Underage drinking in the U.S.

You're missing my point. If it didn't have to be hidden from cops, and parents etc, I don't think it would be abused as much. I think teens would learn to respect their drink, rather than take advantage of it.
 
Really? well I can see your point (although it didn't sound like i did) and i respect your opinion, but I think that a lot (if not the majority) of kids would continue binge drinking/drinking to excess, the only difference is it wouldn't be illegal for them to do so.
 
Right. And I agree to an extent. Which is why I said it needs to be embraced. Not just said, "Ok, you're free to drink now!". And all authorities play a role on this. Parents, teachers, cops...etc. If teens were taught in high school about alcohol, rather than "Don't drink, cause you'll get in trouble", they would learn the respect quicker than they would on their own. Just like in Casey's post above...that is the result of teenagers being "banned" from consuming alcohol.
 
I honestly don't know. But I am pretty tired of seeing these kids approach alcohol the way they do. And denying them the right to consume only makes it that more appealing to abuse.
 
if you can take a bullet. you can take a shot.

BTW the bump was because i was gonna make this thread but sb'd and decided to just bump this
 
Good topic to bump.
I just started drinking like a month ago and I just graduated high school. So that's a little late I guess, and still under the drinking age. All my friends drink lots, but they've had experience to know how to do it in moderation most of the time, but because it's just new and fun to me I have no idea what I'm doing. If I was a moron or not logical this could be dangerous, because they have gradually got up to the level of drinking, but I have the temptation of going all for it right from the beginning. Picture this as someone at 21 with friends who have drank illegally for years. They would be surrounded by people having a good time, and would probably feel the need to go crazy and experience it all because they can do it legally. But they have no experience in it, and I could see bad things happening...
I think this is why it's not a problem in Europe as much. They gradually build up experience and it loses its novelty before it's dangerous. But don't they have a different age for hard liquor versus wine and beer and ciders etc.? I think this is a good idea too. Hard liquor doesn't have much purpose other than to get people drunk, whereas beer and those others have a flavour that can be savored.
 
Well I live in Canada, im going into grade nine and alot of people drink in my grade but not too many binge drink, I never drink but the age is 19 to do it legally
 
its going to be impossible to stop kids from drinking. it seems that they get younger and younger...at least around here. however, the law does have a good point. your brain doesn't stop developing until you're around 20/21. so your cortex is not fully complete until then. alcohol sure as fuck doesn't help it reach its potential. yet as much as i understand why it is 21, i'll continue to drink as i do
 
im 20 in the states and to be completely honest ive never understood the big deal with drinking underage and getting shitstorm drunk... it never made sense to me.
 
I honestly hate being that drunk. I dont think its any fun. I like to relax at a party have a couple beers, get a good buzz going and just chill
 
Legal buying age should be 18. Consumption age should be non existent. Good parents teach their kids moderation and responsibility instead of relying on ineffective government campaigns to raise their fuck trophies.
 
yeah... so in the US i can by a shotgun before i can buy a bottle of beer! there is something very wrong with out law system
 
Yeah every once in a while youll drink way to much, feel like shit and tell yourself your not gonna get that drunk again for awhile and then the next weekend rolls up and you drink just as much
 
What i find crazy, is the fact that at the age of 17, im apparently mature enough to post up with the army, learn to kill someone, and then go out and shoot another man, or be killed. All in the name of my country

But for some reason im not mature enough to have a drink, or smoke a ciggarette...

Make sense to anyone else?
 
i think when you turn 18, there should be a law stating that everyone you know has to get you so ridiculously blackout shitstorm drunk, that if you don't die, and survive to tell about it, from that moment on you can legally buy/drink.

I'm a fan of drinking, but its strange. At home in the us (at college) its like a huge deal, and what most of our free time thoughts go to. How to get it, where to get it, how much to get, and when to get it. Not saying we're alcoholics, but it is a common topic amongst us. We also don't get ridiculously drunk every weekend. But then when i'm in france, which usually happens every year, where i can drink legally, i have almost no desire to drink as much as at home. I'm not sure why that is. It might be because i dont have my friends from home to do it with it, but it also just seems so easy to do that i could devote my time to something better
 


The legal drinking age has been a

topic of debate for many years, often varying from state to state. However even with the current restrictions,

many of the problems related to alcohol abuse have not been resolved. In fact,

the average age that American teenagers begin drinking is 16 years-old. Lowering

the legal drinking age to eighteen in the United States, which would allow

teenagers to drink in controlled environments, would prove to be beneficial in

decreasing the number of teenage, alcohol-related incidents. This would also allow minors to become

exposed to alcohol gradually as they mature, along with the guidance of their

parents.

The

National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed by Congress on July 7, 1984. This act stated that all states would be

required to enforce the age of twenty one years as a minimum age for purchasing

and possessing alcoholic beverages. The

Federal Aid Highway Act said that any state which does not enforce this age

would receive a ten percent decrease in federal highway funding. However, this act did not outlaw the

consumption of alcohol by people under the age of twenty one. Today, most states still allow “underage

drinking” and possession in some circumstances.

In fact, some states have no restriction on private consumption. In California,

Colorado, Montana,

New York, Wisconsin,

and Wyoming, consumption is

allowed in certain locations with the consent and supervision of legal

guardians. The consumption of alcohol

for religious and medical purposes is also permitted by this act. Even with alcohol being permitted in these

limited settings, there was still much opposition to the passing of this law. Several organizations were formed, seeking to

lower the drinking age back to eighteen.

Others argued that it infringed on the rights granted to states by the

United States Constitution. Over the

last few years several states, including Wisconsin, Montana, Minnesota,

Kentucky, South Carolina, and Vermont have also considering lowering their

drinking ages back to 18 (Balko).

While The National

Minimum Drinking Age Act had great intentions, it produced many negative

results. Because of this act, and the

fear that a minor may be caught with alcohol, “underage drinking” has primarily

been forced “underground.” Now, instead

of consuming alcohol in controlled environments where the youth can be closely

monitored by responsible adults, it is done mostly behind closed doors. Minors may try to hide their alcohol

consumption by drinking before they go into public. This act has been given the name “pregaming”

or “pre-partying.” This may be especially dangerous because it often results in

drunk driving. Thirty-six people in the United

States are killed, and almost 700 more are

injured daily in crashes involving a driver who is under the influence of

alcohol. In 2007, an estimated 12,998

people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Alcohol-Impaired

driving fatalities also account for over thirty one percent of the total

fatalities (Traffic Safety Facts). Alcohol

related crashes also cost more than fifty one billion annually.

The leading

arguments for keeping the drinking age set at twenty one is the fact that

alcohol-related automotive fatalities decreased when the current laws were put

into effect. However, attention has recently been brought

to the fact that the majority of studies on highway fatalities since the

drinking age was set include data from twelve states that had already set their

drinking ages at twenty one. There are

several other factors that rendered these statistics incorrect. First, automobiles are now much safer with

the development of new safety features. It

was not rare to have a car without an airbag when the trend of alcohol related

fatalities first started being studied in 1982.

Also, with the use of breathalyzer technology, sobriety checkpoints, and

a lower minimum blood alcohol concentration law enforcement has adopted a much

more strict policy regarding drunk driving.

Finally, the use of “designated drivers” is now very common. All of these factors could have possibly

altered the data, showing a trend that does not actually exist. Also, the problems concerning driving under

the influence could be further prevented by instituting a zero-tolerance policy

for young people drinking and driving. Setting

the limit on blood alcohol level low enough for drivers age eighteen to twenty

one, so that one drink will put them over the legal limit, would help keep

intoxicated drivers off of the road while still allowing others to responsibly consume

alcoholic beverages.

An organization

known as Choose Responsibility recently renewed the debate about the drinking

age. Choose

Responsibility is “a nonprofit organization founded to stimulate

informed and dispassionate public discussion about the presence of alcohol in

American culture and to consider policies that will effectively empower young

adults age eighteen to twenty to make mature decisions about the place of

alcohol in their own lives.” This non-profit

group was founded by Dr. John McCardell, Jr.,

a Harvard graduate. The main goal of

Choose Responsibility is to lower the drinking age by educating the public

about responsible alcohol consumption. McCardell said the organization

does not have any plans to lobby Congress to introduce legislation to lower the

drinking age. Instead, he hopes to stir up a grass-roots movement and national

debate about the drinking age (Parker). By studying other societies with a drinking age under twenty

one, they have been able to scientifically measure that these other societies

have more responsible drinking habits than Americans. The group recently proposed a new idea to

change this. Instead of having the legal

drinking age set at twenty one, which they feel promotes immature behavior they

have proposed lowering it to eighteen. Their

plan would help to ensure that only those who are responsible and mature enough

to consume alcohol would be able to do so.

First, anyone who would want to be able to legally purchase and drink

alcohol would have to go through alcohol education classes. At these classes, students would learn how to

responsibly consume alcoholic beverages.

Once a student had completed this course, they would be issued an

alcohol certification and a license allowing them to purchase and consume

alcohol.

Choose Responsibility is not the only group who is

currently supporting lowering the drinking age.

In July of 2008, John McCardell took another step towards getting the

legal drinking age lowered. McCardell

launched an organization know as the Amethyst Initiative. This organization is made up of chancellors

and college presidents who are calling for a reconsideration of the legal

drinking age of twenty one. They say

that the federal minimum drinking age has been a contributor to the epidemic of

binge drinking and other dangerous drinking habits on college campuses. Dozens

of students are admitted to university hospitals each year with alcohol

poisoning, and 1,700 people between the ages of eighteen and twenty four die

every year from alcohol-related injuries (Ewers). The Amethyst Initiative is

currently supported by more than 130 presidents. These presidents, from colleges such as Duke,

Syracuse, Dartmouth,

Maryland, and Ohio

State,

have observed that the current age has done nothing to prevent the

access to alcohol by students under twenty one years old. Aside from forcing underage drinking

underground, these laws have caused numerous other problems. One of these problems being if someone needs

medical attention from consuming too much alcohol, their peers may be reluctant

to get help because they are afraid that they may get themselves in trouble.

The Amethyst Initiative has faced much opposition and criticism from

organizations such as Mothers Against

Drunk Driving, , the American Medical

Association, the National

Transportation Safety Board, and the Insurance

Institute for Highway Safety.

The United

States currently has one of the highest

drinking ages in the world. In countries

where there is a low, or even no national drinking age, people are exposed to

alcohol gradually, and under the supervision of their parents. In the majority of cultures outside the United

States, alcohol consumption is permitted at

the same time one becomes an adult. At

the age of eighteen, American’s are considered mature enough to vote, sign

contracts, and enlist in the military. Teenagers

who enlist in the military may be trusted to make life or death decisions every

day in the battlefield but when they return home they are not allowed to

legally celebrate their service with a beer.

Legislation introduced in Kentucky,

Wisconsin and South

Carolina would lower the drinking age for military

personnel only (Keen).

Thee

current laws have proved so far ineffective in preventing underage drinking. Instead, they have had the negative affect of

increasing reckless drinking behavior. Studies

have shown that eighty two percent of college students under the age of twenty

one report using alcohol within the past year.

This statistic shows that many people under the age of twenty one

completely disregard the laws. Instead

of being able to drink in controlled environments they are doing it in places

such as dorm rooms, fraternity parties, or cars where they may be exposed to dangers. These current issues have been compared to

the prohibition era. Then, adults

consumed alcohol in secrecy, where they often drank too much, too fast. Today it is teenagers who are doing this. If the drinking age were to be lowered it is

likely that teenagers would have more respect for the law and wait till they

are legal to consume alcohol. Other

studies have shown that two out of five twenty year olds have reported that they

binged in the past two months and more than ninety percent of alcohol consumed

by underage drinkers is done so during binges.

These statistics show that there is a decrease in casual drinking and

more people are now drinking to get drunk.

Binge drinking can be defined as consuming alcoholic beverages with the intention of becoming

intoxicated by consumption a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time. This not only puts the consumer at the same

risks as someone else who uses alcohol, but it may also put them at risk of

alcohol poisoning.

Another

reason that having the legal drinking age set at twenty one is not working is

the fact that many teens find doing something illegal thrilling. Their parents

may have warned them about the dangers and risks associated with drinking, so

they want to be rebellious and experience it for themselves. This may even be

the only thing driving them to drink underage. By lowering the drinking age,

minors would loose their sense of being rebellious, and possibly quit drinking,

or at least reduce the frequency of their alcohol consumption. A drinking age

of twenty one also puts extra stress on peers to “fit in” and “be cool” when

they must do something illegal in order to do so. This peer pressure to drink

may be either direct or indirect. If they give in to the pressure and then

decide that they like the taste of alcohol, this could lead to a dangerous

addiction.

“The

law was changed in 1984, and the law had a very specific purpose, and that was

to prohibit drinking among those under the age of 21,” said Dr. John McCardell, Jr.,

“The only way to measure the success of that law is to ask ourselves whether,

23 years later, those under 21 are not drinking.” Although the twenty one

year-old legal drinking age has been instituted for almost twenty five years,

minors drinking are commonplace in today’s society. How long will this blatant disregard for the

law be allowed to go on? Support for lowering the drinking age is growing;

however it is likely that the debate over lowering the drinking age will go on

for many years to come. In order for

this to change, it is going to take the cooperation of lawmakers, parents, and finally

those who are drinking. The lawmakers are going to have to take everyone’s

opinions into consideration and pass the legislature which will benefit the

most people. New legislations are being reviewed concerning this issue. Steps

are being taken towards a lowering of the federal drinking age. Missouri,

South Dakota, Vermont

and Minnesota have all introduced

measures to lower their drinking ages. Parents

must not send their children mixed messages.

They must establish that it is ok to drink or that it is not. Those who are

drinking must be able to prove that they are mature enough to consume alcohol

without putting themselves or others in danger. With the cooperation of all of

these units, the consumption of alcoholic beverages may some day be able to be

enjoyed responsibly by both minors and adults.

-------------------

My Junior term paper

 
a couple things

1) i drink a lot, and make stupid decisions a lot when im drunk, but drunk driving is retarded and only leads to bad things. dont do it

2-the whole i can go to army but i cant drink a beer argument is played

3-european countries have better public transportation than the us, which is good cause the younger people who drink can take a bus or train home instead of getting in their car and driving drunk
 
^ all three of those points pretty spot on. ive never really thought about the public transportation thing though.
 
the brain development, again, has a lot to do with it i think. if not, than it is pretty coincidental. i'm not saying people in canada or europe are stupid because the age there is lower, but it is a fact that your cortex doesn't stop development until 20-21 and alcohol affects that.
and the whole, i can buy a gun but not drink thing? that is a question of maturity and psychological strength i think. are you smart enough to handle a gun? are you responsible enough? i don't have facts on that, but i do know some kids i'd never want to have a gun and others i feel i'd be safe with having one.
 
Can u imagine every college across america the day the drinking age is lowered? it would be fucking epic.

can't wait
 
Ok so what's the whole definition of "Binge drinking" anyways? Is it when you don't drink at all except when you wanna get shittered so you don't remember the night and puke all over?
And I am in Canada and my University has a pub in it. But I won't be old enough until second year... I like how it's 19 here. I bitch about it now, but I know that as soon as I'm 19 I won't want any younger people around being all annoying at bars and clubs. It is definitely a maturity thing, and we North Americans lack the respect for alcohol and the maturity to deal with it responsibly. Sucks for you guys that it's 21. That seems a bit late. Like who is honestly going to wait until after college/university if they want to drink?

So when most of you drink, do you just have a beer or two with a meal or watching a movie? Or do you drink to get buzzed a bit, or do you go all out and get hammered and not remember it the next morning? Or a good balance of all of the levels? Not trying to thread jack just kinda curious.I know I like to release my inner self without fear, but I like to remember the festivities in the morning. So I get to that level or below.
 
lower the drinking age. up the penalties on drunk driving. in germany you go to jail the first time you get busted drunk driving, amazingly, not too many drunk drivers. none of this three strikes bullshit. encourage safe drinking, and make sure people realize how fucking stupid drunk driving is.
 
and when i say safe drinking, i dont mean not getting shmammered, i just mean not driving type stuff.
 
Epic? Nothing would be different except that college kids could finally legally buy it. Kids would go out and buy mass quantities if the age was lowered, but eventually it would become old.

What I find funny is when kids on cruises hit international waters and start drinking like they're alcoholics.
 
I'm 17, I drink like once every 3 months at most. Started a year ago, I really don't get what the hype is.

As far as laws go,

I think that first they should jack up the jail time considerably for driving drunk. I'm talking like 20 years first offense. Driving drunk is stupid...

Then, I think you should be allowed to drink w/ adult supervision at 16, and the "official" drinking age should be lowered to 18. That way hopefully parents will be able to teach their kids to respect their drank instead of abuse it.

 
You know what, I agree with you there. Look at certain European countries, such as France. They start drinking wine at dinner from a very young age, and learn to treat it responsibly rather than abuse it.
 
I agree, but I'm of legal age. But I would've agreed with you when I wasn't. Especially the stupid decisions thing.
 
it really doesnt effect me at all. the things that effect me are family and friends. like those adds to me mean nothing at all. just my opinion
 
since cities in europe have been established a thousand years before the u.s. even existed, they have a much more mature society then we do here in the states, making drinking at the age of 16-18 respectable. if they lowered the age in the u.s. they would have to ease it in state by state over a number of years.
for me i believe the age should be lowered and im 20. but there is a thrill to drinking illegally which is half the fun sometimes
 
in the USA you can go to war and die for your country before you can buy beer cause your country is fucking wierd. in europ you can buy beer at 16 and hard at 18.

I think haveing the drinking age at 21 leads to everyone being an immature fuck, in canada when you turn 18 its like K your an adult grow the fuck up. but in the states it's not like that till your 21

I'm curious at waht age can you go to prison in the states?
 
well, logically speaking, yes.
but if one were to consider the options of time travel, or other various enigmas and anomalies, then "overnight" is definitely a possibility.
 
As a 20 year old this law sucks balls. I admit that as an 18 year old I was to young and immature to drink, but I don't know a single 20 year old who doesn't drink or who gives a fuck if it's legal or not. The age should be 19 period.
 
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