Poll: Drinking Ages

[xitel]

I recently graduated High School and moved into my freshman year of college, and I was struck by something. My school required the completion of an online alcohol education course for all incoming freshmen. Now, the minimum drinking age in the US is 21 years. The age of most college freshmen is 18. This means that the college administration has decided to accept the fact that underage kids are going to drink, so instead of trying to stop it, they try to stop binge drinking.

In response to the growing problem of underage binge drinking, several people have suggested lowering the minimum drinking age to 18. This way, people under 18 will be able to drink legally. To a lot of people, this idea makes them think that kids will drink MORE, because it will be easier to procure. The proponents of the idea counter-argue by saying that the only reason hids binge drink is BECAUSE it's illegal. It is so much harder for under 21 kids to drink that they drink as much as they can on the few occasions they are able to. If the age were lowered to 18, the age at which most people start seriously drinking, this problem would supposedly be alleviated, at least a small amount. It would remove the stigma of thwarting authority that attracts so much binge drinking.

So my question to you, including the folks here that are non-American, is this: do you think that lowering the drinking age would lead to a decrease in binge-drinking in 18-21 year olds?

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

I believe so, if it is available earlier on, then it wouldn't be the whole Forbidden Fruit sort of thing.

 

[gibboss28]

If they lower it its not going to change much.. only difference is that instead of the 18 year olds binge drinking you'll get the under 18s doing it.

 

[Pseudonym2]

Also the 18-year-olds wouldn't have to hide from anyone which means the bartender can stop serving them and the 18-year-olds would be able to call the hospital without getting in troble.

 

[SecretTacoNinja]

Probably increase I would guess.

 

[number2301]

Binge drinking is cultural, the kids want to do the same as the slightly older kids can legally do. So as long as its the done thing to get so pissed you throw up or whatever people will want to do it. The drinking age is 18 in the UK, and you're increasingly getting 12 year olds drinking heavily.

But regardless of what you do, drinking to excess is quite fun, and people like fun.

 

[cookyt]

If they lower it its not going to change much.. only difference is that instead of the 18 year olds binge drinking you'll get the under 18s doing it.

Although it would not change too much for people under 18, this will certainly have an effect on college life. Most college freshmen are 18, thus lowering the drinking age would affect their judgement on whether or not to drink.

Now, most students drink at social gatherings, and at parties. Usually because of peer pressure, or exitement they get from doing something illigal. They would not know the effects that such a high dosage of alchohol would lead to.

If the drinking age were lowered, then social drinking would probably come out of the gutters, and into the light of ever-wathchful big brother. Both of the above reasons for underage binge drinking would be adressed, and we would probably see far less of it.

It being legal would probably also allow people to go to hospitals, or ask for assistance without fear of the law.

 

[Shivari]

It would probably lower the amount of binge drinking at those parties where they can get their hands on it. But most seniors in high school are 18 for about half of the year, so drinking would sneak it's way into high school parties and binge drinking in high school would increase.

I don't know, I'm never going to drink either way.

 

[The Iron Ninja]

The drinking age is eighteen in my country.
We have a huge binge drinking problem, but it starts from kids aged thirteen or fourteen. There was a movement in parliament recently to change it back to twenty one, but it was rejected.
The drinking age has very little to do with it. If you were to lower it in America all that would change is the number of underage drinkers would go down, since some of those that were already previously binge drinking, are no longer considered underage.

I suppose it would make alchohol more readily available to the younger ones, but that means there's a higher chance they'll end up encased in twisted metal, plastered to the tarmac somewhere, so it's all good.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

I think that lowering the drinking age to 18 would reduce alcoholism and binge drinking overall. But you better make sure the hospitals and law enforcement are prepared- I think things would become a lot worse for a few months or years before they got better.

 

[TomNook]

18 should be the golden age. For some odd reason, we can vote and shoot people the government tells to at 18, but we can't drink alcohol.

 

[Break]

The "forbidden fruit" thing doesn't work. For the sort of person who's likely to binge drink, they've probably already been drinking regularly for years, so they've probably worn out any excitement they got from "rebelling" and drinking when they're not supposed to. It might make it easier to regulate, but I really don't see it making much of a difference in frequency.

People need to be taught about alcohol from a young age, regardless of how the law stands.

 

[OverlordSteve]

What I find really funny about American laws is that the privillages you get are in the order of terror surrounding them.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Lowering or raising the drinking age will have precisely no effect on binge drinking. But I think the drinking age in the US should be dropped to 18. I find it frankly insane that having been legal here in Europe for two years I would be denied sale in the US. When I could quite happily walk into a dealers and buy a firearm.

To be honest the minimum drinking age is largely irrelevant anyway, as with all these things that are age restricted. Those that really want it will find a way to get hold of it regardless.

Someone setting out to get hammered or someone with an alcohol problem is unlikely to care whether what they're allowed to do it or not.

 

[The Admiral]

Kids at college binge drink because they are no longer under mommy's and daddy's thumb and can spread their proverbial wings. Lowering the drinking age would not solve the problem, it would only make it legal. However, having a higher drinking age doesn't stop it either.

 

[Spinwhiz]

I can agree with a couple of you. The "Forbidden Fruit" theory is a great one, unfortunately, the ability to buy alcohol in college where there is no supervision could be devastating for a couple years. To break it down no supervision + all the beer you can buy and not get arrested = bad news.

At the same time, it was 18 for a long time when my parents were growing up and I would love to see if drunk driving deaths and death by alcohol went up or down.

Also, if people can go to war and die for our nation, why the hell can't they drink a damn beer?

 

[Jobz]

Where I'm from there is a pretty strange policy on alcohol. Technically there is no drinking age in that anyone is allowed to drink alcohol. What they have is an alcohol purchasing age, which is 18. No one under the age of 18 is supposed to be allowed to buy alcohol from a store, but if he/she gives it someone under 18 to drink, that's perfectly legal.

Of course even this law is completely ignored, I could buy hard liquor when I was eight, my father used to make me go into the store and get some for him.

Where I am now for college however (The USA) the drinking age is 21, which is absolutely ridiculous. I think lowering the age to 18 would lessen binge drinking at colleges and allow it to be more easily monitored. As schools could offer limited quantities of it to students at school functions.

 

[xitel]

Also, if people can go to war and die for our nation, why the hell can't they drink a damn beer?

That's a point that has been raised by many many people, including a friend of mine who is a veteran who recently turned 21. And I will admit that drinking would increase for the time following the change, but would the temporary increase be worth it if it decreases more later on?
As for younger children drinking, there was a theory that if parents started drinking with their kids (at dinner and the like), then they could educate their kids at a young age how to control their drinking.

 

[zirnitra]

the trouble is to you alcohol is a foreign substance before your what 18? I was raised having a glass of wine or half of lager with my meals from about 8. and it's never been that bigger deal.

but don't get me wrong I do drink to get pissed at parties. honestly though I don't really see what's wrong with people binge drinking, at the end of the day it's fun and as long as people aren't coming into school hung over it shouldn't be a problem. but then I don't see the problem with under-age sex ether.

yes lower it for god's sake, you let people drive and murder people for the country long before you let them drink. it won't have much affect on the binge drinking. it may however increase the chances of making people grow out of it sooner and there for probably be better for your university's

 

[jim_doki]

The problem is (at least in the merry ol land of Aus, where I dwell) that it's nigh on impossible to have a social outing without getting completely fit shased. drinking is just so ingrained into our society. obviously the ban increases appeal, but here binge drinking just happens regardless of age