A Call to Lower the Drinking Age

[Jdarg]

As I mentioned, the legal drinking age was 18 years when I was a college student. I learned to pour a good pint at Thursday Pub Night at the student union. ;-) I do not think 21 years old is reasonable, but I do have reservations about 18 and the reason is this. Back in my day you started 1st grade as young as five years old. As long as you turned six by the end of December, you were eligible. This meant you graduated high school at age 17 and turned 18 while you were in college.

These days, parents send their kids--particularly boys--to first grade at 7 and even 7 1/2 years old in some cases. Which means there are plenty of high school students out there who are 18. I do not think it bodes well to allow high school students to legally buy alcohol because of their proximity to the younger students. Too close, too close. Lower the drinking age to 19 when most kids are more likely to be off to college or out of the house working and supporting themselves.

Butler University president Bobby Fong (who supports lowering the age) commented that he learned to drink socially in the homes of college professors and other adults, and that it was appropriate drinking which fostered responsible attitudes towards alcohol. College students these days drink without any adults present and it is a furtive, destructive activity for too many of them. My 19 year old daughter told me that one of her friends was caught drinking on campus and subsequently had to take classes about alcohol use. One of the things that came out was that police who arrest underage drinkers are seeing higher and higher blood alcohol levels. That's frightening. Why is it? Because it's not legal for them to be drinking and since they can't keep or carry the alcohol, kids finish the bottle or case right on the spot.

Great point about 18 year olds being in high school- our son will be an "old" senior. I don't think booze and high school is a great mix, so 19 would be the way to go if there was going to be any change.

University of South Carolina had a campus bar in the student union. Lots of beer, great bands- and we could walk. Now kids have to get in cars to go to many places- which seems more dangerous. Not only is the alcohol illegal for them to drink, but it is further away.

 

[scooterbug44]

We had cheap cabs and it really discouraged the drinking/driving issue - no excuse for driving when $2 would get you home safely.

 

[beachmouse]

One thing mister mouse pointed out was that at 18, you'd have high school students legally able to buy alcohol, and that odds are good that a lot of them would cheerfully buy for 14 and 15 year old friends.

For a long time, the drinking age in Ontario was 19 (not sure about other parts of Canada) and that seems like that age here would liberalize things for the college crowd without as big of a rule of unintended consequences issue among the high schoolers.

 

[6thGen]

Imagine all the money we'd save if we lowered or eliminated the drinking age and de-criminalized marijuana and other soft drugs. Utopia isn't a realistic goal when your dealing with a race as imperfect as our own.

I wouldn't stop at soft drugs, but I would up the state penalties on DUIs, etc. Just another example of the feds overstepping their bounds.

 

[cheesehead]

How many 18-20 yr olds do you know that are responsible enough to handle drinking and driving? Look at the accidents in this area alone, that are not caused by alcohol? What kind of driver's ed is offered here?

Yes, I drank before being of legal age, and I was fortunate nothing happened. Even, when I was legal, I still made poor decisions when riding a motorcycle and drinking, and not wearing head gear. I had a guardian angel on the back.

There'a alot of things that should be taught in schools, because kids aren't getting it at home. But, unless the system changes throughout the country, the stats will speak for themselves.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of flak, but, that's my opinion. This debate will go on long after I'm gone. Just like legalizing pot, but, it's a no win situation. Kids will drink under age, even if it were 18. So, make the parents responsible.

 

[Miss Kitty]

The drinking age turned back to 18 when I was in college, when I was either 18 or 19 (bear with me, I am old and killed off many brain cells) Making it legal, took some of the fun out of it...I suppose amongst the normal reasons underage kids drink, it was the getting something we shouldn't be getting that was part of the high. That said, I think 19 is a better age to lower the limit to, as it has been stated... there are many 18 year olds still in high school. The argument then becomes...will the kids start drinking even earlier than they do now?

I agree that the colleges want to be rid of the liability. Most colleges do a very poor job of taking responsibility and it is a bit late for many students to be getting the education about binge drinking at Freshman Orientation. My goodness...the college culture with hooking up and date rape is horrifying! As usual, education begins at home and many times that education coupled with a wing and a prayer is what your precious child has to protect themselves. Sadly, many times it is not enough and you hope there is some communication either from your child or a friend that there might be a problem. I bet the school would be the last to contact parents of a problem because of privacy laws...hail, they won't even send home grades unless your child signs a form!

I always think of our young servicemen being able to die for our country and not being able to buy a beer. Confuses my brain everytime.

Great thread!

 

[Miss Critter]

I always think of our young servicemen being able to die for our country and not being able to buy a beer. Confuses my brain everytime.

That makes two of us, Miss K.

 

[futurebeachbum]

I've often felt that we have the whole system backwards.

We let 16 yr olds operate expensive and dangerous motor vehicles on the road. We know that many people under 21 (or even 18) drink illegally, get seriously impaired and operate vehicles.

I would guess that the number of under 18 drivers (and their passengers) killed in accidents each year far exceeds the number of of underagre drinkers who kill themselves directly with alcohol.

Why don't we lower the drinking age and raise the driving age to 20 or 21? Then young drinkers could get the wild drinking, binging, etc.. mostly out of their systems before they are old enough to drive and be a danger to anyone but themselves.

I expect we'd save a lot of gasoline as a side effect of this too.

 

[Smiling JOe]

I was thinking the same thing, yesterday, futurebeachbum! It is a backwards system indeed.

Mermaid, I understand the concern with high-schoolers (18 year olds) buying for younger kids. It is true, and will happen, so that is a very valid point.

Having a drinking age of 21 is also the reason why so many of today's high-schoolers are smoking pot -- buying pot doesn't require an ID or a minimum age. The more hoops you make people jump through, the more they look for alternatives. I started drinking to get drunk when I was 14 (shocker), and I smoked my first cigarette in the second grade (maybe 8 years old). Today, I don't smoke anything, and I don't drink to get drunk, but I don't mind drinking 2-3 beers on occasion. To be blind to what kids are doing, is not helpful to anyone. Educate, educate, educate! When I was in the 9th grade, seven years after that first cigarette, we had a science teacher (heavy smoker) who shared photos of human lungs, one who didn't smoke with fleshy-pink lungs, and the other who smoked, with lungs which looked like a charcoal briquette. That may be the single-most deterrent for me. We adults need to be educating our youth, with truthful information about the benefits and dangers of intoxication, and the varying degrees.

 

[JUL]

You can get charged with a dui whether you are 18 or 21. I don't think drinking is the issue as much as driving and being 18 or 21 doesnt change this