Do you think the drinking age should be 18 again?

[West Coast Jungle]

The reality is drinking and driving is illegal no matter what age you are so what difference does the drinking age make?

If you want to drink you are gonna get alcohol one way or the other. Drugs are illegal yet young people can get those quite easily.

In my opinion many laws are self righteous. You can kill for your country at 18 as long as you don't drink to it. Whats worse folks killing or drinking?

Like many mentioned earlier alcohol is available to minors in many European nations and ironically they have the least amount of youth related drinking problems. It teaches you something about human nature, when you tell someone(especially young people) they cant do something it makes it that much more desirable and exciting. It is only wrong because we think its wrong. In other places its not wrong so they dont think it's wrong and no one cares.

I think we need to get over ourselves and be realistic not self righteous.

[Shadera]

Nope nope....we weren't allowed to drink on any of the US bases if we were under 21, when I was in the Army.

That sucks. I served on active duty between 93-98 at WSMR and was freely allowed to drink in any of the on-post clubs or buy beer from the shoppette if I wished. Also spent quite a bit of time at Ft. Bliss partying there too. I figure that's why when I hit 21 I didn't even feel like partying anymore - got it all out of my system early. LOL

[Spaniard]

I think it should be 18 again. Alcohol was never really a big deal in my house, in fact I can remember being 12 and allowed to drink a glass of coke with some red wine in it. It was completely normal to me and there was no mystery behind it when I was in my teens. I attended parties and drank before I was 21 but never did I drink to the point of incapacitation; I just never saw the point to it. I rarely drink anymore; and most likely when I do its a bottle a wine I share with my brother when he visits or at family functions.

It just never made sense to me that I could fight for my country and get married, but not have a glass of champagne to celebrate.

[Patrick Long]

If you can fight and die for the US of A, why cant you drink?

[mischevious21]

I said yes- and in response to those saying that there will be more drinking and driving accidents, none of my friends ever did drink and drive ever, always had a DD. Also, the one person we did know that got a DUI was the one buying it for us, and he was 27- we; we had been telling him not to drive! Now a days I think that a lot more kids are growing up faster and learning responsiblity- and the fact that theres a cop at every corner lol.

[marmie]

Something to consider . . . in some circumstances parents have a legal responsibility for children 18-21 that live at home.

[Aaron Ward]

in costa rica its 18

[Broseph]

yes they do.... very good point. i voted to keep it 21.. personally i think more bad then good will come of it if that changed.

Something to consider . . . in some circumstances parents have a legal responsibility for children 18-21 that live at home.

[elevatethis]

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was nothing more than an intiative set by the Federal Government that restricted the amount of federal revenue that the states could receive, specifically for interstate highway maintenance if I remember correctly.

Its going to take a long time for this country to get over a lot of the Puritanical influence within our society and our own minds.

Logically, it makes sense to say things like, "I can join the Marines and kill terrorists but I can't drink to it in most places."

The only thing I want to point out is that 21 is like the new 18. In the US, adulthood seems to get pushed back later and later into life, and it seems like your average 18 year old today is far less developed from a maturity standpoint that an 18 year old thirty years ago was. Should these "children" be allowed to run rampant at your favorite bar? I know I don't want them at mine!

[dsirkle]

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was nothing more than an intiative set by the Federal Government that restricted the amount of federal revenue that the states could receive, specifically for interstate highway maintenance if I remember correctly.

Its going to take a long time for this country to get over a lot of the Puritanical influence within our society and our own minds.

Logically, it makes sense to say things like, "I can join the Marines and kill terrorists but I can't drink to it in most places."

The only thing I want to point out is that 21 is like the new 18. In the US, adulthood seems to get pushed back later and later into life, and it seems like your average 18 year old today is far less developed from a maturity standpoint that an 18 year old thirty years ago was. Should these "children" be allowed to run rampant at your favorite bar? I know I don't want them at mine!

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.