In europe (more specifically denmark ^^) the drinking age is 16. We start drinking at a early age though, but usually not enough to get drunk.. I believe that this gives us more of a familiarity with alcohol, and drinking in general, and our limits, etc.
When I first came to the US, honestly i was surprised by the way teens (any age, but mostly like 18-21ish) are completely stupid with alcohol. I believe that, because they start drinking so late, they don't know their limits, or how much gets them completely shit faced.. Because they can legally consume alcohol, they start drinking too much, to the point of harming themselves.. and the fact that the driving age is so low doesn't really help either..
I'm not sure if lowering the drinking age would fix this, but from what I've seen in europe it might work/. though europe is different in the way that we have a drinking culture, whereas americans don't really seem to have that..

a bit off topic: I think its ridiculous how the drinking age (21) is so high, while the driving age (15 1/2) is so low.. by drinking you mostly only harm yourself, but by driving you can take the life of other people//

My friend is debating this for communications class.

Her and I both believe that the drinking age should be lowered. But not to 18. I'm for lowering it to 19; for the same principal that, "If you can get drafted, you should be able to vote and drink and blah blah blah"

I see no harm. However, I don't like the idea of the drinking age being lowered to 18, those kids are still in high school, and have access to high school kids. There's more of a risk that the 18-year-olds will sneak booze in for their classmates right?

In addition, if we lower the drinking age, it is highly probable that there will be less trouble with underage drinking, we don't want what we can access freely right?

the age limit is 18 here.. in england!!! so yeh.. tho i started drinking when i was 13

Wait...wait.

At eighteen I can join the army, live on my own, buy a gun, and smoke. You mean I can't go and drink myself to death? Shiiit. [/sarcasm]

I truly do think the drinking age should be lowered, but at the same time they also need to make the laws a lot stricter. An eighteen year old is legally an adult who can go join the army, buy a guy, and buy a pack of cigarettes. I can die for my county, and yet I can not go to a store and buy a bottle of beer.

There are a lot of teenagers and young adults (18 to 21) who drink simply because it is illegal. There are people out there that think it is cool to drink knowing that there is a risk that they can get in trouble. Some of my friends who are 24 and 25 talk about how they used to drink a lot...then they turned 21.

In short: Lower it, makes laws stricter for everyone.

Originally Posted by padfootsy

-please don't try to counter my above statement by saying that '13 year olds will just start drinking then' because, newsflash: they already are.

True.

T

I don't know if anyone's brought this up, but apparently the 21 number is based on how long it takes the human brain to fully develop. Before then, too much alcohol can keep one's brain from developing properly. I don't know if this is true, but if experiences count for anything, I'd believe that underage drinking rots some people's brains.

I don't drink at all....So...I honestly think that the drinking age should stay at 21. If i had children, i wouldn't want them getting crap faced at like 14....Mostly 21 people are on their own, and their's free choice to buy their own booze and get smash faced. I have alot of friends that do it...I just have never enjoyed it myself.....I don't really see a problem with 21 being a ligitamite age.

Part of the reason, I believe, that kids like to get drunk is because it is rebellious and illegal and exciting. If you allow them to have a taste of alcohol, they see it isn't some magical fun drink and won't just binge on their first time. I've drunken beer and wine, and it is an acquired taste, but since my parents allowed me to drink a sip or two when I ask, it isn't so amazing to me and I'm not an alcoholic or messed up and I'm less likely to get drunk when I go out to parties when I do and they serve alcohol since I won't get all "ALCOHOL, TIME TO PARTY!!!!" If you look to other countries, I'm pretty sure most of them don't have an age limit on alcohol and they have less drunken incidents.

That may be true as a motivator to sneak a drink or two, but what really motivates the party drinking that comprises most of underage drinking is peer pressure. If alcohol is more freely available, I think that it will only exacerbate the partying problem.

Perhaps, then you have to consider the rebellion factor...

Many youths do things that they wouldn't ordinarily do just to make them seem grown-up, and well, "mature", even though it's not. Like cussing? Kids do it to sound like adults; adults with mid-life crisis symptoms do it to sound like kids. -_-"

And the fact that children consider their parents too strict, makes them want to show that the parents aren't totally in control...

The reduced age limit would reduce the adrenaline risk factor, but like Rosebleed said, it'd make alcohol more widely available. But if it's not illegal, will the demand for it increase? It doesn't matter what the supply is, as long as there is enough.

It would merely introduce the adrenaline factor to an even younger set of kids, I would think. The teens and tweens who think it's daring to sneak a smoke would be moving on to drinking if they were just that close to the legal age.

Hmm...I wouldn't think so. :/

If they're closer, it reduces the risk of them being caught, you see? So it wouldn't be all that risky and exciting...

Seriously, what's so good about alcohol anyway? My parents made me drink and it doesn't taste good xP

Some people like being able to surrender to drunken dissipation. They believe that it is fun and that it makes them more fun to be around. Others think it helps them relax or alleviates social awkwardness.

Some people like the risk associated with unnecessary activities; others take it to remedy depression or take their minds off of the real world, or to help them concentrate, because it does, in small quantities.

Then, some people who take it for leisure begin to depend upon it...

Just sayin', but alcohol does shrink the brain. -_-"

I mean, personally, I'd take up skydiving. I kinda like to remember enjoying myself...

I wouldn't really want t drink alcohol, especially being the underage youth I am, seeing as I am rather irrational, headstrong, and immature without alcohol. Which would make me more insane.

And I'd never want to hurt the people that value to me over reckless decisions; I wouldn't want them to see me do stuff like that, or suffer as a result of my actions after taking alcohol.

I'd rather go have picnics in the park with that person I like. Goddamn, I'm so cheesy. xD

Not like she'd really want to go have a picnic with me anyways, but the likelihood would be even more remote if I chose to use drugs at such a young age.

I dont really know if i think there even should be a rule to when you can drink or not.. I just wish everyone would be responsible enough with their drinking. But people rarely are responsible..

I honestly believe that this is more of a political issue then a safety one.
Before 1984, the drinking age WAS 18. Thanks to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, states were, more or less blackmailed by a conservatively run government to raise there drinking ages, or lose federal funding.
Blackmail with a fancy name if you ask me.
I'm only glad they've yet to mess with the voting age, since there are still some like my dad who believe it should raised back to 21.:o

Nothing wrong with conservatives; please don't use the word in a negative context, especially with political issues...it's kinda ironic to use politically-sensitive adjectives to describe an event in politics.

However, despite not agreeing with some so-called "conservative" ideals, I sort of agree, this time. Drinking isn't like tobacco or anything; when used too much, the altered state of mind is dangerous; unlike nicotine's tendency to sharpen senses, alcohol dangerously lowers the time lapse between transmission of reactions from the brain to the peripheral nervous system.

It's safer, and all the people really lose are a few taxes and some fun, for like three years.

Three years...big deal, right? It's just safer...it'd probably raise the insurance rates on teens, too. I mean, if there are a small, irresponsible group that just commits reckless activity even if most of us don't, it'd still make us look bad as a whole.

So while most teens might be irresponsible, there are just some people that don't get responsibility. And because the consequences are literally deadly, they can't be ignored.

Having said this, I hope that those irresponsible gits get some sense knocked into them in their three years of waiting...as opposed to being the same irresponsible gits at 18. I mean, think about it...after three years of sustaining yourself and paying taxes, a lot must change.

Not that I'm past 18, though. xD

Hell no.
We don't need more irresponsible drunk teenagers getting into fights and getting into car crashes.
Teens are the number one reason for car crashes.

Sooo...its alright for us to smoke our lungs out but not drink our kidneys and livers to death, too? I personaly think that people my age should not be able to smoke if they cant drink too.

Well, I don't think you get into car accidents, big fights/random sex/embarrassing situations you don't remember, and loose equilibrium for over-smoking, at least not in one day.

Smoking is a different type of drug. You get more alert with consumption of nicotine as it is a stimulant, unlike alcohol, which makes you progressively dizzier as it is a depressant.

It's not like the two are entirely incomparable, guys. If drinkers are irresponsible, their behavior can cause damage. If smokers are irresponsible, their second-hand smoke can cause damage.

In any case, many teenagers will drink, regardless of the law. I guarantee you that many teenage smokers will continue to smoke, even if you raise the minimum age to 21. The real question is whether or not those teens should be spending time locked up for it.

I saw this being discussed on The Colbert Report a while ago.
Honestly, kids are gonna drink and do drugs anyways. At my school, almost everyone drinks. So it doesn't really matter if you lower it.