Should the legal age for drinking alcohol be lowered?

Topic:
Health Debates

23 Contributors
in this discussion.

Yes
48% of users

  • I support lowering the drinking age, so as to be consistent with other laws.

    When someone is 18 years old, they have the right to enlist for the military and die for their country. They have the right to vote. They can get married, without parental consent. They can do just about anything a legal adult can do, short of running for President or getting Social Security and Medicare. But, they have to wait three more years before they can legally drink. We trust them with their lives, but not alcohol?

    Yes FlakyHerb64

  • You can die for your country but can't drink a beer to celebrate surviving.

    It is ironic that someone can be married or in the military for three years, have been allowed to drive a car for five years, and have sex for three to seven years before they can legally drink beer or alcohol. Of all the risky behaviors one can indulge in, alcohol done responsibly has less risk than a car crash or an unplanned baby. It should be legal at 18 as long as one doesn't get drunk and drive.

    Yes Pir4And

  • It would reduce alcohol-related harm/death in the 18-25 yo range.

    As someone pointed out, the US has way more problems with alcohol poisoning and drunk driving than comparable countries in Europe. This is because of the novelty/secrecy involved in "underage" drinking. One of my classes at the college I attend was asked who would be less likely to report alcohol-related harm (ie. alcohol poisoning) if they knew the consumer was underage; everyone raised their hand. This is scary! I think this shows that lowering the drinking age could actually cater to the greater good of the population in that drinkers would be safer. As a college student (I can only speak from my experience), I can't think of any of my peers whose drinking behavior changed when they turned 21. Either they had already been drinking since graduating high school, or they didn't drink, and when they turned 21 they still didn't drink. As mentioned, 18 is just a much more logical age to allow drinking. It's when every other adult privilege is allowed. Also, for all of the "no" responses, you guys are talking about kids developing alcoholism and referring to 18-21 year-olds as "youngsters"! It's not like we're talking about lowering the drinking age to 12.

    Yes Anonymous

  • cause its just dumb

    causer if you think about it some kids think oh well its cool to go get drunk because its a law i am disobaying but if lowered then they wouldn't think it was so cool.... Then they can try you as a adult at 18 you can vote go to the army get marry do anyting besides drink that just makes no dang since at all so some people needa think smarter and like us teens we think things are cooler when we are not aloud to do them...!

    Yes Anonymous

  • I believe 18 should be the drinking age.

    It's simple. Old enough to vote? Old enough to die for your country? You should be allowed to drink. I think it is hypocritical of our country to allow 18 yr. olds to fight in a war, and politicians spend countless millions to get the "young" vote, but no one thinks to say if they are mature enough to vote and fight, they should at least be allowed a drink.

    Yes jabbee

  • The drinking age should be lowered to the age of eighteen, conforming with other age-based milestones.

    If an individual is allowed at eighteen to vote and to serve in the military, this is the appropriate age to be allowed to purchase alcohol. The mandatory drinking age of 21 is wholly arbitrary, and does not coincide with any specific level of maturity not seen at the age of eighteen. Social norms suggest that eighteen is the age of adulthood, and should be the legal age for drinking alcohol.

    Yes N3r0nKrooI

  • I believe the drinking age should be completely done away with and the responsibility put solely on the parents.

    Having any legal age for the consumption of alcohol is the basis for all other drinking problems. European countries that have no drinking age do not have the problems we have here in the States, i.e. high rates of drunken driving and alcohol related violence. To them, drinking is nothing special and commonplace. Here, on the other hand, it is quite special; it is something you are you supposed to wait a long time for to be able to do. And when is that magic age? The time when young adults are full of energy and rambunctious behavior. I say do away with all drinking age limits and thereby remove the "special" stigma that is attached.

    Yes BrianDj

  • The drinking age should be lowered to age 18 since that is the age at which one is considered an adult.

    People are legally considered adults at age 18. They can live on their own and join the military. 18 year olds are considered to be solely responsible for themselves. They should have the right to be responsible in their alcohol consumption as well as everything else. it makes no sense to allow an 18 year old to do anything they want with the exception of drink alcohol.

    Yes I0rdForever

  • The drinking age should be lowered.

    I do believe that the drinking age should be lowered. I think that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years old. If you have the right to buy cigarettes and be considered an adult then I think you should be able to make adult decisions. Thus, you should be able to buy alcohol at 18.

    Yes barbiegirll

  • I believe the legal age for drinking should be lowered so that in is in the same standard as military service and voting.

    I believe the legal age for drinking should be lowered so that in is in the same standard as military service and voting. The current legal age to drink in the United States is 21, which is three years after an individual can serve in the military and cast a vote for the next President. In addition, many individuals under the age of 21 already have access to alcohol from friends and family, lowering the age would not create a boom of alcoholism or alcohol related tragedies. Also, the money created from the increased sale in alcohol could go towards a variety of public projects such as education, health care and crime prevention. Proper education is needed to go with the age reduction and common sense would prevail.

    Yes 53r3n3Piers

  • The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 because this is the military draft age.

    The legal drinking age in the United States should be lowered from 21 years old to 18 years old because once a man is 18 years old he can be drafted into the military. If you're old enough to have all your rights stripped away as you put your life on the line for your country regardless of whether or not you want to, then you are old enough to have all of your rights.

    Yes TwoVic
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No
52% of users

  • Considering the number of alcohol-related accidents already occurring, I do not believe that the legal age for drinking alcohol should be lowered.

    Because of the many negative side effects of excessive alcohol, and because it is already involved in a high percentage of accidents and conflicts, despite the current age limit, I do not think the age limit for alcohol consumption should be lowered.

    No ToughEfrain26

  • Young people under the age of 21 do not have the life experience and/or judgment to be allowed to drink.

    A child's brain is still developing and changing until the age of 24. That in itself should tell us that we should not allow alcohol to interfere with that normal development. They do not have the life experience or good judgment that tells them what the outcome of their actions might be. Although they are intellectually aware of such consequences, their emotional development is not such that they will refrain from activities that seem desirable just because they know the long-term outcomes will be undesirable. That takes a level of maturity they have not achieved. It is often pointed out that we let people vote and send them off to various wars when they are 18. A person can process information and vote based on that information at 18. As for fighting in a war, if we limited our military to those over the age of 50, we would not be so quick to start wars. By not allowing our youngsters to drink at an earlier age we are not punishing them. We were not punishing them when they were 4 years old and wanted to run out into the street. We are protecting them until they are ready.

    No CI3Iike

  • Having a legal drinking age doesn't completely stop kids from drinking, but I think it keeps them from drinking when they are too young.

    People say lowering the drinking age will keep kids from having drinking problems; they say "Looks at Europe, no one is an alcoholic there". Having lived in Europe, I have to say that alcoholism statistics have been misrepresented. Because alcoholism is not considered a problem, it is under-reported. There are many studies that show if kids drink alcohol under the age of 18 it can cause a higher risk of alcoholism in adulthood. I think having a drinking age of 21 helps keep teenagers from drinking.

    No babiekanga

  • No, the legal age for drinking alcohol should not be lowered because youngsters may get addicted to drinking if allowed a free reign.

    Young people are not exactly known for their skills in judgment. If they are allowed to drink they probably will drink as much as they want and become alcoholics before they reach 18. It is better if the legal age remains the same.

    No TigerDeII

  • I do not agree with lowering the legal drinking age because even having it at 21, there is still much trouble with excessive drinking.

    Even with a legal drinking age of 21, people younger than that are becoming intoxicated. Some are getting by with no consequences, but some are not only losing control but driving drunk, raping or getting raped, hurting themselves as well as others and some aren't even old enough to be tried in court as an adult. It is true that at 18, we can go to war, but we cannot drink until we are 21. But when you are 18 in the military, you are still under the protection and guidance of authority, when you are home drinking supervision is not necessarily included and bad things do occur.

    No TatumH

  • I do not believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered. The level of maturity would be lacking.

    At 21 people can still be pretty stupid when it comes to drinking and driving or drinking and doing other stupid things. To lower that age even further will just increase the risks. Also creating a drinking habit earlier in life will make it harder to break for some people.

    No Chr0Iviobile

  • The legal age for drinking alcohol should not be lowered, because people of legal age are still not handling alcohol responsibly.

    Every day, many people die because of alcohol. People drink this poison and are not only hurting their insides, they are hurting others in many different ways. Drunk driving, overdosing, and abuse occur because of someone's stupidity. Alcohol is not to be ingested. It kills the brain and the organs. Drinking alcohol at all is not responsible. Others have to deal with wrecks and abuse and irrational behavior caused by drunk people. If people in their 30s are still learning not to drink so heavily, then the drinking age should not be lowered. Teenagers turn 18 and make many mistakes out in the world. Many start drinking illegally. They do not need to be given the okay to drink poison. This will only cause more problems in their lives and others lives.

    No Pl4tinumCammy

  • I am strongly opposed to the drinking age being lowered as drinking alcohol requires a level of maturity so as not to prevent harm to others.

    Driving accidents and deaths due to drunk drivers are already to high. Lowering the age will only make these statistics worse. Some communities already have major problems with high school age students consuming alcohol and every effort should be made to enforce the current law and age. If anything the drinking age should be returned to the earlier age of 21. If that is not possible than there should be major programs set up to educate those the dangers of driving and drinking. High schools need to have strong programs pointing out the dangers of drinking. Parents should be reminded not to leave or supply alcohol for underage children. In other words we need to do all we can to enforce the current law and educate teenagers to the dangers that can come from drinking.

    No SportElan

  • The age for legalized drinking should be raised not lowered because even at 21 most young people are not ready to handle the responsibility of legalized drinking.

    I believe that 21 is not a high enough age for legalized drinking because even at 21 most young people are not ready to handle the responsibility of drinking. Plus they still have way to many underage friends at 21 which leads to a lot of underage drinking. The 21 year old is still susceptible to peer pressure and immature thinking and thus they don't handle the responsibility very well.

    No TasticBran

  • The legal drinking age should not be lowered as it will cost lives.

    If the legal age for drinking alcohol is lowered it will result in an immediate and noticeable increase in drinking fatalities on the highways. In addition to this, the burden on the health care industry will be increased to an influx of young people who will need to address alcohol issues via hospitalization and intensive counseling.

    No ThegaXen

  • The drinking age should remain 21 to prevent excessive underage drinking.

    Although it is not uncommon for teens to get their hands on alcohol, the drinking age of 21 helps maintain enough of an age difference to make it more difficult for most teens. Simply reaching the age of majority does not guarantee that the person has the maturity or experience to handle the effects of using alcohol. By the time someone turns 21, they have not only are more mature and knowledgeable to handle the impact that drinking will have on their lives, but also be responsible enough to keep alcohol out of the hands of those that are too young.

    No erica03

  • No, the age for drinking alcohol should stay where it is because of its effects on the brain.

    What a lot of people don't know is that the brain continues to develop into early adulthood, up until the mid-twenties for some people. Drinking alcohol and doing drugs does effect the way the brain continues to develop and form. Some people feel that the age for purchasing cigarettes justifies lowering the age of alcohol, but I believe the age for purchasing cigarettes should be raised as well.

    No 54ndDavi
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