Poll: Drinking age changing to 21

[shannon.archer]

Now this I think is bulls***...

Push to lift drinking age to 21 in Australia

You can go to war and die at 18, you can smoke at 18, you can vote and pay taxes at 18 but you can't f***ing drink? What kind of logic is this? This is of course directed to the wonderfully conservative Australian government. I was wondering what every Australian or otherwise thinks of this move, whether it will be successful or if their aim of stopping teenage drinking will actually work >_>. Honestly i think the only way anything will change is if the parents influence THEIR children to behave sensibly and the government should give them the power to do so.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

Now this I think is bulls***...

Push to lift drinking age to 21 in Australia

You can go to war and die at 18, you can smoke at 18, you can vote and pay taxes at 18 but you can't f***ing drink? What kind of logic is this? This is of course directed to the wonderfully conservative Australian government. I was wondering what every Australian or otherwise thinks of this move, whether it will be successful or if their aim of stopping teenage drinking will actually work >_>. Honestly i think the only way anything will change is if the parents influence THEIR children to behave sensibly and the government should give them the power to do so.

It's American logic. Which is terrible logic to go on, except for a few of the gems.

 

[Slayer_2]

I don't drink, so I don't give a shit. Still, you make a good point.

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Haha...Its funny having someone complain about it, because in America, its 21. Can't say that I feel for you, since its all I've known. I don't drink anyways so the law doesn't really matter to me.

 

[WolfThomas]

I'm almost 21, I can see I massive rush of 18-20year olds stocking up on booze before it happened. Honestly I don't think its ever going to happen. Wouldn't work anyway I was drinking back when I was 15.

 

[Booze Zombie]

It seems they're following America's lead.

"You can't drink, that's dangerous.
Have a gun, though."

I know Australia's kinda anti-gun now, but I thought it was funny, nonetheless.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

Meh. Australia's moral guardians are trying to make a name for themselves in history. I couldn't care less though. I actually don't drink (even though most of my friends do).

 

[I Framed OJ]

It wont stop bindge drinking as it is a culture. They need to change the culture. But being told everything will kill you makes people not care. If anything more people will bindge as it is illegal. And all it will do is make more underage drinkers, as people will drink at 18. Hell 15 and lower. We havd a 12 year old get her stomach pumped. And I am sure there are much much worse stories out there.

 

[axia777]

I think it is lame. Europe has an almost universal age limit for drinking at 18. As far as I know they have less issues with drinking and stupid behavior than America does.

To tell you the honest truth I drank WAY more before I was 21 than after I turned 21. A taboo is something that is forbidden. If you forbid something from the average teenager they are going to try and rush out to do said thing. That is just how teenagers are in general.

For example, Holland has some of the most liberal drug and alcohol laws in the world yet they have some of the lowest usage percentages in the world for teens. Why is that? it is because teens in Holland know all about these things and see that they are really no big deal.

It is lame that Australia is going the route of America. But it seems to me from what I have heard that the nation is somehow becoming more conservative as time goes on. Is this a correct observation? They are cracking down on the Internet, video games and other forms of media that they see as harmful to the kids. I guess the "BUT THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!" people are taking over. How utterly LAME.

 

[grimsprice]

Now this I think is bulls***...

Push to lift drinking age to 21 in Australia

You can go to war and die at 18, you can smoke at 18, you can vote and pay taxes at 18 but you can't f***ing drink? What kind of logic is this? This is of course directed to the wonderfully conservative Australian government. I was wondering what every Australian or otherwise thinks of this move, whether it will be successful or if their aim of stopping teenage drinking will actually work >_>. Honestly i think the only way anything will change is if the parents influence THEIR children to behave sensibly and the government should give them the power to do so.

It's American logic. Which is terrible logic to go on, except for a few of the gems.

Aren't we just great influences on the world?

 

[Amnestic]

It wont stop bindge drinking as it is a culture. They need to change the culture.

You know, what you call 'binge drinking' we just used to call 'drinking' when I was a kid.

Also, lolstralian government. Please continue to try to ride the coat tails of other countries. It makes you so lolworthy.

Sex at 16, drink at 18.

England's not all that bad, ya know?

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

I heard they were planning on doing that in Ireland and the UK, too, at one point.
Much around the same time they bumped the legal age to have sex down (up? I can never remember) to seventeen, I think it was.


I dunno about Australia, but over here, drinking is practically ingrained into our culture.
Bumping up the age would never work. The uproar would be far too great.

 

[jimtheviking]

My view on the drinking age is this: No drinking in pubs/bars until you're 18. You can drink at home with adult supervision from 14 to 16, and unsupervised from 16 to 18. This worked for my brother and I and, with the proper implementation, I don't see it not working.

The rationale behind the prohibition (because, really, that's what it is) is faulty. A lack of exposure to something doesn't prepare a person to deal with it. It's like abstinence-only sex education; if you don't teach kids how and why to be safe with something, and how it effects them, they'll try it as soon as they can and will likely try it in an unsafe manner.

 

[Insanum]

In the UK its 18, But in some places its "Over 21 only".

The problem is people think raising the drinking age to 21 will stop underage drinking. Idiots.

 

[rockingnic]

Since when does the law prevent drinking? Here in the US, at least 75% of the 16-20 years old population has some form of drinking habit.

 

[HellsingerAngel]

Legal drinking age in New Brunswick Canada? 19

And I found that stupid. If I'm responsible enough to choose who's going to run my god damn country, buy sex related items and run up a line of credit, then why am I not responsible enough to drink a beer?

 

[Julianking93]

Big deal!! Its the same here in America. I think its bullshit that you can go lose your legs in war, yet when you come back, you can't get a drink.

I think it sucks and I don't even drink!!

 

[tsb247]

I'm 23 and live in the U.S. It doesn't really bother me because it wouldn't effect me even if I lived in Australia!

 

[axia777]

In the UK its 18, But in some places its "Over 21 only".

The problem is people think raising the drinking age to 21 will stop underage drinking. Idiots.

They are idiots. America is 21 and over yet American teens get wasted all the damn time. It is a useless venture to try and stop people from doing what they want to do.

 

[Altorin]

who cares? Honestly, people who want to drink will drink, regardless of age or law.

and before too long, you'll be legal to drink and you'll look back and think "what was I so mad about again?" through a drunken haze.