Drinking age

[Lord Manhammer]

I am currently in Europe where they have a much lower drinking age than in the USA, 13 in fact. I find this interesting considering our drinking age used to be 18, and is now 21. I’ve always found this absurd that you can vote or serve the country (and die for it) at 18 but
cannot legally have a beer. What are your thoughts? I wonder what would happen if we lowered the drinking age in America.

 

[ford family]

I am currently in Europe where they have a much lower drinking age than in the USA, 13 in fact. I find this interesting considering our drinking age used to be 18, and is now 21. I’ve always found this absurd that you can vote or serve the country (and die for it) at 18 but
cannot legally have a beer. What are your thoughts? I wonder what would happen if we lowered the drinking age in America.

I think that you may have misinterpreted the local regulations or mistyped 18.
What country are you referring to?

ford family

 

[sam_gordon]

I think that you may have misinterpreted the local regulations or mistyped 18.
What country are you referring to?

ford family

I thought he was saying the drinking age in the US used to be 18, and is now 21.

OP, I think lowering the drinking age takes some of the "forbidden fruit" away and would help cut down on binge drinking in HS and college.

I've always told my kids if they're out at a restaurant, they are more than welcome to try some of my drink.

 

[fla4fun]

I am currently in Europe where they have a much lower drinking age than in the USA, 13 in fact. I find this interesting considering our drinking age used to be 18, and is now 21. I’ve always found this absurd that you can vote or serve the country (and die for it) at 18 but
cannot legally have a beer. What are your thoughts? I wonder what would happen if we lowered the drinking age in America.

I have often wondered if a big part of the higher drinking age was an attempt to curb some of the college drinking. If so, I don’t think it worked.

I do think there should simply be one age where you are considered an adult and able to vote, join the military, sign any type of contract, rent a car or hotel room, and have a drink if you would like. I agree that is absurd to consider people to be adults in some aspects but not others. Now, whether that all encompassing age should be 18 or 21, I don’t know. There are valid points for either age.

Doesn’t the extremely low drinking age in some European countries require that a parent or guardian be present? I thought it was okay for minors to have beer or wine only if their parents or guardians were with them, but not for going out and just buying a drink on their own. I could be mistaken though.

 

[ford family]

I thought he was saying the drinking age in the US used to be 18, and is now 21.

OP, I think lowering the drinking age takes some of the "forbidden fruit" away and would help cut down on binge drinking in HS and college.

I've always told my kids if they're out at a restaurant, they are more than welcome to try some of my drink.

I was referencing the "13 in fact".

ford family

 

[sam_gordon]

I was referencing the "13 in fact".

ford family

Ah. Your post said "18", so I thought that's what you were referring to.

 

[dioxide45]

Doesn’t the extremely low drinking age in some European countries require that a parent or guardian be present? I thought it was okay for minors to have beer or wine only if their parents or guardians were with them, but not for going out and just buying a drink on their own. I could be mistaken though.

I think 16 may be the youngest in a few countries, but it also may depend on alcohol content in the drink.

 

[soccerdad72]

I’ve always been fine with 18 as a legal drinking age, but I don’t know if it will ever go back to that.

 

[dioxide45]

The human brain continues development well into someones 20's. The longer they can refrain from drinking the better. Alcohol can have detrimental effects on the development of the human brain.

 

[sam_gordon]

Looks like some countries are no limit...
Source: https://www.eupedia.com/europe/legal_maps_of_europe.shtml#drinking_age

It's on the internet, so it must be true!

 

[scrapquitler]

I am currently in Europe where they have a much lower drinking age than in the USA, 13 in fact. I find this interesting considering our drinking age used to be 18, and is now 21. I’ve always found this absurd that you can vote or serve the country (and die for it) at 18 but
cannot legally have a beer. What are your thoughts? I wonder what would happen if we lowered the drinking age in America.

If it were lowered to 18, it would be easier for those under 18 to obtain alcohol because their friends who are seniors in high school would be legal.

 

[JaxDad]

The change in the US was primarily made to reduce drunk driving accidents.

 

[soccerdad72]

The human brain continues development well into someones 20's. The longer they can refrain from drinking the better. Alcohol can have detrimental effects on the development of the human brain.

Ironically, it’s legal to buy tobacco in most states at 18. I guess the human lungs don’t matter as much

 

[Smugpugmug]

Looks like some countries are no limit... View attachment 812530
Source: https://www.eupedia.com/europe/legal_maps_of_europe.shtml#drinking_age

It's on the internet, so it must be true!

I can believe that the France one is true. I went there when I was 16 and one night when I was at a restaurant with my family, the waiter asked me if I wanted a glass of wine. I told him I was too young as I was only 16 and he says to me, "In France, you just have to be born."

 

[LuvOrlando]

-

 

[CdnCarrie]

18 in my province and I’m fine with that,

Very dumb that you can go to war or buy a gun but not buy a beer in the USA.

 

[kdonnel]

My son turned 21 this week and made sure to stop by Five Points Bottle shop to get his free t-shirt that they only give on your birthday.

He didn’t buy any alcohol though.

The shirt is often the required wardrobe for frat and sorority parties.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

My mothers from France and we have visited family there pretty much yearly for my whole life, so I’m very familiar with the culture there. They don’t seem to having “drinking to get drunk” there like we do here. They look at alcohol in an entirely different way. In fact it’s an old wives take in France that a glass of wine daily during pregnancy is good for the baby! Friends of family there own a vinyard and they were laughingly telling me about an American school group of teens that visited and toured the vinyard and tasted different wines while there and the leaders of the group were making them spit out the wine after swirling it in there mouths to taste it. They thought it was the funniest thing.

 

[mort1331]

In Canada it ranges from 18 to 19. My wife is Greek and there they have drinks at dinner. Its to enhance the meal,,not to get drunk. Thats the way it should be.

 

[White Cat]

21 is good.