A group of college presidents wants the country to talk about lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying that the older drinking age makes underage binge drinking more likely. Me, I think we should not only talk about it, we should do it. It makes absolutely no sense that we trust 18 year olds to carry rifles in a war zone in defense of their country, we trust them to sign contracts, and we even trust them with a vote. But we don't trust them with a Pabst Blue Ribbon.
What sense does that make?
I don't believe that moving the drinking age back to 18 will make it easier to control binge drinking. I went to college at LSU back when the drinking age was 18 (the Louisiana legislature bucked the feds for years on jacking the drinking age up to 21), and there was plenty of binge drinking. I participated in some of it, alas. I am quite sure that there is no more and no less of it there today. Alcohol is very easy to get. There was lots of binge drinking in high school back in the day, because booze was so easy to get; the law was a joke.
If we're going to see more responsible drinking, it's going to have to come from a cultural change. We do today see a much different cultural climate regarding alcoholism; look at films from the Fifties and before, in which drunkenness was not taken nearly as seriously as it is today. Heavy drinking was far more socially acceptable a couple of generations ago than it is today. Today, the law itself, at least in this case, seems to me to have a negligible effect on the drinking habits of the young. But I base that entirely on my personal experience and observations.
Not every American goes to college. Why should Americans who go to work in factories, mills and on construction sites right out of high school be denied a cold beer at the end of the day? I just don't get it. I really don't. They are adults in the eyes of the law. Drinking is an adult practice.
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I think it shouldbe lowerd to 18. Why not? If u can go over to war and have a weapon in you're hand, shooting and killing, risking you're life...then why not have a beer? A drink? Come on now.
Maybe we're looking at the drinking age from the wrong direction.
A 16 year-old can go get a drivers license and kill themselves in a car just as easily as a 16 year-old that drinks vodka until they're dead..
As an 18 year-old you can choose who you love, have sex with, and marry. But at your wedding you can't have a glass of champagne with your loved one.
A 18 year-old can vote for a politician on important issues that will determine their future, but a glass of wine at dinner in public is irresponsible.
That same 18 year old can be put to death for their criminal actions, but they aren't mature enough to know not to drink and drive.
But then again, at 18 you are old enough to be trusted with a multi-million dollar tank, or an automatic weapon, or a nuclear warhead. Then you are old enough to be ordered to use them in defense of this country, and kill everyone your ordered too, while at the same time risking your life to carry out those same orders; however if you return home, a beer for your service is illegal.
It's obvious that your not really an adult until your 21, or why would there be a drinking age of 21?
So lets change some of these? You cant drive until your 21, can't get married until your 21, can't vote or get drafted until your 21, or be legally held responsible until your 21. Because at 21, your finally mature enough to know when you have had one too many.
i believe the drinkin age should be lowered to 18 because there are 12 year old kids training in war in iraq, n 18 you treated as a aduly an there are 40 year old drunks that act worse than a 16 year old drunk teen ager. i kinda dont matter because it is just as easy to get beer at 18, even 16 then if you are 21.
we are allowed to sell and handle alcohol at age 18, and just like many people have said you can join the armed forces, get deported and die fighting for your country and not be able to consume at least a little alcohol to congraduate yourself. It will also prevent much confusion between countries.
heyy andrew ur right but drinking age should be lowered to 18 i totally surpport you man but we should lower it man. if it cant happen its okay we should tell thiss advice to the president of the united states.
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