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Lowering The Drinking Age To 18

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the_shitty_K2s
Posts: 91 - Karma: 11
I was watching 60 minutes the other day and the subject was about lowering the drinking age to 18. Their were a lot of different viewpoints on it and the people who wanted lowering the age defiantly had me persuaded that it would be a better to lower the age. Anyone else have their thoughts on why or why not  the age for drinking should be lowered to 18?
Feb 23 2009 9:01PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
it doesnt really matter to me because it will take years for anything to happen, if at all, and by that time i will be 21
Feb 23 2009 9:02PM
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Keith_M
Posts: 795 - Karma: 771
i dont think the drinking age is gonna matter so much, if someone is gonna get drunk, they will probably do it whether they are 40 or 14.
Feb 23 2009 9:04PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
true. but where the drinking age is younger, say in deutschland, you have way less kids abusing it, dying from alcohol poisoning, etc.
Feb 23 2009 9:06PM
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Kev-Kev.
Posts: 680 - Karma: 34
agreed
Feb 23 2009 9:06PM
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mr.rise
Posts: 383 - Karma: 15
however, in denmark its 16 , and when people drink the first time, a lot of people get alcohol poisioning.
cause they just buy a massive amount and just choke it down.

Feb 23 2009 9:08PM
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Elg
Posts: 2998 - Karma: 3,880
the ones who are gettig sick from it are usually not drinking stuff they are actually allowed to buy, but harder stuff which you have to be 18 or 21 (not sure) to buy. Not nearly that many people get poisoned from just drinking beer.
Feb 23 2009 9:23PM
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mr.rise
Posts: 383 - Karma: 15
^
well, you can buy everything when your 16.
and some places they don't even care, i bought my first bottle of vodka when i was 14.
Feb 23 2009 9:27PM
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crazyfuck
Posts: 5968 - Karma: -7
anyone who thinks the drinking age here in the states is reasonable is a fucking moron. the real problem is trying to figure out how to push the legislation through to lower it to 14, 15, 16, whatever.
Feb 23 2009 9:28PM
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laurence^
Posts: 1575 - Karma: 19
I LIVE IN QUEBEC, 18 IS THE DRINKING AGE ALREADY. /END THREAD
Feb 23 2009 9:28PM
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ski_ENDUB
Posts: 2535 - Karma: 86
I think that if the drinking age were to be lowered it should go to 19, in that case at least kids are out of high school. but lowering would dramatically reduce MIP's, then how would the gov't get its money
Feb 23 2009 9:58PM
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Inbred_Redneck
Posts: 2776 - Karma: 28
its 18 for booze in germany. you can pretty much consume it at any age though
Feb 23 2009 10:31PM
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summersover
Posts: 5777 - Karma: 233
uh yeah that about sums it up
Feb 23 2009 10:32PM
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angus_k_
Posts: 438 - Karma: 24
it doesnt matter what the drinking age is, people will always be able to get liquor. Rather lower it and have them drink it bars and places where people can moniter them, than at some random party where they can easily drink 15 beers by accident and get sick.
Feb 23 2009 10:36PM
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the_shitty_K2s
Posts: 91 - Karma: 11
"yea but were talking about here in the U.S."
Feb 23 2009 10:37PM
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canudoa9
Posts: 382 - Karma: 99

that happens to just as many people in the US when they turn 21.....

the drinking age should be lowered, it will lower the abusing rate fo sho

Feb 23 2009 10:40PM
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.travis.
Posts: 1737 - Karma: 46

each state has its own individual right to make the drinking age whatever they would like, however they are persuaded to keep it at 21 becuase they get government funding for their highways. see only after MADD was formed did the drinking age rise becuase so many kids were getting killed drinking and driving. in concusion, dont hold your breath for the drinking age to be lowered because no state is goign to turn down free money.

Feb 23 2009 10:41PM
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angus_k_
Posts: 438 - Karma: 24
Nothing will get changed if nobody says anything, and I dont think posting in this thread constitues whining.

You have to admit a legal age of 21 is a little bit ridiculous.

Ps Im in British Columbia so this doesnt really effect me
Feb 23 2009 10:42PM
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Avifarer
Posts: 5926 - Karma: 598
Same with Alberta, wewt.
Feb 23 2009 10:43PM
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wnab21
Posts: 1313 - Karma: 18
exactly
Feb 23 2009 10:50PM
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fujarome
Posts: 8630 - Karma: 1,561
unless it happens in the next 2 years, which it won't, i could care less. If I survive that long without buying booze, i'm sure everyone can.

And its not like its even that hard to acquire before anyways.
Feb 23 2009 10:52PM
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cool.
Posts: 3457 - Karma: 1,724
THREAD STEALER
Feb 23 2009 10:56PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
from what i hear, canada used to have a drinking age same as the states, when they decided tochange it from 21 to 18/19 people fuuucked shit up cause sudenly there was thousands of people drinking in bars for the first time.
anyway i think that it could be 18. but in our society there seems to be a push for binge drinking, and it seems dangerous to go any lower than that.
Feb 23 2009 10:56PM
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Crock360
Posts: 2100 - Karma: 23
I'm 22, so it doesn't actually matter that much to me, but I did a short paper about this last semester and it was my final opinion that by the time you turn 21, the average person has been drinking long enough to know how alcohol affect them and then have a better chance of not acting like a fucking moron in a bar, and are less likely to drink and drive. I know I started drinking to get drunk when i was 17, and it wasn't all that difficult to get booze because my buddy's bro was 21 and bought for us, but if it was legal to buy at 18, it would've been as easy to get booze when i was 14, and i really dont think 14 year olds should be getting drunk. I know it happens, but not as much as it would be if seniors in HS could buy for the freshman.

And I know everyone says in Europe and other places around the world the drinking age is very low etc but many of them are raised having wine and such at dinner with their families. It's a part of their culture, and they have a different relationship to alcohol than many people in the US have. Lowering the drinking age isn't going to mean people here will handle it like people in other countries.

Just my opinion, not saying it's the right answer to the drinking age problem, it's just what I think to be true.
Feb 23 2009 11:21PM
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Rime.
Posts: 632 - Karma: 615
i would feel old with 18yos at the bar...and Im only 22, haha, thats just not right. it would be crazy tho, and college bars would be PACKED!!
Feb 23 2009 11:31PM
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StealthySquirrel
Posts: 52 - Karma: 10

oops, wrong account!!

that was really from me...

Feb 23 2009 11:32PM
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NataliePortman
Posts: 1382 - Karma: 84
maybe someone said this already but the only reason i think that people would not want to lower the drinking age is the new availability for people under the age of 18 to get. think about it this way...how many 21 year olds did u know when u were in high school that would buy u alcohol compared to the amount of 18 year olds that would buy u alcohol

Feb 23 2009 11:35PM
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*DrewT*
Posts: 7768 - Karma: 480
It's very stupid to have the drinking age at 21.  Like seriously by the time your 18 you're more than ready to make your own decisions.  I honestly think it would make more sense to have drinking age at 16 and driving age at 18.  You have way more responsibility driving a car than drinking alcohol
Feb 23 2009 11:41PM
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kylejames
Posts: 42 - Karma: 15

theres really no point in keeping the drinking age at 21 cause by the time people are 21 they have alreay drinkin probably cause most go through college.

Feb 23 2009 11:49PM
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davyjones
Posts: 617 - Karma: 12
not that i would complain...but could you imagine what the bars would look like the day the changed it to 18....they would be packed to the roof

i'm 18 and i drink a lot i go to college and it is not hard at all for me to get beer... a lot of you say you drink anyways and its not hard to drink but here is why i would like it to be down to 18

say i'm at a party and i have been drinking. the party gets too loud and a neighbor or someone calls the cops. they show up and i get an underage instead of a "hey why don't you guys keep it down" or maybe a noise violation. an underage is wayyy worse than that


Feb 24 2009 1:08AM
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ATLskier
Posts: 8203 - Karma: 406
its madd that prevents a lot of stuff from happening. I saw a great link exposing how corrupt that organization is. The founding member left or was kicked out of it.



Many states are considering it because the revenue from the taxes that would be generated from younger kids buying it would match the amount of federal highway money the wouldn't receive if they lower the age.
Feb 24 2009 1:23AM
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davyjones
Posts: 617 - Karma: 12
the drinking age is entirely up to states but they want the money from the government that they get for having it at 21..

it really seems like it would be a good idea for them to make a change...change the age to 18 and get all the money from the drink taxes and then the federal government will have to quit giving them money and then they still end up in about the same place

would be a good thing to do with these bad economic times i'd say..
Feb 24 2009 1:40AM
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B.G
Posts: 156 - Karma: 14
WRONG

Underage kids are still paying the tax its just that there giving the money to sumone else to pay for them. if what you said was true the the kids would have to be stealin the liquer.

no matter what kids will be drinking i started when i was 16 and after my first couple times i learned how much i could take without charfing and feelin shitty. really its all about maturity levels. and that varies

where i live its 19 which makes sense cuz imagine a shitload of teens that have just moved into res with no parents and the ability to drink as much a they want. so either make it 17 or 19 not 18.

sparknotes: ^ is wrong, drinking responsibly is about maturity levels not age. first time res kids + freedom to drink = disaster

Feb 24 2009 2:11AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084

so, here where i live (austria), you can officially drink beer/wine with 16 and everything liquour-like-stuff after you turned 18. but in our bars, you basically get everything to drink as long as your not looking much younger than 14. on weekends, theres a good tenth of one club just 12-15 yr old girlies and losers hanging round in those corners, spending the money of their parents and so on...

as long as parents arent doing anything about it (i dunno, since i was raised there was a mind-shift in parents, it might be just me) and give them money, i hate it. if you "drink your own money" than go for it, no problem.

i mean, we all know that lowering the legal drinking age isnt changing a lot, since i am pretty sure that all of you americans have drank alcohol before you were 21 (risky call i know).

Feb 24 2009 6:39AM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
There are great points on both sides, but the people who want to lower it just don't have anything other than speculation to support their reasoning whereas the people who want to retain it have numbers and statistics to argue with.  There really isn't a perfect solution, so it's going to be debated for a while.
Feb 24 2009 10:42AM
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twin-tip-hero
Posts: 2896 - Karma: 277
na i think it is fine at 21.
Feb 24 2009 11:34AM
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Casey
Posts: 7778 - Karma: 23,379
every high school kid I know is such a retard when they are drunk. I don't want these idiots in the bars that I go to, its not right. Fuck em. leave it at 21.
Feb 24 2009 11:54AM
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the_shitty_K2s
Posts: 91 - Karma: 11
well you must not know that many high school kids then, because their are a lot of kids who act like fuckin idiots when their drunk, but most of those idiots are first time drinkers.
 I can see why you wouldnt want kids or people under 21 drinking in bars
Feb 24 2009 11:59AM
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Casey
Posts: 7778 - Karma: 23,379
I'm not trying to act like I was any better at that age, I just know if I had free range to alcohol in highschool I probly would've died. Its too young for a lot of kids not to have to get around the 21 restriction. Its not that hard it just keeps people in check sometimes.
Feb 24 2009 12:02PM
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the_shitty_K2s
Posts: 91 - Karma: 11
exactly, thats one of the main arguments that is holding back the passing of the law
Feb 24 2009 12:05PM
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doritos
Posts: 7368 - Karma: 53
...For the love of fuck. No, I can't come up with a better phrase than that. Has the drinking age stopped kids in high school and college from drinking ever? No. It sucks sometimes, but so do a lot of things, fucking deal. People who go to bars don't want a bunch of stupid, rowdy-ass high schoolers who have no idea what their limits are running around and vomiting on shit. Think of how many dumbfuck 18 year old girls there are. If you want to drink, you'll find a way. You'll probably get fucked by the fuzz once or twice. Whatever. It happens. It's not worth lowering the drinking age over.
Feb 24 2009 12:14PM
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Jordan_P
Posts: 621 - Karma: 33
I can't understand why you can join the military and get shot at the age of 18 but not purchase/consume alcohol

and leave the 'rowdy high school' kids alone, if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have Superbad.
Feb 24 2009 1:10PM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
It's a totally different kind of maturity.  I'm not really sure which would work better, but that is a pretty weak argument.
Feb 24 2009 1:17PM
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doritos
Posts: 7368 - Karma: 53
That was a good argument back when joining the military wasn't an option. Now it just makes you look like cliched and uninformed. And those rwody high school kids from Superbad drank in the privacy of their own homes, which is how it fucking shold be. Look, I'm not even 21 and I think lowering the drinking age to anything below 20 is retarded, and lowering it to 20 isn't worth it.
Feb 24 2009 2:38PM
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Mr.O
Posts: 1582 - Karma: 23
Well that is because they drink differently. They do it as a social thing, as do Americans. The main difference is that the goal of most younger people that drink is to get drunk, and not just any drunk they want to get stupid drunk. Whereas many Europeans drink a glass of wine or so with dinner or something like that, not as many of them have huge parties with kegs and bottles and bottles of liquor.
Feb 24 2009 2:46PM
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An10a_Eng
Posts: 2505 - Karma: 28
they tried it before like 30 years ago and the number of 18-21 year olds involved in fatal crashes sky rocketed
Feb 24 2009 5:05PM
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Bright_Nation
Posts: 400 - Karma: 12
true say. 

Kids often only abuse alcohol because they want to be rebellious.  Also, in small towns the only reason people drink is because there isn't much else to do, they drink and party because they get bored. Lowering the drinking age won't affect either of these for the worse.
Feb 24 2009 5:16PM
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Hairmetaler
Posts: 1200 - Karma: 15
I saw the same 60 minutes and agree exactly with the pro 18 side.
Feb 24 2009 5:55PM
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Malcolm
Posts: 15949 - Karma: 9,417
YEAAAAH only this summer though lol
Feb 24 2009 5:56PM
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chapz
Posts: 10182 - Karma: 66
wordddddddddddd!
Feb 24 2009 5:59PM
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SMH[-__-]
Posts: 545 - Karma: 13

High School kids in general are lame, but it should be at least 19.  18 would be fine for some kids but large amounts of high school kids in bars would make it feel like high school.

Feb 24 2009 6:35PM
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