in the military you are correct we do live under a whole different set of rules first and foremost if i show up late for work i can literally be grounded (as most people would call it just like a kid) and have pay taken away for up to 45 days. any mistake in my life weather it be personal or at work can ruin the rest of my life to the extent i cannot even get a job at McDonalds or Walmart. we take that burden along with the rest such as being away from our friends and family for extended periods of time with pride and honor because we that is what allows all of us to be doing what you and I are doing right now in this very forum...

It jumps right out at you that he called a Navy guy a Private doesn't it?. But I must tell you that while a member of the military is governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice while he is in there and they would like you to believe that a Court Martial that you may receive for some foolish infraction in the military will follow you into civilian life it does not no matter what they tell you. If you are court martialed for something that is a Felony in the real world than you will have a Felony on your record. But if you are court martialed for something that is not a crime but just some baloney put on you by some officer it won't hinder you at all. I received a General Court Martial for eating a hamburger on guard duty by a Yankee hating Lieutenant from Northern Florida 30 some years ago and was told by my Battalion Commander that I would be unemployable when I got out of the Army. I was put on guard duty while standing in line to enter the mess hall because a guy on guard duty went on emergency leave and I was ordered to take his place. My friend brought me a hamburger because I had missed dinner. This Lieutenant was quite proud of himself for bringing me to justice for such a serious crime. I made a good living after I got out. Nobody in the real world cared that I had eaten a hamburger. Only a military mind could be concerned about something such as this. :salute:

Lol...I apologize for that mistake...I was typing on the fly...and admittedly am not completly savy in all the ranking terminology. Sorry bout that.

i have mixed feelings.
me being 17, and yes i have drank.
and i know many many others who have too.
i feel that if its lowered to 18 more kids will drink illegally, BUT i feel that if you are a adult and can fight for our country you should too.....


i dont really have a one sided opinion.

I voted for it being changed back to 18, if your an adult at 18 then you should have all rights privalges and resposibilties of an adult at that age. That being said As I spent 3 years in germany while in the army I think they have the right idea over there. I am not shure the acutal drinking age it's some where between 12 and 16 I know you can be in a club and drink till midnight alone by the time your 18 over there. I think you are allowed to drink in public with family earlier.That being said they do things a bit different over there too when I was stationed over there the cost of a drivers liscence was around 1500 marks so most people didn't get their drivers liscense till they were much older then we do here in the states. Secondly most towns of any decent size had busses, cabs, street cars and or trains, that ran most hours of the night for very cheap I think it was less then 5 marks to get home on the street car in darmstadt while I was there. So while most people over there have years to get drinking irresposiably out of their system before being able to drive unlike here, I think that might be one thing to look at. Another thing is to make drinking an driving a felony and anyone that kills or injures someone while under the influcence of drugs or alcohol face muder one charges. That should get the point of drinking responsibly over loud and clear.

I voted yes...

I dunno, maybe I'm just weird in my train of thought. But I came from a very well-to-do family, but ever since I was 15 I drank with my parents in the privacy of our house, I've held a job, paid for my own car, paid for all the dates I took my girlfriends on, my own cellphone, and all my animals. Heck, I still pay all my bills for college/housing as well. I believe full and well that even though I have a crazy/goofy sense of humor I was ready to handle alcohol in a mature fashion on my own probably before I turned 18. Not too mention if we made alcohol even less of a taboo then the sheer desire to binge drink would greatly lessen as the thrill of getting caught would lessen. I just have to wonder why oh so many years ago a 14 yr old would be about as mature as a modern 25 yr old? What happened over the years? why did they have to push back the arbitrary date of accountability for ones actions so far, did the pamper and tell them everythings going to be alright method not work too well?

I have all kinds of opinions (for and against) on this subject and couldn't figure out a way to type them all out in any graceful way- just kept jumping around. That said, I'll boil it down to one sentence.

Being a legal adult DOES NOT automatically make you responsible and mature enough to make responsible decisions- especially where alcohol is involved.

EDIT: I'd also like to add that 4 members of my senior class (all 18yo) died before graduation- 3 of them from alcohol related incidents.

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Originally Posted by dsirkle

It jumps right out at you that he called a Navy guy a Private doesn't it?. But I must tell you that while a member of the military is governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice while he is in there and they would like you to believe that a Court Martial that you may receive for some foolish infraction in the military will follow you into civilian life it does not no matter what they tell you. If you are court martialed for something that is a Felony in the real world than you will have a Felony on your record. But if you are court martialed for something that is not a crime but just some baloney put on you by some officer it won't hinder you at all. I received a General Court Martial for eating a hamburger on guard duty by a Yankee hating Lieutenant from Northern Florida 30 some years ago and was told by my Battalion Commander that I would be unemployable when I got out of the Army. I was put on guard duty while standing in line to enter the mess hall because a guy on guard duty went on emergency leave and I was ordered to take his place. My friend brought me a hamburger because I had missed dinner. This Lieutenant was quite proud of himself for bringing me to justice for such a serious crime. I made a good living after I got out. Nobody in the real world cared that I had eaten a hamburger. Only a military mind could be concerned about something such as this. :salute:

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indeed in a matter of courts martial where you get tried by jury but still remain enlisted in the military it will not affect you but in the matter of Non Judiciary Punishment (which im not sure if it is simply a case where the navy and marine corps only do this or if it is a matter of a different era) or NJP as we like to call it, this is where you go and get tried for "crimes" you have committed just like your eating of a hamburger and the judge jury and executioner is your commanding officer the result of this could range anywhere from being put on restriction to being discharged under less than honorable terms the former does not stick around but the latter definately will and to further worsen it if you recieve a dishonorable, bad conduct or less than honorable discharge you cannot work for anyone who has any contract with the Navy which now days is almost any company you can think of and all of this hinges on weather or not your commanding officer is having a good day and believe me i have seen people get discharged through NJP for matters far less pressing than even eating a hamburger on watch

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Originally Posted by andwhy6

anyone that says no is rediculous!
the people voting no are most likely parents of a teen or had no friends in high school... either way... you ALL know you were drinking before 21

thats just how i feel..

PARTY! :banana:

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so I am rediculous and had no friends at high school exactly the kind of attitude that shows a lack of maturity.

I done a few things before the legal age doesn't make it right.

thats just how I feel:P

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Originally Posted by dsirkle

I'm really setting myself up here, but it does seem that people put on the mantle of responsibility at a much later age than they did 30 years ago, IE: leave home, get married, have children, assume financial responsibility etc, and that they seem to bear this responsibility with much less success today. I know the age statistics of the forum members. I am prepared to get it with both barrels.

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You won't get it from me. I may be an old broad but I still am amazed at how much younger 18 is now then it was when I hit that age. :rolleyes:

Rich, those stats are backed up for me anyways by my own experience years ago working in a small town police department. In that blue collar community, where most everyone worked in a factory, the VAST majority of our drunk drivers were grown men. Men that should have known better but just had to get that car home from the bar. Sadly we had a lot of drunk drivers back then and most were not teens/young adults. Our young poeple even back then were far better educated about drinking and driving and also grew up under a system that more heavily penalized that activity.

Look it's simple for me. You are a legal adult at age 18 for a lot of things. You can marry, fight and die for your country, enter and be held liable to a legal contract, get a credit card, sign a lease, etc. You can live as any adult does except for the ability to have a beer. I think in making this one thing illegal it just makes it all that much more interesting. For me, either you are an adult or you aren't and this ridiculous thing of making the line here for one thing but here for another just is silly.

As far as parental involvement, if you haven't taught your kid by age 18 that certain activities are just plain stupid (drinking and driving in this case) - well I don't think they are going to get it by age 21. For me and mine, age 18 means you're an adult in this house. If you want to act like a stupid kid or act one moment like a child, then the other like a grown-up - too bad for you, you'll still be expected to face any consequence like the adult you are. I love my kids but I don't intend to raise a group of living at home with mom, acting like a kid when I darn well know I delivered your butt 25 years ago pseudo-adults. I've watched some of my friends do that and sorry but I think that disrespects the whole child/parent relationship and is just plain silly.

The line should be clear....now you are a child...now you are an adult with all the freedoms and responsibilities that entails. Your job as a parent is to teach them and get them ready for that line to be crossed, celebrate that they've reached that age and then let them live it, good or bad.

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Originally Posted by andwhy6

anyone that says no is rediculous!
the people voting no are most likely parents of a teen or had no friends in high school... either way... you ALL know you were drinking before 21

we are the ONLY country in the world were you have to be 21.
Sh1t i drank more when i was 18 than i do now (21) even when it was illegal so legallize it. I also wont have to worry bout gettin a ticket for hookin up my lil bro and his friends (who are 18) up cuz the country is ran by a buch of prudes with too tight of an A hole. thats just how i feel..

PARTY! :banana:

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I had not voted up til now but this post has persuaded me to vote no. I was a member of the US military when I was under the age of 21. In fact I had completed my full enlistment and was honorably discharged before reaching the age of 21.To me this post personifies the declining maturity level of of many young people today because of their lack of having any personal responsibilities in today's society.

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Originally Posted by dsirkle

I had not voted up til now but this post has persuaded me to vote no. I was a member of the US military when I was under the age of 21. In fact I had completed my full enlistment and was honorably discharged before reaching the age of 21.To me this post personifies the declining maturity level of of many young people today because of their lack of having any personal responsibilities in today's society.

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Im going to have to strongly agree with this post. Today's 18 year olds are not nearly as mature as they think they are.( i can attest to thinking i was FAR more mature than i really was at 18...) And sorely lack the responsibility level that i feel is required when you drink in a public setting. and actually many, lack any real responsibility at all... Instead of working, theyre calling in to hang out with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends ( dont get me wrong, i was there too!) Im speaking from experience, and personal knowledge of the 18 year olds i do know. They just arent at that level of knowing when, to say when.

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Originally Posted by Gooseman

I just have to wonder why oh so many years ago a 14 yr old would be about as mature as a modern 25 yr old? What happened over the years? why did they have to push back the arbitrary date of accountability for ones actions so far, did the pamper and tell them everythings going to be alright method not work too well?

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You pretty much hit that nail right on the head there, Ben. Our society of give them a sticker for everything, they can't be allowed to know failure, my child is perfect and can do no wrong is paying a high price in the overly slow maturity level of some of our young people. While there are some shining examples of young adulthood, as there have always been, there are a distressingly high number of adults well into their 20's that quite honestly act and live like they are 14...and then brag about it!

I assume it shows my age but in my high school days we partied, we did stuff we likely should not have done but everyone of us was dying to graduate, become an adult, get a job and our own place (or go off to college). We wanted to be independent of our parents, we ached to be adults. Today I see more and more of my friends supporting their adult children while they "find themselves".

Find themselves? LMAO Any of mine can't "find themselves" will get a word from me about finding a job, finding an apartment and finding some moving boxes. I love my children ever last one of them but I'll have failed miserably as a parent if I fail to raise them into adults that are quite happily independent of mommy's apron strings.

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Originally Posted by andwhy6

anyone that says no is rediculous!
the people voting no are most likely parents of a teen or had no friends in high school... either way... you ALL know you were drinking before 21

we are the ONLY country in the world were you have to be 21.
Sh1t i drank more when i was 18 than i do now (21) even when it was illegal so legallize it. I also wont have to worry bout gettin a ticket for hookin up my lil bro and his friends (who are 18) up cuz the country is ran by a buch of prudes with too tight of an A hole. thats just how i feel..

PARTY! :banana:

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Well sorry to say but that shows that even at age 21 you are still thinking like a rather immature 14 year old dear (my apologies to most 14 year olds lol). I voted yes and I'm a parent of four so your assumptions are like most assumptions - well off base.

It's something to note, however, that my four know better than to use a keyboard to insult others or brag about illegally providing their younger siblings with alcohol.

Do keep partying on. I bet it's just doing you the world of good and setting a fine *cough* example for those younger sibs of yours. :rolleyes:

i say yes .. i live about 30 min from canada where i spent almost every weekend from my 19th birthday till my 21st at the bars, along with a great deal of other 19-21 yr old americans. alot of the bars in winsor are close to having more americans than canadians in them. i have seen no ill effects from any of this. its just shows that people under 21 can also behave when givin the responsablity of being able to drink.

I had to say No. It should not go directly back to age 18. I think if you are 17, 18, 19, or 20 with a parent or spouse they should be allowed to buy a drink and give it to you with the understanding they are taking resposibility for you until the alcohol is out of your system. Military men and women should be allowed to drink on base during non-duty hours at the age of 18 as long as their residence is on base.:salute:

if it was 18, then anyone in highschool will have very very easy access to alcohol through the seniors. I wouldnt complain if it was 18 my life would be made a little easier :D

in all seriousness i think it should be 19 so not many high schoolers could buy it. I think that its 21 mainly so the drinking starts in college at about ~18 yo and not at ~14yo in freshman year

18 why the heck not. These politicians today are way to uptight.:8::8::8::8::8::8:

its not fun unless its illegal

I;ll be 21 in October...no more fake id's for me

connie has really made an impact w/ this thread! look at this! :

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26320912/?GT1=43001

way to go connie, you have gotten the attention of mainstream media!

Nope, not to say that people are more mature when they're 21 than when they're 18 but generally they are at least a little bit. I just turned 21 this year, but honestly I was drinking LONG before that. :P

I think one of the main reasons we have such a problem with alcohol here in the U.S is because of the drinking age. Alcohol is made taboo by so many and it is the fact that is such a "bad thing" that is causing so many issues. Take for example my best friend and I. In my friend's house, she was not allowed alcohol at all. I believe the only bit of alcohol she got was when she was about 17, she got a sip of wine from one of her parents and the other parent wasn't happy about it. When she went to college, she began going to parties and getting drunk and carrying on. She went a little wild.

In my house, (before I moved out) alcohol is not taboo. I have been allowed a glass of wine for dinner when I wanted it. I was allowed alcohol in general if I wanted it, as long as I left the keys with a parent and didn't leave the house. Both my brother and I were raised like this. Given this freedom with alcohol, neither of us felt a need to drink and it wasn't a big deal to us. Neither of us have ever driven under the influence of alcohol. We always have a DD or do not leave the house. When I hit college, I was still underage. We went over to a friends house once a week (or less) for a few beers. We either stayed the night or had a DD.

When I finally hit the legal age of 21 (this past May) I celebrated by having a single glass of wine while watching t.v. I have not been to a bar since turning 21 or ordered an alcoholic beverage while in a restaurant.

Its all about being mature about it. If its something that is off limits and "only for grown-ups", you know there are going to be kids trying to be "grown up" and drinking. They want to prove they are adults so they drink. Its like a right of passage they want to take early. If drinking and alcohol was not made such a big deal of, we wouldn't have half as many problems as we do. Instead of saying "no alcohol" we should promote responsible drinking, educate about the effects of alcohol and the safe way to drink.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Its all about being mature about it. If its something that is off limits and "only for grown-ups", you know there are going to be kids trying to be "grown up" and drinking. They want to prove they are adults so they drink. Its like a right of passage they want to take early. If drinking and alcohol was not made such a big deal of, we wouldn't have half as many problems as we do. Instead of saying "no alcohol" we should promote responsible drinking, educate about the effects of alcohol and the safe way to drink.

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You sound very responsible and reasonable, the only thing I would say there playing devils advocate a bit is:

If it is all about being mature unfortunately people mature at different stages and you get alot of people who take a long time to mature.

The whole point of it being off limits is not everyone is as mature or responsible unfortunately.

Kids wanting to be like adults and drinking just emphasizes how immature they actually are. Your right in they think its a right of passage and also that it is Early thats the problem there ...Early is not good.

If drinking and alcohol was not made such a big deal of then we would have drunken kids all over the place how can that be a good thing?

we should promote responsible drinking, educate about the effects of alcohol and the safe way to drink, I agree with this part completely and part of being safe is drinking when you are allowed to not before.

just my opinion however, I remember drinking too early as a kid and it did not serve me well or make me a better or mature person.

Kids imo need to try to be mature about it and realise everything (or most things) come to those who wait , when the time is right.

I see parralells with sex in society as well with kids wanting to be like adults and do that as well before they are legally supposed to but thats another thread in itself.:)

You can join the military at age 17 and go straight to the desert to die for your country. Now, you can't vote for the leaders of that country or have a beer or two. At the same time, you couldn't even vote to change that law if it ever came up! But the law makers and enforcers sure do appreciate you dying a year before you could ever vote and 4 years before you could ever drink a little beer.
To me, that's ridiculous. How can anybody say that someone under the age of 21 or 18 is not "fully mature" or can't handle the responsibility of drinking alcohol? So this person is not ready for this crazy dangerous thing called beer, but he's definitely mature enough to go kill people and be killed and watch his battle buddies die and so on and so forth? I think the business of killing takes a much more responsible person, than the big huge scary responsibility of drinking a beer, or two.

absolutly not.i think it should be pushed up to 25 and drivers licences should be upped to 21

to the people that say 18 is ok cuz of the military wow!the only reason our government allows 18 year olds to enlist is there bodies are fit for war.at 18 90% are not close to mature and to put a gun in there hands to fight for our country is wrong.being in this young state going to a war and fighting is severly damaging them to the point were when they come back they are never the same.look at all the wars faught and tell me its not true.this is way more irresponsible than letting kids drink because at 18 you are a kid period!who cares you can buy ciggerettes or lotto tickets.it doesnt make you an adult.im not saying no 18 year olds are mature but parents if your out there how would you rate your 18 year old on a maturity level?would you be confident after a night of drinking they would find a safe way home?even fully grown adults have this problem and to lower the age would only give older high school kids the ability to buy for all the underage children alchohal and some would do it just to be cool and gain friends.i am disturbed by this,as if the roads werent dangerous enough already.come on people!

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

Either it should go to 18 or they should raise the age for people to enlist in the army to 21.

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If they up the enlistment age, theyd never get as many people. They gotta catch these kids fresh out of school when they dont know any better !!! :D

[QUOTE=littleindiangirl;856951]Is drinking and driving the SOLE reason you believe the drinking age should be 21? Nothing else comes to mind? Is drinking to blame for it all??

drinking alch severely impairs ones judgment and decision making and an 18 year old kid has a hard time with this sober.i can also see a rise in violent behavior in bars/clubs due to the immature/drunk state of mind(there are enough hard asses at bars clubs already,and i see this making it alot worse).also at 18 your brain is still under construction and does not need brain cells being killed when indeed the brain is working hard to develop.also having the option to buy alch at this age is horrible in the sence that they can get booz any night of the week leaving them very prone to becomming a alchoholic at this age.note,none of this is driving related

Do any of you really think the drinking age really matters to a teenager that wants to drink some booze? It is just a 'technicality'....

....lmao....this is funny question to argue over. People have been making the push to stop kids from smoking and drinking....yet the most abused substances for teens are not alchol or tobacco.

When I was 15, I could get pot, pills, etc. just as easily as I could get alchol. It has nothing to do with laws. I could have gotten anything I wanted.......but I didn't ;)

EVERY child has access to drugs and alchol....if you do not believe so, then you need a reality check. Laws mean nothing. Parents put too much focus on 'laws' instead of focusing on raising their kids to be able to resist abusing substances and making bad decisions.

Funny thing though......a recent survey stated more parents were concerned over their children playing violent video games than drinking booze.....priorities I guess...better to have a child become a drug addict than a mass murderer....

I like the 'nothing until 21' comments too......people baby their 'kids' too much.

I know people that were responsible 'adults' when they were 16 years old.

I say no to changing it to 18. I have a brother - n- law that gets real stupid when he drinks, he still acts alot like an 18 yr old at times. Don't get me wrong their are plenty of " age " drinkers that act stupid but adding a younger drunk to the many problems are ready is not a good thing :colbert::colbert:

I personally despise alcohol and have many reasons to hate it.

Most of you couldn't understand how much alcohol has effected my life to a point of hate. I will never drink. People think I don't mean that, but really, I'd rather not shut down my brain.

No one who has personal contact as family or good friends is allowed to drink around me and they respect it and understand.

I don't have to tell anyone why I hate it. It's really none of your business, so please don't ask. There are some specific people on here that I would tell if they asked but unless you suspect your one of them, don't.
I don't personally think alcohol has any similarity to military, cigarettes, or any other reasons involving the age 18. It's a completely different subject but I do understand your reasoning. I just can't stand what alcohol does, and I don't want it to ever exist in my life again.

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Originally Posted by mikeamy2007

If they up the enlistment age, theyd never get as many people. They gotta catch these kids fresh out of school when they dont know any better !!! :D

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You think these men and women signing up for the military don't know any better? Then how about you either give up your rights as an American that these troops are willing to die for or stand in front of them next time the bullets start flying! :salute:

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Originally Posted by Gloryhound

You think these men and women signing up for the military don't know any better? Then how about you either give up your rights as an American that these troops are willing to die for or stand in front of them next time the bullets start flying! :salute:

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from wat i get,they never said anything about not supporting our troops.

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Originally Posted by Butters420

from wat i get,they never said anything about not supporting our troops.

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He's not talking about supporting them. He's talking about joining them.

i understand that.just not why they would have to give up there rights

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Originally Posted by Butters420

i understand that.just not why they would have to give up there rights

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As far as I see it, his innuendo concerning not knowing better is an insult to the brave men and women who join our military, the veterans who have served this country, and their judgment. It is intolerable that people insult those who have fought and volunteer to fight for the rights that they enjoy. Our men and women in uniform should be regarded as hero's and role models more so than any professional athlete or other public figure.

I've been to bars where if you are not for the local team you are likely to not get out alive. Every bar in the US should be that way when it comes to our greatest teams of all. Army, Airforce, Navy, and Marines.

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Originally Posted by Gloryhound

As far as I see it, his innuendo concerning not knowing better is an insult to the brave men and women who join our military, the veterans who have served this country, and their judgment. It is intolerable that people insult those who have fought and volunteer to fight for the rights that they enjoy. Our men and women in uniform should be regarded as hero's and role models more so than any professional athlete or other public figure.

I've been to bars where if you are not for the local team you are likely to not get out alive. Every bar in the US should be that way when it comes to our greatest teams of all. Army, Airforce, Navy, and Marines.

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i gotcha but im sure he didnt mean it as an insult at all.you make it sound like he is against the home team.wtf?its a matter of age and maturity not being against them.if any place in the united states lynched someone who dissagrees with how are goverment is running things,this would not be a free country

[QUOTE=Gloryhound;860164]You think these men and women signing up for the military don't know any better? Then how about you either give up your rights as an American that these troops are willing to die for or stand in front of them next time the bullets start flying! :salute:[/Q

I never said i dont appreciate what they do. My whole point is that if they had a few years to mull it over AFTER high school, a good portion of them may not do it. Young impressionable minds. It may not sound all that great,, but it happens all the time

This song pretty much sums up the college drinking mindset....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-jOEAufDQ4


...so sure lower the drinking age. I'm all for it.

It's so easy to drink underage and it is such a rare occurance for people to get in serious trouble.

If you lower the drinking age, people might start drinking at a younger age overall. There are some consequences, but I really could care less about the drinking age. I mostly drink in the privacy of my own home and have not had any trouble walking around the streets carrying beer from one place to another (knock on wood I also know people who can get me beer so it's no problem.

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Originally Posted by ev477

it is such a rare occurance for people to get in serious trouble.

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Really? what would one consider Rare?... i think any, is too much personally.
I have to count on two hands in the past Two years where people i know personally or situations i have heard about locally with people that have either died, or were seriously/permenantly injured due to underage drinking accidents, or OUI's ...