Repealing the Drinking Age?

[Rabbuk]

How much alcohol consumption is because kids are stuck in places with very little culture and no means to leave without a car? What is the alcoholism rate in NYC vs rural Iowa?

This is why most of the folks I know started drinking. Because it's boring as **** to grow up in Iowa.

 

[cowgirl836]

I figured that the no alcohol before 21 law was because the U.S. government determined that individuals who are under that age are not responsible enough to handle it. However, when you turn 18 you are responsible enough to do these things:

Marry
Have children
Adopt a child
Purchase firearms
Purchase tobacco products
Serve in the armed forces (and take another persons like if needed)


******* stupid law.

I would probably throw out the bolded one. That's just biology, not the government saying you are or are not ready to have children.

 

[alarson]

And then there would be fights and court battles over why someone should be suspended from a public school for doing something that is specifically made legal by a law.

How would that be? Just because its legal to drink doesnt mean its legal to show up to school drunk (or do any number of other things drunk)

 

[alarson]

So the US has a higher alcoholism problem than countries that allow (and culturally encourage) alcohol consumption at a younger age?

Don't you think that the current state of alcohol regulations might play into that just a little?

Exactly this. The drinking culture and an increase bad habits from alcohol are likely directly related to having the age set high and people not learning responsible drinking at an early age.

 

[CycloneErik]

Exactly this. The drinking culture and an increase bad habits from alcohol are likely directly related to having the age set high and people not learning responsible drinking at an early age.

I doubt that's the relation. It's more likely that using terms like "adult beverages" and portraying this as some sort of rite of passage into adulthood contributes to the childish behavior. The drinking age itself is irrelevant.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Almost everyone I grew up with drank more between 16-20 than they did 21 and after.

 

[colbycheese]

How much alcohol consumption is because kids are stuck in places with very little culture and no means to leave without a car? What is the alcoholism rate in NYC vs rural Iowa?

Rural kids are to alcohol as city kids are to pot, FYI.

 

[colbycheese]

If there's one thing I regret about college, it is that I did not learn how to homebrew until I was a grad student. Brewing your own is a sure way to have more (good) beer on the cheap without ever having to try and find a buyer. Just knowing how to make jailhouse cider (Mott's apple juice + yeast) would have saved me hundreds of dollars alone!

As for the OP's topic, I am totally for bringing the legal age to 18.

 

[Daserop]

Rural kids are to alcohol as city kids are to pot, FYI.

that is not a completely accurate stereotype.

 

[capitalcityguy]

Seriously, how much better would this country be without that amendment? I've always said, the problem with democracy is that all the idiots get to vote.

I've also seen things that draw a paralllel between this amendment passing and when DC spending starting spiraling out of control.

 

[alarson]

I doubt that's the relation. It's more likely that using terms like "adult beverages" and portraying this as some sort of rite of passage into adulthood contributes to the childish behavior. The drinking age itself is irrelevant.

The whole reason it becomes a 'rite of passage' is because of the drinking age being set so high. If they were learning good habits at home at a younger age it would not be a problem.

 

[00clone]

I've also seen things that draw a paralllel between this amendment passing and when DC spending starting spiraling out of control.

"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." Ben Franklin quote.

 

[CycloneErik]

The whole reason it becomes a 'rite of passage' is because of the drinking age being set so high. If they were learning good habits at home at a younger age it would not be a problem.

Not true. In America, it's been the same issue for well over a century that drinking became an adult rite of passage. The drinking age is just a current scapegoat for it.

People could learn good habits at home that don't involve alcohol, too. That would be more likely to preclude a problem than anything with the drinking age.

 

[colbycheese]

that is not a completely accurate stereotype.

I've lived in rural Iowa and cities, and I have plenty of friends from both backgrounds. In my experience, it is accurate. Both groups drink, and both smoke pot, yes. However, pot use is definitely more accepted among city kids I know.

 

[capitalcityguy]

Not true. In America, it's been the same issue for well over a century that drinking became an adult rite of passage. The drinking age is just a current scapegoat for it.

People could learn good habits at home that don't involve alcohol, too. That would be more likely to preclude a problem than anything with the drinking age.

As someone who attended ISU during the transition from 19-21 and saw firsthand the changes in college social culture this created, I couldn't disagree with you more.

It is extremely naive to dismiss the change to 21 so easily

 

[jbhtexas]

How would that be? Just because its legal to drink doesnt mean its legal to show up to school drunk (or do any number of other things drunk)

You said:

This one seems easy enough to enforce with breathalyzers now. You show up with alcohol in your system and youre getting a suspension.

You didn't say showing up at school drunk, you said showing up at school with alcohol in your system. Huge difference. If the drinking age is lowered to 18, it would be perfectly legal for an 18-year old student to show up at school with alcohol in the system (you can have alcohol in your system and not be legally drunk), unless the drinking age law was somehow written to forbid being on school grounds with alcohol in the system.

 

[jbhtexas]

That number really jumped out at me, so I looked into it and big surprise it's complete BS. I read the underlying study and I can't see where it says anything even close to that. First the study is only about Medicaid and Medicare costs and it combines alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Then they take average length of stays for heavy smoker, drinkers, drug users versus non users and that's where the 25% increase number comes from.

I emailed the last website and asked them to explain how they derived the statistic. I'll post back what they say.

 

[jbhtexas]

So the US has a higher alcoholism problem than countries that allow (and culturally encourage) alcohol consumption at a younger age?

Don't you think that the current state of alcohol regulations might play into that just a little?

I think the current state of alcohol regulations plays very little into the problem. I think the problem is that drinking to get plastered drunk is acceptable and even encouraged by our culture. As Erik said above, the drinking age thing is a bogus scapegoat. Kids see their parents do it, and go on to do it themselves.

 

[jbhtexas]

People could learn good habits at home that don't involve alcohol, too. That would be more likely to preclude a problem than anything with the drinking age.

Absolutely correct.

 

[colbycheese]

I think the current state of alcohol regulations plays very little into the problem. I think the problem is that drinking to get plastered drunk is acceptable and even encouraged by our culture. As Erik said above, the drinking age thing is a bogus scapegoat. Kids see their parents do it, and go on to do it themselves.

My parents never drank in front of my bothers and I, yet we all "drank to get plastered" in college. We're all responsible drinkers now without any problems. In fact, we all probably drank less in college once we turned 21.

I think it is a college culture that developed as a result of the drinking age limit.