I think 18 should be the legal age. If you're old enough to serve in the military you're old enough to drink

I think 18 should be the legal age. If you're old enough to serve in the military you're old enough to drink

I agree with this.

Yeah for me there isn't a huge difference between an 18 year old and a 21 year old as far as maturity and responsibility goes. So if you can serve in the military you should be able to drink. I think it's not as much about age as it is the maturity level of the individual. haha a law saying only mature responsible people can drink would be better.................but how the hell do you do that haha.

lol if they did that then I know some 40 year olds who wouldn't be allowed to drink!

I think that other age limits could stand to be increased. 18 for driving, 20 for being a legal adult (this could mean adding a couple of years to primary school or high school, haven't thought it through...), and lower drinking age down to 20.

Yep, I'm radical.

I think 18 should be the legal age. If you're old enough to serve in the military you're old enough to drink

^^^110%.

I agree - I have never understood the US approach to drinking age. I remember being at a restaurant with my parents on a holiday in the US. They ordered a bottle of wine, and asked for three glasses, so that I could have a little with my meal as well. I was about 14, and had been having a sip or two of wine with meals if my parent were having wine since I was about 11. My parents' firmly believed that early minimal exposure would reduce the risk of later irresponsible over-indulgence, and would accustom me to the idea of alcohol with food, rather than on its' own (and would expose me to good wine, so I'd be much less likely to like the cheap stuff I could afford on my own in my late teens - it worked!). The waiter refused point-blank, and said he'd need to see my ID - something which had never happened previously in any of the other countries we had spent time in (we travelled a lot for my mother's business). He also made a point of saying that I wasn't allowed to have sip from my parents' glass or we'd be asked to leave! It all seemed rather draconian and pointless, with both of my parents with me.

The thing that seems curious from an outside perspective is the mismatch of ages that seems to exist in the US - military service, driving and criminal responsibility all have lower age thresholds and involve much more dangerous activities. The current laws appear to be unenforceable, and not surprisingly seem to result in more excess, more over-indulgence and more subterfuge, with inevitably negative consequences. If you're old enough to become emancipated, go off to college and live on your own at 18, that implies a level of maturity and responsibility - both essential to safe drinking. Why the different rules?

I work at an all boys high school, and I see a huge difference in maturity from the time they graduate (most 18), and when they come back to visit after just one year of college. I believe 21 is a far more appropriate drinking age than 18.

I've never allowed my children to drink under the age of 21. I have a 24 year old, and enjoy having a couple of beers with him when he comes to visit, but never would have done it before the legal age.

This is for the United States........I completely understand that other countries have different societal norms, traditions, and customs.

It just seems a bit arbitrary, and doesn't seem to do any real good. Statistically, the US appears to have far more problems with alcohol-related crime and accidents (among young people) than the average European country, where parent-supervised consumption is typically allowed from an early age, and individual permission kicks in at 16-18, depending on the country. By that stage, most kids here have been exposed to alcohol in a safe and supervised environment, and respect the consequences of excessive drinking. Also, the 'don't drink and drive' message has been hammered in fairly thoroughly to a captive audience in schools by that point. Of course there are exceptions, but the majority appear to have fewer serious problems when there is no need for subterfuge, no built-up mystique and no incentive to suddenly try everything on their 21st birthday with no tolerance built up or understanding of their own limits.

This is an argument I've heard from hundreds of teenagers (including my own)! Again, it's societal norms. We do not have a long standing tradition of that established in our country.

This is an argument I've heard from hundreds of teenagers (including my own)! Again, it's societal norms. We do not have a long standing tradition of that established in our country.

And we never will... Unless either the laws are changed or enough people stand up and say "Why the hell not?".

I'm the latter, requesting the former. :flowerforyou:

This has been challenged, and there are many reasons for "Why the hell not".

Me too!