So what the deal with the drinking age? (home, buy)

[MaverickDD]

Originally Posted by JerseyG

I heard today that colleges are asking legislators to reduce the drinking age back down to 18.
The college admins are saying "we can't stop them so why not make it legal?" along with "under-aged binge drinking is a problem".
I think a dry campus is a problem and the crack-down on greek-life (where all the parties USED to be) is a problem. Now the kids have no place to go on a "dry" or "dry-ish" campus so they drink as much as they can when they can get their hands on alcohol.
My alma mater is dry and has been for a while so every time I get a call for a donation I ask the student on the other end of the phone if the campus is still dry...I hear "yes" and I tell her/him that until it's not,again, don't call me. Doesn't work on my end (still get a call 2x a year during every alumni fundraising cold-calling effort).
I'm thinking if you give kids an outlet and don't make it so taboo - it won't be such a big freaking deal. The morons who over do it will always be morons who over do it- age limit or not.
What does anyone else think? JMHO

Since you asked, I think alcohol abuse is the number one drug problem that our society faces today. However, it's not because "kids" (18 to 20-year-olds) can't get it legally. It's because the consequences for abusing it are very limited, whether you be 18, 21, 50, or 80. (But I'll pass on the discussion of appropriate consequences here. It's too great a tangent.)

I believe that privilege should go hand-in-hand with demonstrated responsibility. In 21st century America, I don't see a heck of a lot of responsible behavior coming out of most college underclassmen. As a society, we've coddled and babied Generation Y to the degree that we've actually retarded their natural maturing. Helping them take the lid off the bottle will not convert these college-aged children into being responsible adults.

Not that my baby-boom generation was much different. The drinking age was 18 when I was in college. I have too many acquaintances from my teenage years who are maimed and/or prematurely in the grave because of the irresponsible use of alcohol. And again, not that 21 is a "magic age," but I'd like to continue to protect our college-aged children by keeping alcohol illegal.

Am I suggesting we restrict freedom? Absolutely! Restricting the freedom of college-aged children to consume alcohol is a price I think our society should continue to pay. In the long run, it teaches young people that alcohol consumption is a serious issue. In the short run, it's better than returning to the epidemic of teenager funerals.

[Badfish740]

As someone who was a teenager not that long ago (this is a serious post now ) I'll say this. Teenagers die. Teenagers die from drinking too much, from drinking and driving, from driving too fast, from driving distracted, from suicide, and from doing dumb things (jackass type stunts, etc...), they die in lots of different ways, but the fact is, they die. Of the teenagers that were lost in my high school during my time there the overwhelming cause was car accidents (3), but there was a suicide, and I believe alcohol was involved in one or two of the accidents.

To me this is merely a societal phenomena. 100-150 years ago the "teenage years" were much shorter if in fact they even existed. Hell both of my Grandfathers pretty much became full fledged adults by 13-they had to quit school and start working full time. Of course out in the working world (especially at that time) any number of things could kill you from industrial accidents to sickness. In the 1930s if a 15 year old got mangled in a cotton gin or crushed in a construction collapse it was just another death on the job. Those deaths may or may not have been related to decisions stemming from immature or foolish through processes.

Now teenagers get behind the wheel, have access to alcohol whether we like it or not, and they pack their cars with too many people, talk on their cell phones, etc... Some of these kids will die and some will not. The ones who don't will grow and become wiser, and hopefully advise their kids to not do the same dumb things they did. Some will listen, some will not.

[GiantRutgersfan]

Originally Posted by MaverickDD

Not that my baby-boom generation was much different. The drinking age was 18 when I was in college. I have too many acquaintances from my teenage years who are maimed and/or prematurely in the grave because of the irresponsible use of alcohol. And again, not that 21 is a "magic age," but I'd like to continue to protect our college-aged children by keeping alcohol illegal.

Am I suggesting we restrict freedom? Absolutely! Restricting the freedom of college-aged children to consume alcohol is a price I think our society should continue to pay. In the long run, it teaches young people that alcohol consumption is a serious issue. In the short run, it's better than returning to the epidemic of teenager funerals.

Children? They are 20 years old and you are calling them children?

I know people that are 20 and have a full time job, kids, and a wife.

Stop trying to be a nanny to adults and trying to enforce your will. Its about freedom.

[MaverickDD]

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan

Children? They are 20 years old and you are calling them children? I know people that are 20 and have a full time job, kids, and a wife. Stop trying to be a nanny to adults and trying to enforce your will. Its about freedom.

No, it's not about freedom. It's about responsibility. More so, it's obvious from the original post in this thread as well as the conditions at many of our college campuses, that many 20-year-olds can't handle alcohol responsibly.

More so, you're argument proves my earlier point... there is no "magic age" when children become adults. Sure, there are 20-year-olds working full-time jobs to support spouses, children, siblings, and at times even parents... but these aren't the 20-year-old drunken CHILDREN who've been coddled in college.

Age alone does not turn a child into an adult. Responsible behavior does. (I know a young man who is an adult at 15 years old, and I know a "child" who is 51!) However, society has not found a more functional tool than age for legalizing certain behavior, hence this debate is sure to continue well into the future. Where should the line be drawn? I say, leave it at 21.

As for your suggestion that we stop trying to nanny adults, I couldn't agree with you more... once they are indeed adults, defined as those who manifest the behavior that goes along with the title. I have trouble affiliating those in a drunken stupor with the word "responsible."

[NJ987654]

I'm torn.... I agree with this...

Originally Posted by Calico696

If you are old enough to fight for your country, get married, vote for elected officials, apply for a loan, work a full time job etc. you should be able to buy alcohol. Just my two cents.

But I worry that 18 year olds will buy booze for 16 and 15 years olds. High school seniors are 18.... and in some states, 16 year olds drive. I think with peer pressure, 18 year old will buy for 16 years olds.

I'd like to see the stats on the change dui fatalities when they changed it from 18 to 21. Did it actually help?

[pixieshmoo]

Originally Posted by wileynj

I'm with you two as well... and I think the minimum age for joining the service or at least being called to war should be 21!

I'm reading these again, and I'm agreeing with all 3 of you lol! While I said I was on the fence, it really is because of the fact that you know they're going to find a way regardless. But if it were up to me, they wouldn't even have driver's licenses at that age, never mind drink or go to war.

And someone else had said something about there not really being a "defining" adult age. True. While 18 is the "legal" age, think about how we all are now compared to when we were 18? Did we really know squat back then? You are just beginning to live your "adult" life at that age, why put these kids in positions to take that away!!!!

[pixieshmoo]

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan

Children? They are 20 years old and you are calling them children?

I know people that are 20 and have a full time job, kids, and a wife.

Stop trying to be a nanny to adults and trying to enforce your will. Its about freedom.

Dude, what're you, like 21? When people make comments like you just did to Maverick, it shows. Okay, so maybe you're a little older, or even a lot, but you didn't sound it just now. No "adult" is concerned about gaining their "freedom". It's not about freedom, it's just like Maverick said, it's about responsibility...and experience and wisdom.

And just for the record, your children could be 48 and they're still your babies. Your children will always be your children and you will always be concerned for their welfare.

[JerseyG]

Originally Posted by tahiti

no you're not. i'd like everything raised to 21 however as I do think there should be consistancy. i get sick thinking 18 yr old babies being sent to Iraq for the Shrub. (well, i get sick over everyone being sent over, but YKWIM)

I'd like everything to be raised to 25...with an exception for driving...haven't figured out what age I'd like that to be raised to yet. 17 seems waaaaay too young given the kids I see who recently got their licenses in my neighborhood. 20?

I hear you on sending 18 year olds to war. They can barely drive. My mother saw one too many of her friends get drafted right OUT of their senior year for Kennedy's war.

I kinda wanted to put a "winky" at the end of that last sentence above, but it didn't feel right. So just know it would have been a "back-at-ya" kind of a "winky" thing if it the actuality of it all really was not so serious.

[Busch Boy]

Although I don't drink alcohol b/c of my beliefs, I still think that lowering the drinking age to 18 is a good idea. I think that alcohol would loose its appeal (a little) and maybe drinking will actually go down. I've heard ALOT of people say they actually reduce the amount of alcohol they drink once they reach 21 because they don't feel "bad" anymore, since now they can actually do it.

[joe moving]

I don't think 18 is so young to be moving out and getting a job if you are not going to college.

What about like 19 or 20 as a universal legal age. I don't think you want to introduce this problem to high schools.