So the drinking age, everyone is different in maturity. Perhaps what we need, is a drinking LICENSE! I’m not sure how the test might work, it can’t simply be a multiple choice, but there’s plenty of information about people out there, I bet they could work something out. Education, family situation and family history, discriminate on income even, the state or nation can see it’s incredibly financially irresponsible to drink and prevent the person from drinking (although this seems wrong because a lot of people may be banned for life, but it might encourage them to further their education).

Increasing the drinking age would be best. 23 or 24 would be a good age, so that only a small portion of college students would be able to drink, since the 21 year olds are the ones that buy for the younger ones, even some high schoolers.

We know that people are going to drink, regardless, it seems to be the main issue on changing the drinking age. Even with a drinking license, for those that prove to be responsible enough, (Like ones who are enlisted in the millitary? And vote?) people are going to find a way to drink.

If people are going to drink either way, let’s take Andrew’s good point on EDUCATION! Make sure that every single student is aware of the risks of drugs and alcohol, starting in middle school or high school, and reminding them every year. Not only that, which schools do (mostly using scare tactics, statistics, and facts) but spend half of the anti-drug effort on HOW TO BE HEALTHY!

We are taught what NOT to do, so then what DO we do? Physical activity reduces stress in ways alchol can’t compare (although being plastered seems to reduce everything, including intelligence). Eating right works wonders, increases energy, prevents you from feeling crappy where then people decide “Eh, I just feel like some cookies, pop, cake, some fast food, smokes, and a few drinks.” Every day!

Regardless of what we make the drinking age, (I disagree with 18 AND 21, people these days simply aren’t mature enough. If they are, they choose not to drink, DUH!) the key to winning this fight is keeping kids from wanting to drink by the time they’re 18, 21, 24, whenever!

Good article, nice responding to people who comment, don’t see that very much and that’s why I chose to post something.

Thanks for reading and thanks for being candid about your age. I don’t think you need to be insulted by anything I wrote. The figures on how many kids your age vote back me up. Good for you for following politics. 80% of your peers do not. I appreciate you posting your opinions here and I’d like to boil down your argument so that it’s clear:

If the drinking age limit is lowered to 18, you will drink.

If the drinking age limit is not lowered to 18, you will drink.

So what do you care? You’re getting your drink on anyway!

Furthermore, this idea that “teenagers only break the law and drink, because they’re told they can’t” is silly. Following your example, go to any high school and ask those students who drink (which is everyone, according to you) if they actually don’t like alcohol and just drink because they’re told they can’t. Seriously, have you been to a party and heard someone say, “Man, I hate alcohol. If only they’d make it legal, I’d stop.”

Furthermore, if that is the reason teens drink, all the more reason NOT to let these morons do it legally! Imagine one of your drunk buddies getting into his car to drive home. “I’m too drunk to drive! But they told me I can’t drink and drive so I’m gonna do it! I’m a teen and the worst thing you can do is tell me is not to do something!”

Next you’ll be telling me how they should make drunk driving legal so that teens don’t do it.

5 year olds are more capable than people allow them to be, 10 year olds, and 18 year olds are more capable than they are taught or allowed.

This problem is much bigger than just underage drinking.

It is a problem with our entire society. Think about it, clearly drunk driving is VERY dangerous. The laws regarding drunk driving are a joke.

You get in as much trouble for being out past a curfew, smoking tobacco, or smoking marijuana.

Why is it that someone who smokes marijuana in their own home can get in more trouble than someone caught driving drunk.

Clearly the ZERO TOLERENCE, abstinence only, scare tactic way of education throughout america DOES NOT WORK.

Thanks for reading.

OK, take a breath. The country isn’t falling apart because of this issue. No need to blow it up bigger than it is. I do, however, agree with a few of your points. Parents really need to take more of an active role in their children’s lives. I also agree on not having sympathy for people who end their lives.

My points of contention revolve around kids “thinking for themselves.” Sure, 18-year-olds can think for themselves, but will they make the right decisions? Are they capable of doing that? Do they even know what the right decision is? They don’t have any perspective. They will more than likely choose to explore alcohol simply because it’s something new and then use it as excuse to behave stupidly and hurt themselves.

And others.

Which is one point I think you’ve glossed over. If a drunk 18-year-old collides with another vehicle and kills your best friend, your mother or you, I get the feeling that you’d be all for the government trying to stop underage drinking.

Tangent: This is precisely the same tactic that anti-smoking activists are using to persecute smokers. They realized that smokers didn’t care that it was bad for them so the idea of “secondhand smoke” had to be manufactured to make it a public health scare. While I don’t agree with the anti-smokers, this concept does manifest itself in a very real way with drunks.

How about spending all of the money that is spent on trying to win an unbeatable battle of underage drinking on EDUCATION.

If all the energy and money spent on just trying to prevent people under 21 from drinking was spent on alcohol education there may actually be real results.

Yeah, there are a bunch of stupid 18 year olds out there. Who do you think raised them?

Kids in america are raised with the concept that they can’t think for themselves and have to be babied every step of the way.

Think of it this way, if your dumb enough to drink and drive, and end up killing yourself, natural selection just took you out. I don’t feel the slightest bit sorry.

I’m sick of America spending billions of dollars trying to prevent people from harming THEMSELVES.

I guess 1/3 of americans really ARE retarded. Or is it more? This country is becoming more and more of a joke by the day.

Those are sound points, but I don’t think they’re anything that people who are against lowering the age haven’t already thought of. Visibility of their children’s vices is always a good thing for parents. Does that mean we should not fight any of our children’s vices at any age? Do we give our 13-year-old sons pornography to save them the trouble of surfing the Internet at their friends’ houses who have parents that work late? Or why not lower the drinking age to 15? Why should mid-teens be discriminated against?

That’s because people somehow equate voting and joining the Army as having the same responsibility as drinking alcohol, which I disagree with for the reasons I’ve outlined in my article. From what I’ve seen on the Internet, no one seems to argue the smoking point, because I assume it’s widely agreed that alcohol is far and away a more (potentially) external destructive force than tobacco.

As far as considering the point of view of an 18-year-old goes: I have. I don’t think waiting 3 years is bad for them in any way. It won’t deny them any alcohol because, as you say, teens are going to drink anyway. Knowing that, you can still take the normal precautions you mentioned with arranged rides and such. I just hope 18-year-olds are considering my point of view as well. The less kids walking/driving around drunk, the safer my family is.

Lastly, one very important point that I think we should all keep in mind: Just because we can’t win 100% or even at all, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight for what we believe in.

Thanks for reading.