Should the legal drinking age be 18?

You might be one of the mature ones that know "hey, I don't need to drink a lot or get drunk" mut there are so many out ther that don't. I do not believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18. I do however think that there should be a stipulation to it. I think if you are in the military and have you military ID you should be able to buy it at 18. Lilitary guys are more mature and responsible.

So I think the law should be legel age to buy alcohol at 21 unless can provide poper military ID at 18 or older.

I think its rather messed up. Like you said we are old enough to go kill the "bad guys" for our country, we can go to the grown up prison and be treated as adults all around but we can't buy ourselves a drink until we are 21. There is something totally wrong with that logic. Another thing is that people tend to want what they can't have. \

I know fourteen and fifteen year olds that spend their spare time getting absolutely smashed out of their faces until they don't know what day of the week it is - and the drinking age is 18 - so I don't really think that the legal age makes a difference, and they mostly do it I think because the fact that it's not allowed makes it appeal to them more, so I think that it doesn't matter what the legal age is, whoever really wants to drink will find a way. Possibly doing something more dangerous in the process of trying to get what they want?
so it doesn't matter. whatever will be will be.

In holland, where I live, it's 16. (harder liquor 18) There is quite some alcohol abuse, but the numbers say it still isn't as bad as in e.g. the UK. The driving age is 18 though (we all cycle to school, no need for a car :P).
I think it's okay this way... for me personally. I've learned to drink limited on an early age. My parents would warn me for alcohol and my mom and I would talk about what I did when I went out and how much I drank... Of course I tested my limits sometimes, but that just isn't any fun...
I do think 18 is a better age when I think of some of my friends's stories... But then maybe there's two new things teens wanna try that never go together: drinking and driving.

Beer at 16 and harder liquor at 18. The driving age should be postponed to 18. Reason being? A majority of 16 year olds are not mature enough to drive but once they are 18 anything they do goes on their record and is their own responsibility rather than the parents. That's a whole other discussion.

In my country (UK) 18 is the legal drinking age!
Absolute buzzin' for next week.. ;)

you got a point there mister!

where I'm from, guam's drinking age is 18 and life's a lot funner!

In my country it already is... so...
You're considered of age at 18.

i don't know if 18 we'll be able to make good decisions with alcohol but it'll be a hell of a good time! so I voted yes

In Canada the legal age is 19 (18 in Quebec). And even though we can drink in just about every country but the US it's not such a big deal. Turning 21 is a landmark that everyone looks forward to, cause after that kid is when the responsibility comes.

the drinking age should stay the way it is. it currently is set at 21, yet 16 year olds think it's okay to go and get drunk. I knew sooooooo many kids in high school that went out at 16 and 17 and got drunk on the weekends. now imagine that we set it at 18. that might make 12 year olds think it's okay for them to drink. another reason is that 18 year old guys are still growing. their bodies are still developing and maturing, and polluting with tons of alcohol is horrible.

I'm 20 and don't think the drinking age should be 18. I just believe that people at 18 still need some growing up to do and would make some bad decisions. I think more deaths would result from drunk drivers from between those ages.

i voted yes... we just had a debate about this in sociology class

in the middle east ts 18!

In Australia its 18, which I think works very well.

Yep in England it is 18 and I don't see why it should be higher in other places, it would really annoy me if it was raised to 21 over here-i mean, you're classed as an adult at 18 so you should def be able to drink legally.

No, I don't think it should be 18. I think it should be 16. Over here in Britain, it's already 18, which there is absolutely no need for.
People start drinking younger, but it's usually a form of rebellion against law, I personally believe, reducing the age of consent for drinking would stop so many people rebelling. :)

i agree with most of the people at my school, some of the teacher agree as well, if we can be charged as an adult, vote and fight in the war, and also be regonized as an adult they should allow us to go to a bar and get a drink

I believe that teenagers are going 2 find a way 2 get alchol one way or another. I do think there is a maturity difference between 18 and 21 but its not like the law makes that much of a difference from who is drinking.

yeah I don't know. age and maturity aren't the same thing. one is a number & the other is based on experience/ knowledge.
in canada, I believe our limit is 18. I'm 21 and drink occassionally. but I do find it weird that you have all these rights like being able to buy tobacco, or w/e, but still can't legally drink till 21.
but generally 21 year olds should be hypothetically more mature than 18 and drink responsibly.

i am turning 20 pretty soon and I don't drink or anything... I think that the law was made to reduce the accidents that happen to teenagers... I think it mayde an impact for the better. I think that if it changes to 18 their will be more tragedies with younger people. I agree with you that their is responsible people that are 18 and their is 21 year old people that are jerks and are not responsible. I still think that the law should stay the same... it will prevent many accidents... great question. :)

no it should be 17

If a eighteen year old can join the Army and go to war, they should be allowed to drink if they want to.

The drinking age here in Australia is only 18

Everyone drinks before age 21, so the 21 drinking limit is a bit of a joke.
Alcohol is actually a very dangerous drug, much moreso than anyone tells young people. We should try to prevent it's abuse. But I think education is the key, not a draconian drinking age that everyone circumvents ahyway.

What you've explained is one of the many reasons why most of us Europeans think the US is a crazy country!
Of course alcohol abuse is dangerous (Americans are no better than most at that), but moderate drinking is actually very good for the health.
Young people need to be well educated on the dangers of alcohol and what moderate drinking is: 1-3 units per day. (1 unit = small glass of wine, or half pint of light beer).
The myth (common in the English-speaking world) that the ability to drink a lot is a sign of masculinity, strength or virility must be destroyed, as this "ability" is in fact a sign of dependence!
Teenagers should certainly have the right to enjoy a drink with a meal.

I personality voted for "No" .
The Current poll results have shown that more people voted for "Yes" than "No". However I strongly believe that those people who have voted for "Yes" are mostly younger than 21 and people who have voted for "No" are probably older than 21.
As teenagers, they can't wait until they get 21 to drink because some of them think they are mature and can drink now. But they don't think that one day when they become a father/mother, would they want their children to drink at early age like 13-20? I believe all the parents will answer "NO" and a little says "Yes"
So just think about it that you will be a father/mother in the future and you don't want your children to drink at that age then why are you voting for "Yes" now? Thinking that you're a father/mother and then answer the poll.

I think it should be 19

in canada its 19, I think that's a reasonable age

Its 18 there because you don't have binge drinkers and stuff like you do here. People would go nuts here IMMEDIATELY and ud have a HUGE increase in accidents and deaths. I think that soldiers should be able to drink, but that would be with the exception that you have what I would call "Military I.D."

I think its fine the way it is.

The acually history of it has to do with federal funds given to the states for roads. It's the states power to regulate the age for whom is allowed to drink at what age, but the federal goverment is not however required to give funds to the states for the roads. The federal goverment and the states made an agreement that said the states had to require the legal age of drinking to be 21 and for this they would fund the repair of roads and the building of roads.

So basically if the states lowered the drinking age then the federal goverment would pull the funding and the states would initially would have to tax the residents more to equal it out. The problem isn't the state its the federal gov controlling what the states do.

Id have to say id much rather have the drinking age at 18 most other countrys have it that way and work great...heck but no matter what the age teens are still going to drink...and the whole we will go drinking then go driving thing I don't agree with too much all my friends wound ever do anything the dumb, I've grown up around alchol and what I've seen is its more of the adults that do it...

everyone uses that argument "i can kill people and I can't drink yata yat yata' okay this is my opinion.

lets say you get permit at 15½ you go and bam ur 16 you gt ur liscence and you get a job. you don't have the money so you have to save up ok add one year to that so ur 17 and you have about 8 grand to buy a nice car and then you start driving. YOU HAVE 1 YEARS eXPIRENcE driving and you know since you got a car you want to race or see how fast I can get to 60. blahblah Last thing you need is a drink ontop of that. teens already have enough accidents by wreckless driving(looking at charts) what will alcohol add to it huh?

just saying this because my 17 year old friend (same age as I am0 died drinking and driving...

please post ur opinions
(NOT EVEryone GeTS a free CAr from their parents)

There shouldn't be an age limit, look at Germany, they don't have an age limit on drinking and they don't waste money on having their police bust up keggars.

If it wasn't illegal most young people wouldn't do it to excess, it's a taste of the forbidden fruit because we've set a restriction on it. Look back at prohibition.

well I think it should stay 21. I know that 18 year olds and 21 year olds are just as immature as each other but its the hope they have some self control. hell I've had drinks before but I control myself. I drink I get a buzz and I slow down. I don't drink to get drunk or throw up. I do it to feel the buzz and that's it. unfortunately its hard to judge self control and that's what they try and do with it being 21 I personally feel like there's 40 year olds that aren't in control enough to drink but unfortunately you can't control that one. but really that's why I think it should stay 21 is because people just don't have the self control at any age but if you had to put an age on that then I think 21 is a good one.

Maturity doesn't mean the same as age.

Anyways, if yo can be drafted and die in some god forsaken country thousands of miles away from home, shouldn't you be able to have a drink?

I think it's extremely interesting that all of the guys who have voted thus far have said "no", and all of the girls have said "yes". I would have thought that most women would have said "no", and most men would have said "yes".

The legal drinking age was changed from 18 to 21 to reduce traffic accidents and traffic fatalities. It was essentially a public health measure. And guess what, it worked.

BTW, what's with people asking a question then canceling their user account right after?

Personally, I don't like the law but I'll be 21 soon and it won't really apply to me.

Being at college and watching the freshmen come in, the worst ones are the ones that have drank before. They think they can drink and they try to keep up with the rest of us college boys and they end up a mess. Those who never drank before may drink too much once or twice but are more cautious about it after that. Most people don't drink for thrill or danger, they drink to get drunk. And just because it's easy to do doesn't make it not illegal. How hard is it to stab your parents with a knife while they are sleeping? Pretty easy huh. Let's all do it.

Now for the reason that the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21. They didn't do it because they thought you would be more responsible. They did it because statistically, that is the age group with the more motor vehicles accidents while being impaired. So by raising the age, there would be less accidents while under the influence of alcohol. And it worked.

Few things.

First, yes you are old enough to fight and die in combat and he military realizes this, which is why military members 18 or older can drink on a military base. If you're so desperate to drink, join up.

Second, our parents' generations inability or unwillingness to abide by the rules and holding a mentality of "free spirits" and doing whatever made them happy is partially why the world is as messed up as it is.

Third, you're absolutely wrong. You can not consume an alcoholic beverage until you are 21, with or without permission. Have your parents tell that to the cop when they are being arrested at your 18th birthday party.

Fourth, if the only reason for some to go out and drink is because of the thrill, or danger, please explain to me why those over 21 continue to do it! In my opinion, your reasoning as to why 18 year olds should be permitted to drink shows me why you shouldn't.

There's not much laws can do about drinking at home. Drinking in bars isn't the same. No minors allowed in most countries. In some countries the barman or the owner can be fined for serving drinks to someone who is drunk. It would be a great idea if they could be sued for wrongdoings drunk customers commit after leaving their establishment plastered or semi-plastered.


I drank a lot between 18 and 30, stopped greatly then and stopped completely 5 years ago Since then I'm into coffee, Italian style (Bolivian Arabica dolce in espresso)

I don't think minors should drink alcoholic beverages.

I think drinking should be illegal for everybody.