Question of the Day-1/15/2008

[crazytp93]

Do you think the legal drinking age of 21 years old should be raised or lowered, or kept the same?

[3mtn-kate]

i'm not sure

i think theoretically 21 is when you are an adult and able to make your own decisions but you never know what someone will do after a few drinks...

[DramaQueen]

Personally, I think 21 is really high.
When I hear that 20 year olds get arrested for drinking underage I'm always like WTH :eek:

It's 19 here in Ontario, and 18 in Quebec, lower in some other places in the world.

IDK, I think 21 is really too high, I'd say lower it. 19 is a resonable age I think. All my friends that are 19 (and even some younger) know how to drink responsibly.

[Pirate Me]

I wouldn't lower it, honestly.
Teenagers sometimes don't know any better and will abuse it. All it will do is make the drinking problem worse.

There are responsible people, but then there is the number of people who are not going to be responsible and I wouldn't take the risk.

[XxCuriosityxX<3]

I'm not sure.
I mean i think it is way to high.
But then again there already is so many drunk drivers killing so many innocent people every day and it wouldnt be right having that number of people being killed by drunk drivers to go up because not every teenager is responsible.

[BabyPiglet]

It should be 18. You are a legal adult at 18. Out of high school.

You can drive, work, protect our country, give your life, etc. I say, if 18 year olds are responsible enough to go to war, then they're responsible enough to drink alcohol.

And besides, a ton of people drink before 21 anyways.

[Water Spirit]

I am really not sure?
I think it should be higher to reduce the percentage of deaths, but than I think it should stay the same.
There are people who know not to abuse it, but then they might and might get into an accident of death or really bad injurys.

[weirdpaintballr]

Stay the same or higher, definitely not lower. Most people under the age of 21 still have the "invincible" mindset and are not mature enough to drink responsibly.

[BabyPiglet]

Stay the same or higher, definitely not lower. Most people under the age of 21 still have the "invincible" mindset and are not mature enough to drink responsibly.
But they're mature enough to be a soldier. :rolleyes:

[DramaQueen]

It should be 18. You are a legal adult at 18. Out of high school.

You can drive, work, protect our country, give your life, etc. I say, if 18 year olds are responsible enough to go to war, then they're responsible enough to drink alcohol.

And besides, a ton of people drink before 21 anyways.

:thumbsup2 EXCELLENT point Jenny. I totally agree with that.

As for drunk drivers & alcohol-related deaths, I don't think increasing the drinking age would do anything about that at all. :confused3
Really, people who are underage are going to drink anyway, and I don't think that changing the drinking age would decrease alcohol-related deaths & injuries.

[PurpleDucky]

But they're mature enough to be a soldier. :rolleyes:

Drinking and being a soldier are two totally different things Jenny. Each has a responsibility and consequence of their own.

[DramaQueen]

Drinking and being a soldier are two totally different things Jenny. Each has a responsibility and consequence of their own.

I think that being a soldier has MUCH more responsibility & consequence than drinking. JMO :confused3

I think the point is, that if at 18, you are seen as responsible enough to be a soldier, drive a car, buy 'dirty mags' and gamble...all of which have their own different types of responsibility and consequences, why shouldn't you be seen as responsible enough to drink.

[BabyPiglet]

Drinking and being a soldier are two totally different things Jenny. Each has a responsibility and consequence of their own.
Yes, but if they trust 18 year olds with protecting this country, they can at least give them the privledge of drinking alcohol.

Not everyone who drinks are irresponsible alcholics.

[PurpleDucky]

Yes, but if they trust 18 year olds with protecting this country, they can at least give them the privledge of drinking alcohol.

Not everyone who drinks are irresponsible alcholics.

The majority of teenagers I see are >_<

[Sparx]

Lower it to 18.

At 18, you can join the army and be shipped off to another country to die. AND YOU CAN'T DRINK A BEER?

[I'm a Divaaaaa]

It should be 18. Like it's been said I can go to war and die for my country but if I want to crack open a beer I get in trouble, no thanks.

Think about it if you're 20 years old and caught drinking 5 days before your 21st you still get in a crap load of trouble. You're 20 years old for cripes sake.

Bahhh

[ktbutterfly2011]

I think the drinking age should be kept the same.

There's no need to drink at 18.
There's no need to drink at 21.
There's no need to drink at any age.

Drinking is a pleasure that,oftentimes, gets abused.

Let the kids who think they "need" to drink at 18 do it illegally. If they get caught, it's their own fault. They don't "need" to drink.

Just my opinion.

[CheezDoodle]

Well, I think it should be at LEAST 18. IMO, if you're old enough to risk your life at war, vote for who should lead your country, and smoke cigarettes, I think it's stupid that you shouldn't be able to drink.

Also, in the European countries where there is no law on how you have to be to be able to drink (you have to be 16 to buy your own drinks, but when you're younger other people can buy you drinks), there are a lot less drunken driving incidents because people learn how to drink responsibly at a young age. In fact, the US has some of the highest drunken driving incidents.

[VMK_MagicalLadee]

I think ours is lower.

So.........yeah :D

[cindys_castle2011]

Personally I dont drink so it wouldnt change me.
But i think it should be lowered, to 18.
I mean you are officially an adult.
They give you the choice to smoke,
leave your home, and serve the country
but you cant even drink!?! Thats crazy.
and people drink all the time. at my age.
all my friends do, so it wouldnt change
anyway

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

Drinking age should stay 21 and harsher punishments should be introduced for those caught drinking underage.

[I'm a Divaaaaa]

I think the drinking age should be kept the same.

There's no need to drink at 18.
There's no need to drink at 21.
There's no need to drink at any age.

Drinking is a pleasure that,oftentimes, gets abused.

Let the kids who think they "need" to drink at 18 do it illegally. If they get caught, it's their own fault. They don't "need" to drink.

Just my opinion.



You don't need to smoke.
You don't need to drive.
You don't need to do anything recreational.

But we do.......

[Damhsa04]

I personally think it should be kept at 21. I see what everyone's saying about how at 18 you're able to defend your country and vote, but too many kids at my school just would abuse the privledge if most of the Senior class was able to get booze for them. Half of them get drunk at parties and on the weekend anyway and so more of them would be getting drunk. America doesn't need anymore teenagers dying from underage drinking & driving. And being able to get alchol at a younger age, I think, would cause that.

[CheezDoodle]

You don't need to smoke.
You don't need to drive.
You don't need to do anything recreational.

But we do.......

That's a good point.

[Babyjustrun]

I'd say lower it.
There, not here.
It's 19 here, which is a good enough age.
Almost everyone I know has had a drink at some point before they were legal. And the majority of them have done it responsibly, and have stopped before they got drunk.
Anyhoo, I don't got much else to say. I agree completely with Caitlin and Shelby.

[marypops!]

in the UK ours is 18 to legally buy alcohol... and you are allowed to drink alcohol when you're 5! (physics teacher told us...)

for me, i'd say raise the age in the UK... recently everyone in my year (except a few people, including me) went to someone's 16th and everyone got drunk... now most kids who went are planning to have a party just like that...

[Babyjustrun]

in the UK ours is 18 to legally buy alcohol... and you are allowed to drink alcohol when you're 5! (physics teacher told us...)

for me, i'd say raise the age in the UK... recently everyone in my year (except a few people, including me) went to someone's 16th and everyone got drunk... now most kids who went are planning to have a party just like that...

That's so crazy.

Persons aged 14 or over can drink with a meal, with their parents in public. (This is for the UK, I was just going to look up the age 5 thing and found this).

Where I live, apparently you can consume alcohol underneath the legal age with adult supervision.
And then in some other provinces, it's not illegal to drink at home underage.

[MrsSparrow..]

The drinking age in Britain is 18. Underage drinking is so easy in Britain because it is SO accesible. If I went to the right sort of places, I could probably be served alcohol without even to having show ID and Im 14/15. I don't do that by the way It's just common knowledge round my way!

If the legal age for drinking was 21 in Britain I think it would really help decrease underage drinking on the streets. I really don't like alcohol, I've tried it and I might drink it occasionally but ugh. Not for me.

I would say keep the drinking age, but I don't know what the lifestyle is like in the wonderful USA :)

-:hippie:Ashleigh

[luvinyou]

The legal drinking age is 19 here, but its legal to drink at home with your parents at any age. But underage drinking is soo easy here, and so common. It is completely normal to drink with every meal, no matter waht age you are, so like everyone is used to drinking. All partys that i've been to from like 7th grade have had alcohol, And the rules are pretty lax at cafes and restaurants, I don't think i've been cared in the 3 or 4 years that i've been ordering drinks, and i'm 17. Underage drinking happens, and no matter if the age limit is lowered it will continue.

[xo juicy splash]

I say 19.

[crazytp93]

Lower it to 18.

At 18, you can join the army and be shipped off to another country to die. AND YOU CAN'T DRINK A BEER?

I am a little upset about that comment Shelby. When you say that you ship them off to die is really not right. We have plenty of war veterans. We have plenty of honoralbe war veterans.

[ktbutterfly2011]

You don't need to smoke.
You don't need to drive.
You don't need to do anything recreational.

But we do.......

So?

I never said you needed to do anything. I just said that drinking was a pleasure that was oftentimes abused. Sports are a pleasure but people don't often get killed over them.

[BabyPiglet]

I am a little upset about that comment Shelby. When you say that you ship them off to die is really not right. We have plenty of war veterans. We have plenty of honoralbe war veterans.
Have you not seen the latest statistics? So many, so many people have died so far in this war. It's a reasonable conclusion to say that they could be shipped off to die. It wasn't mean, Tom. It was truthful.

[weirdpaintballr]

I am a little upset about that comment Shelby. When you say that you ship them off to die is really not right. We have plenty of war veterans. We have plenty of honoralbe war veterans.


I agree with you crazytp93 (sorry, I'm not on here enough to know everyone's names :) ).


Not to mention, if you choose to join the military, you should be fully aware that there's a good chance to be stationed in another country. There aren't drafts anymore. No one has to be a soldier. Just please, keep that in mind. :thumbsup2

[::Snow_White::]

I say lower it to 18 or 19.

[crazytp93]

Have you not seen the latest statistics? So many, so many people have died so far in this war. It's a reasonable conclusion to say that they could be shipped off to die. It wasn't mean, Tom. It was truthful.

I know a lot of people have died, but a lot of people have returned home. A LOT of people have returned. Saying "To ship them off to die" was rude. There is no way around it.

I agree with you crazytp93 (sorry, I'm not on here enough to know everyone's names :) ).


Not to mention, if you choose to join the military, you should be fully aware that there's a good chance to be stationed in another country. There aren't drafts anymore. No one has to be a soldier. Just please, keep that in mind. :thumbsup2

Hi I'm Tom. Yeah--going into the military you know that you may perish in combat.

[DramaQueen]

The legal drinking age is 19 here, but its legal to drink at home with your parents at any age. But underage drinking is soo easy here, and so common. It is completely normal to drink with every meal, no matter waht age you are, so like everyone is used to drinking. All partys that i've been to from like 7th grade have had alcohol, And the rules are pretty lax at cafes and restaurants, I don't think i've been cared in the 3 or 4 years that i've been ordering drinks, and i'm 17. Underage drinking happens, and no matter if the age limit is lowered it will continue.

what the HECK part of Toronto are you from??? :confused3
I definitley don't think it's really a norm to drink at every meal? I've seen that in Frnace, but never here?
And I've rarely been to a cafe or restaurant where my friends who are 19 (or under) haven't been IDed

ANyways, maybe your community is different than mine.
Our underaged drinking laws aren't really that strict, but I just had to comment on the 'having a drink with every mean' line. lol :upsidedow

[topaz_onyx]

It's 18 in England