I finally understand why the drinking age is 21

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@th1337

I think 21 is a good legal age for Americans and alcohol. This country is not raised with the respect for alcohol. Its abused so much. I agree that you change a lot from 18 to 21....just as you change a lot from 12 to 15 - generally speaking. Obviously different individuals grow at different rates. I mean I'm 29 and I know people my age who have the mentality of a 21 year old.

When I was a server at a nice restaurant, I let plenty of underage dependents have a glass of wine with their parents. It was all discretion. They're under the supervision of the parent, and they're enjoying the wine with a nice meal. They're not getting sloshed at a party. That's the difference.

Aug 16 2012 8:34AM

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Bonzalo

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Way to generalize, that you were inmature when you were 18, doesnt mean that everybody else was. I

Aug 16 2012 8:37AM

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.Hugo.

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I think in Wiscoinsin you can drink with your parents at 15 legally. I think that's a really good law and has the potential to teach kids to drink responsibly before they go off to college.

Aug 16 2012 8:40AM

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[hamnuts]

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Well in Canada the drinking age is 19 and in Quebec its 18 but younger drivers (like21 and under) are only allowed zero blood alcohol when they drive so its higher motivation for them not to drive. I'm not going to say that it doesn't still happens but I know that evening having one beer and them driving could get my license revoked so I wouldn't even dream of it

Aug 16 2012 8:42AM

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@th1337

I also believe its a parents responsibility to raise their kids to understand the difference between enjoying and abusing alcohol.

Aug 16 2012 8:51AM

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CliffyByro

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i fully agree with what you said, but really? no one drives in europe? i'm sure you meant on the continent, but here in the UK pretty much every kid learns to drive as soon as they hit 17, and the drinking age is 18.

also, it is lower than 18 in a lot of parts of europe, which reinforces your point. age means nothing, maturity means everything.

Aug 16 2012 8:53AM

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Ciara

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Austria you can drink and smoke tobacco at 16, drive at 18.

UK and Ireland you can drive at like 17 and drink at 18.

Aug 16 2012 8:58AM

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B.Aussie

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Drinking age is 18 here. Blood alcohol limit is under .05 for everyone on a full license (21+) and 0 for those 18-21.

Aug 16 2012 9:02AM

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shibby

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uhh the drinking age being 21 is a major factor for many american teens/young adults being irresponsible with alcohol. go anywhere else in the world and you'll see what i mean

Aug 16 2012 9:02AM

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@th1337

I think this too - if it had been a younger age from the start, maybe the culture behind it wouldn't be the result it is today. I mean, tell a kid not to do something, and he's gonna do it. But at this point its not an easy thing to change. And again, a lot of fault I think rests on parents.

Aug 16 2012 9:11AM

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I'd blame it more on the entire culture that revolves around alcohol in America and Canada than solely the drinking age.

Aug 16 2012 9:19AM

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i don't? USA sometimes = fuck logic...

you can drive a car, even own a gun before you're 15, but drinking a beer? heeeeeeell noooooooo!

Aug 16 2012 9:21AM

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shibby

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yep. almost all social problems (drug abuse, binge drinking, aids in afrika, guns) are probably best solved by education and a change in culture rather than laws like you can't drink before x age or you can only own x type of gun (though these laws can help).

the more educated people are and that includes responsible exposure and openness the better i think. timing is also important, as in pre-emptive education rather than oh fuck too late rehab type shit. not advocating for formal beer-ed type highschool classes here btw.

Aug 16 2012 9:22AM

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shibby

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yes i agree but the 21 law is part of and perpetuates that culture. it's one of the major factors not the only one of course

Aug 16 2012 9:24AM

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.Hugo.

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You're fucking dumb. Driving age is a state law, not federal. Also you have to be 18 to own a rifle/shotgun and 21 a handgun.

Aug 16 2012 9:24AM

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MatRich

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but its perfectly fine to own a gun at that age....

Aug 16 2012 9:27AM

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ok, if i put it this way then, driving age= still younger than 21, owning a gun=maybe i'm wrong, but still younger than 21( who gives a shit if its a riffle or a handgun, it still shoots deadly bullets.)

Aug 16 2012 9:34AM

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Corin

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The US is weird. It's ok to have a few drinks before driving? In Sweden the limit for a DUI is 0.

And 21 or 20 is probably a sensible legal drinking age. Here it's 18, but most people start drinking at maybe 15-16. Personally, I think that alcohol should probably be illegal for everyone.

Aug 16 2012 9:40AM

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NinetyFour

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Drinking age in Manitoba is 18, GOML. Noone gives a fuck about the MB though.... Also Manitoba Public Insurance has a zero tolerance policy for blood Alchohol levels until youve had your graduated drivers liscense for 3 years.

Aug 16 2012 9:43AM

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K-Dot.

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I think the age should be 28 in the US. I mean I can go enlist in the army and DIE before I can ever drink? come on. also, I feel like no one actually waits till they are 21 to have their first drink. am I right? do you know anyone that has?

Aug 16 2012 9:49AM

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The nationwide purchase age was raised in 1984 from 18 to 21. Some states allow for private consumption at younger ages. The reason for raising was an effort to combat high drunk driving fatality numbers.

Statistics from the National Institutes of Health:
-In the mid 1970s, alcohol was a factor in over 60% of traffic fatalities. Traffic crashes were the leading cause of alcohol-related deaths and two-thirds of traffic deaths among persons aged 16 to 20 involved alcohol.
-Today alcohol is involved in 37% of all traffic deaths among persons aged 16 to 20.
-NIH studies revealed that young people who began drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence during their lifetime than those who began drinking at age 21 or later.
-Those that drank before age 15 are also seven times more likely to report having been in a traffic crash because of drinking both during adolescence and adulthood.
Source: http://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=24

The drinking age will never be reduced as on a statistical basis, the law change has had the desired outcome.

Aug 16 2012 9:49AM

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K-Dot.

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18 not 28 sorry on mobile

Aug 16 2012 9:49AM

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Rachy

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my friend and I were talking about the UK mentality vs the US mentality in drinking and driving.

The UK mentality = Don't drink and drive, cause you could die.

The US mentality = Don't drink and drive, you could get caught.

Even the US semi recent public safety ad on drinking and driving shows the dudes getting stopped, rolling down their windows with alcohol flooding out and then getting arrested. Is this really more effective than showing someone mangled on the side of the road? Do we consider that too graphic and therefor avoid it?

Even the cigarette cartons in Europe display photos of dead sperm, lung disease, and have warnings that are impossible to miss but the US has a small warning saying something like, this may cause lung cancer.

I wish there was a study on what sort of imagery europeans are exposed to in regards of stds and what sort of imagery americans are exposed to. Maybe this exists. Just makes me wonder since we have so many more teen pregnancies.

Aug 16 2012 10:02AM

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Jane6

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when I was 18 I didnt get why most clubs over here had age limits as high as 23, when the legal drinking/going out clubbing age is 18. Now I do.

Now when I'm 20 I basically only go to places with an age limit of 20, and I guess I will go to other places with high age limits when I myself get older. Younger people are annoying to be around when they are drunk, and I'm kind of glad that clubs decide themselves what kind of crowd they want in their business: shitfaced 18year olds who dont buy that much because they have been pre-drinking at home (I have been guilty of this), or "older" people who actually spend money (and, hopefully, can control themselves when they drink).

Aug 16 2012 10:14AM

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iSmokeweed

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this is why i smoke weed.

Aug 16 2012 10:22AM

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Jane6

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haha fml didnt read the whole thread.

I dont think drinking age has anything to do with DUIs, its the mentality about being responsible for your actions that needs to be emphasized. When you're 18 over here you're officially seen as an adult and with that comes responsibility. This is just a wild speculation so dont hate on me for saying it, but maybe the fact that americans arent "fully" adult before they're 21 mean they as 18 year olds dont have the same mentality as other people who are recognized as "fully" adult when they turn 18.

I have no idea if this made any sense, I'm at work and have a crazy caffein rush at the moment

Aug 16 2012 10:30AM

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Mr.Sloth

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You smoke weed? So do I. We should hang out some time

Aug 16 2012 10:44AM

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Amadeus.

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I know plenty of extremely mature 18 year olds and plenty of immature adults and vise versa. That couple years difference doesn't change someones core nature at all. You are legally an adult at 18 for a reason.

Also, I live in NYC and most bars and clubs are filled with high school bros anyone because everyones got a fake.

Aug 16 2012 10:45AM

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http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/public-health/promoting-healthy-lifestyles/alcohol-other-drug-abuse/facts-about-youth-alcohol/minimum-legal-drinking-age.page

It has a great deal of significance on why the age is currently set at 21.

Aug 16 2012 10:47AM

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DayMan

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The drinking age is actually a state law too, but the federal government won't pay for the state's roads if they have it under 21.

Aug 16 2012 11:02AM

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Jane6

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well I'll be damned.

all I know is that in Sweden we dont have that many drinking related car accidents, but we do have a pretty strict alcohol policy. You are legally allowed to drink booze and buy it at restaurants and clubs when you're 18, but you're not allowed to buy it yourself in the certain alcohol stores before you're 20.

Like I said with the age limit on clubs, I disliked the system when I myself was 18, but now when I'm 20 I think it works pretty well. Minors will always find a way to get their hands on alcohol, but I think its good that the law is as strict as it is to minimize as much damage as possible.

In other European countries where one can buy alcohol in the grocery stores and the checking of ID's isnt standard procedure the mentality is different than here: its basically "ok" to drink and drive, which also means the accidents are more frequent.

Maybe common sense is just what is needed: dont get into a fucking car if you have been drinking. You'll get pregnant and you'll die.

Aug 16 2012 11:12AM

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Ciara

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This isn't really graphic, it's only played after 9pm but I think it seriously hits home.

Aug 16 2012 11:13AM

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@th1337

lol - sig worthy

Aug 16 2012 11:15AM

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cobra_commander

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Drinking age is set by the state too, just encouraged with federal money, and since all states like their highway systems, you can forget about it going down to 18 any time soon.

You need to be 21 to buy a hand gun, and to carry one (again state law, but common practice). You need to by 18 in most states to buy a rifle or shotgun, and ammo (often 21 to buy handgun rounds) but can own one at any age. You do not need to be 21 to own a handgun.

Aug 16 2012 11:17AM

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DasGoatenshafter

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Ridiculous

It really makes more sense to teach people how to drink before learning to drive. That way they don't think they need to chug a 26 of the cheapest vodka they can find, they are happy actually enjoying a few drinks. Once they learn to drink responsibly, you know they can be on the road with thousands of other humans responsibly and they will pose less of a risk to everyone.

Aug 16 2012 11:18AM

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corona

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I bet if the drinking age was a few years lower than the age one could get their full license there would be even fewer drinking and driving related accidents than there are now.

having a drinking age of 21 is just looking for problems from the 16-21 group who, no matter what, are going to get their hands on alcohol and who then are going to be idiots about it and won't drink responsibly.

And actually if you compare the number of drunk driving deaths in countries that are much more liberal about their drinking laws with 18 as the drinking age, there are significantly fewer deaths per capita than countries like the US with high drinking ages.

Aug 16 2012 11:28AM

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Willgum

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Im 18 in the u.s and i have no real problem with the law. I can get alcohol and if i really want to get into bars/buy booze i'll get a fake

Aug 16 2012 11:36AM

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*simba*

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Wait...what...

Aug 16 2012 11:44AM

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From my provided link:
"Regarding Europeans and alcohol use among youth, research confirms that Europeans have rates of alcohol-related diseases (such as cirrhosis of the liver) similar to or higher than those in the U.S. population (Single, 1984). However, drinking and driving among youth may not be as great a problem in Europe as in the U.S. Compared to their American counterparts, European youth must be older to obtain their drivers' licenses, are less likely to have a car, and are more inclined to use public transportation (Wagenaar, 1993)."
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/public-health/promoting-healthy-lifestyles/alcohol-other-drug-abuse/facts-about-youth-alcohol/minimum-legal-drinking-age.page

Comparing the US and Europe is apples to oranges. The only statistic that matters in the discussion is that when the minimum purchase age was set to 21 years, the incidence rate of drunk driving fatalities went down drastically. As a result, this law is deemed as effective and I don't see it changing.

Aug 16 2012 11:46AM

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Dr.Gonzo

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I went to Belgium, where the drinking age is 17, it was awesome, and that number meant nothing, i swear i saw some 14 year olds in a bar once.

Aug 16 2012 11:49AM

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Insane

i agree

Aug 16 2012 12:00PM

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