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I'd like to see the stats. Been to Europe dozens of times, know dozens of people who grew up there and live there, and many of them have been to the USA and lived here for many years. They've all mentioned how the level of binge drinking in the USA is insane compared to Europe for young people, although the Europeans are doing it more than they did 10+ years ago. Areas like Poland, UK and Ireland have very high levels of drinking, but not so on the continent in western europe.
Anyway, the addition of cars to the mix with young people is why the powers than be will not lower the drinking age. Young people drive so much in this country and aren't use to yet controlling their alcohol or their cars. Smash, bang, boom.
See my link, post #23. Plus, there is much more via Google.
The "urban legend" that people in Europe drink more responsibly is just that.
18-year-olds can legally buy disgusting cigarettes and light them right in front of our building, but they can't even legally buy a shot of Stolichnaya or a Pina Colada from a local liquor store. Is there a reason as to why USA doesn't trust our 18-21 year olds more than just about every other country in the world?
Simple: It is too difficult to take the time to teach younger kids to drink alcohol responsibly. It is much easier to simply say: "You can't do it 'til you're 21," and then leave it at that.
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The government sends men and women under 21 in war zones to
kill and blow people all to peaces, but they are no allowed to
buy or drink a beer or glass of wine.
It used to be 18 decades ago but was raised to 21 nationwide. This is great because less young adults and teenagers drink alcohol, and it's good that since teenagers cannot go to clubs and they may focus more on their study instead. Alcohol is not something great.
21 should be worldwide, and so should the age be for smoking as well.
It's not about trust, it's about reducing alcohol as much as possible.
Nope, it's about drinking and driving not about prohibiting alcohol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by citylove101
Drinking age was long 21 in many states but the pressure was on to lower it during the Vietnam War: "He's old enough to vote and old enough to die for his country, then he's old enough to buy a beer." Unfortunately, the number of car wrecks with young drunk drivers spiked. The government then passed a law that unless the drinking age is 21, states would lose federal highway money. That did it, and that's where it stays.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicago60614
Anyway, the addition of cars to the mix with young people is why the powers than be will not lower the drinking age. Young people drive so much in this country and aren't use to yet controlling their alcohol or their cars. Smash, bang, boom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaggy001
The big difference is the availability of public transport. Most European kids can go out, get smashed, and then get a taxi, train or a bus home. With a few exceptions, that is not the case in the USA. Kids have to drive and that makes drinking a real problem.
citylove101, Chicago60614, and Jaggy001 are all dead-on. The carnage on the highways is what has been the impetus for raising the drinking age. That's why federal highway funds are dependent on states having a minimum drinking age of 21. It's also why states have lowered their legal alcohol limits to .08.
That depends on the country. Some countries, like the UK or Ireland, definitely have a binge drinking problem. Others, like France or Switzerland, much less so.
The big difference is the availability of public transport. Most European kids can go out, get smashed, and then get a taxi, train or a bus home. With a few exceptions, that is not the case in the USA. Kids have to drive and that makes drinking a real problem.
Look at the link! France is equal to the US in intoxication of 15-16 yos, Switzerland much higher.
Only Italy and Portugal have lower rates of intoxication BEFORE age 13.
Look at the link! France is equal to the US in intoxication of 15-16 yos, Switzerland much higher.
Only Italy and Portugal have lower rates of intoxication BEFORE age 13.
I looked at the link. In terms of intoxication, neither France nor Switzerland are 'much higher'. Where they are much higher is in 15-16 year olds reporting drinking in the past 30 days. Not unsurprising given that alcohol is more readily available to them and there is a cultural tendency to drink wine and beer with meals.
For intoxication, the numbers in France and Switzerland are pretty similar to those of the USA. However, given the greater availability of alcoholic drinks to young people in those countries as compared to the USA one might expect a greater degree of intoxication. But that is not reflected in the figures cited by the study.
What the study does not deal with is availability of alcohol and the effect of greater availability on intoxication. Perhaps it should have given figures for intoxication at age 21 so that we could get a proper comparison between European and American drinkers. Neither does it take into account cultural factors such as having wine with meals or the pub as a social locus. In that respect, I found it to be rather incomplete.
18-year-olds can legally buy disgusting cigarettes and light them right in front of our building, but they can't even legally buy a shot of Stolichnaya or a Pina Colada from a local liquor store. Is there a reason as to why USA doesn't trust our 18-21 year olds more than just about every other country in the world?
Children used to drink beer in New York back in the 18th century due to the lack of clean drinking water. Beer was the only thing safe to drink. It was considerably lower alcohol content mind you, but they still drank it.
The best explanation for the current drinking age of 21 is this, we now know that tampering with brain chemistry before the brain is fully developed, around age 20-25 depending on genetics and other factors, is a bad thing. Similar to marijuana use, in children, it can have adverse side effects on the brain, and it may not develop correctly, which leads to several problems with mental ability and personality. After the age of 23 or so, the effects are far less prevalent, and after age 25, its basically seen as having no adverse side effects on the adult mind.
I think the drinking age should be lower, simply because I believe in a free country and I want people to be able to make their own decisions. There is a reasonable scientific argument to be made about not letting children use any chemicals that alter brain chemistry. Its why my very hyper son is not on ADD or ADHD medicine, because I won't let them screw up his brain.
I looked at the link. In terms of intoxication, neither France nor Switzerland are 'much higher'. Where they are much higher is in 15-16 year olds reporting drinking in the past 30 days. Not unsurprising given that alcohol is more readily available to them and there is a cultural tendency to drink wine and beer with meals.
For intoxication, the numbers in France and Switzerland are pretty similar to those of the USA. However, given the greater availability of alcoholic drinks to young people in those countries as compared to the USA one might expect a greater degree of intoxication. But that is not reflected in the figures cited by the study.
What the study does not deal with is availability of alcohol and the effect of greater availability on intoxication. Perhaps it should have given figures for intoxication at age 21 so that we could get a proper comparison between European and American drinkers. Neither does it take into account cultural factors such as having wine with meals or the pub as a social locus. In that respect, I found it to be rather incomplete.
Oh, for pity's sake. And you could google those numbers for > 21; this was a study about teen drinking. You're making excuses. The numbers don't lie.
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The government sends men and women under 21 in war zones to
kill and blow people all to peaces, but they are no allowed to
buy or drink a beer or glass of wine.
.
So you would prefer a bunch of drunk men and women under age 21 handling loaded weapons?
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