Alcohol: Your views

[Pathwalker]

Ok here goes.

In Sweden the legal drinking age is 18, when you are also allowed to buy alcoholic beverages at restaurants/bars. As for buying it at the store (we got a special store for that with a monopoly on the selling of alcohol, but thats another story) you have to be 20.

As for drinking habits and my views on it... I don't drink and I would never touch a cigarette or use any other drug. This doesn't mean I haven't ever consumed alcohol and I occasionaly taste a certain drink if certain circumstances apply. I have never been drunk though. Thing is, the thought of drinking something that is entoxicating and in most amounts,except small ones, are harmful to some extent, well it just seems stupid to me(No offense to anyone by saying this, most people i know drink and i dont find them stupid, just the concept of drinking something poisonus voluntarily). Guess I'm a hyporcite then since im still doing stuff that's bad for my health i.e. eating fast food and other bad stuff.

Finally I think it's up to each and everyone to choose whether to drink or not, and in any quantities as long as it doesn't affect anyone else than the consumer in question. As long as the person knows what consequenses might come of it (both good and bad), go ahead and drink you'r brains out, it's on your own responsibilty. To set a legal age for consumtion is an effort to control the downsides of alcoholconsumption but lets face it, maturity level is not entirely conected to age. A 16 year old might drink perfectly responsibly whilst an 18 year old might not.

Finally, sorry for the long rant. I have difficulties making myself clear in few words (especially in English).

 

[UltimateXShadow]

For very person reasons, involving my mother and years of her alcohol abuse, I despise the liquid.

 

[Gotham Soul]

Usually I only use alcohol as a means of escapism, and even before that I have to convince myself that I'm completely insecure about whatever event compels me to drink myself into a stupor.

Long story short, I get smashed once a month.

 

[latenightapplepie]

Ahaha, once again an opportunity to rag on the mother country!

Actually, Australia doesn't do it too badly. The legal drinking age is 18, and there has been a recent tax increase on the easily-drinkable mixed drinks favoured by 13-year-old girls (called 'alcopops'). Overall that's good. The government is for the most part doing its best.

However. Australian society's view towards alcohol and drinking is still terrible. Between 'schoolies', the cricket and the footy, Australians drink too much, get drunk too much and keep drink driving. 'Tis bad.

 

[Jaythulhu]

Shit, I don't know how'd I get through a day of work without the consolation of alcohol at the end of my day.

 

[PatientGrasshopper]

Energy drinks are just as bad for you, if not moreso

 

[SovietSecrets]

Alcohol is great when you drink in moderation and i say lower the drinking age. The US age limit of 21 doesnt prevent everyone from drinking and under age kids always get their hands on the stuff. Lower down the age to 18, keeping at 21 is just merely delaying everyone and not doing much good.

 

[Sennz0r]

Energy drinks are just as bad for you, if not moreso

It's been in the news a lot more often lately. Stating that a lot of youths drink around 10 of these a day, subsequently thrashing their bodily rythm. But I don't think these drinks are more harmful than alcohol, seeing as I need less alcohol do do my body significant damage than energy drinks.

 

[the captain]

the legal drinking age in the US is a joke. I first started drinking when I was about 14-15 in high school but I could only do it at parties where there would be 50 kids present and only 2 cases of beer for everyone to share, and then pretend they were completly trashed after 2 beers. then when i finally got into college and I had friends who would buy for me or I could just go to big frat parties to drink I kinda lost control for a couple months because I really didn't have any drinking experience. It was like being a dog and getting let off your leash at the park for the first time. You just want to experiece as much as you can as fast as you can and you don't realize how far you've gone or how deep of a hole your in until you get busted by the campus cops for having a kegger in the freshman dorms and you spend the next month dealing with university judicial affairs and having to go to alcohol abuse conselling so you're not expelled.(but getting drunk before you go to the conselling sessions makes them go alot quicker and everyone there is much more interesting)

 

[cikame]

I've tried alcoholic beverages a few times in my life but a few years ago i decided not to bother drinking at all, i never really liked it enough to carry on drinking it. Of course this makes partying abit hard to endure in this day and age of people just getting drunk instead of doing anything fun.
I don't see the fun in getting drunk personally, i'd rather watch tv.

Should we really be putting chemicals into our bodies that don't need to be there?
I'm alot more against smoking, there's no gain in smoking at all unless you've been doing it for awhile and then you need to keep doing it in order to feel normal, which makes no sense, smoking gives you cancer, lung diesease, makes your face age alot faster, stains your teeth, stains your house/car, makes non smokers feel ill and is bad for your childs health. I know a 30 year old woman who looks 60 and sounds like a man all because of smoking, i hate seeing pretty 18 year olds willing to become that.

Sorry, this turned into a smoking rant instead of the topic, in short, alcohol bad, if you spend you free time away from work drinking when your not thirsty then your obviously stupid.

 

[curlycrouton]

Hobgoblin Beer has alcohol in it, therefore I like alcohol.
There really isn't much more to say.

 

[WolfLordAndy]

Hobgoblin Beer has alcohol in it, therefore I like alcohol.
There really isn't much more to say.

You sir, have good taste.

Anyway... I play a sport in Britain, and am at uni. So as many British students will be aware, I'm generally out on a wednesday night "binge" drinking. I put the binge in speach marks as to be honest, I don't see it as that bad. Within a sports club, we all look after each other, no one gets in any trouble. If someone gets in a rough state, we take em to a taxi, and send em on home.

Plus the places I tend to go are the rock/alt clubs of Derby. Has anyone ever watched footage in the news of violent alchohol related crime, and people generally doing stuff stupid? They are dressed up in their knock-off ralph lauren shirts, ted baker jeans and fancy shoes. Usually chasing after the skankiest girls you can find. These are the true binge culture of Britain. I hate to sound steriotypical, but trouble always seems to follow in the Dance/Cheese/RnB clubs, at least in Derby and St Albans where I've gone out a fair bit.

I think 18 year limit is fine, but they need to stop Supermarkets making a loss on beer and spirits (which the government has talked about doing actually. To help support the nightclub and bar industry, while hoping to stop a certain amount of binge drinking). Also, people out of work and/or not in full time education (Uni) shouldn't be allowed to purchase none-vital products, such as alchohol, tobacco, or sky television. So stop the people living on benefits doing fuck all from going out, getting pissed and causing trouble...

Hmmm went a bit off topic... but its more or less relevent.