Repealing the Drinking Age?

[klamath632]

No one can enjoy a Miller in a bar...there's no such thing as a Miller.

Miller Lite, MGD, Miller 64, Miller High Life, Miller Chill, Miller Fortune....but no Miller.

Agree with the bolded. Because none of those Millers listed are enjoyable.

 

[Al_4_State]

Better yet, don't keep it off school grounds. Arm every teacher with alcohol. Keeping it out of the hands of the good guys just makes it that much easier for the bad guys to win.

You can pry my 6 pack out of my cold, dead hands...

 

[jkclone]

I honestly don't get how someone can actually support the drinking age being higher than 19. I'd like it at 18 but I understand why people want it at 19. 21 not so much.

 

[isuno1fan]

Ehhh. It's fine where it is at 21. I could maybe get on board with 19, but there are more important things to worry about.

 

[CycloneErik]

jbhtexas and CycloneErik are both non-drinkers who would probably prefer that there not be alcohol at all. That's not something that's going to happen since alcohol has been around as long as civilization, and whether they like it or not, many people have enriched their life with it. You can have a good life without it, but that doesn't mean that the government should force that on you.

We aren't debating whether alcohol should exist or not; we're debating whether or not the 21 year old drinking age is a good thing for this country. Most people seem to think it isn't. The rest of the civilized world agrees.

Who mentioned the government?

 

[capitalcityguy]

Ehhh. It's fine where it is at 21. I could maybe get on board with 19, but there are more important things to worry about.

"It's fine.."

Based on what evidence? Plenty has been offered here to the contrary. Good take tho.

 

[jbhtexas]

jbhtexas and CycloneErik are both non-drinkers who would probably prefer that there not be alcohol at all.

I don't abstain from alcohol. But I also don't repeatedly bash athletic (and other) venues and events on message boards because there isn't enough drinking going on prior to the actual event. If that makes me a non-drinker, then so be it.

 

[Al_4_State]

Who mentioned the government?

This whole thread is about the government.

 

[mcblogerson]

At 18, I thought the law was unfair.
At 21, I immediately didn't care.
At 30, I was glad I didn't have to be around drunk teens.
At 40, I only drink at places, college kids don't go to, or couldn't afford, so I'm back to not caring again.

I think anyone with a high school diploma (not GED), or is in the military should be able to buy alcohol at 18. Perhaps a designation that goes on your drivers license.

 

[Al_4_State]

I don't abstain from alcohol. But I also don't repeatedly bash athletic (and other) venues and events on message boards because there isn't enough drinking going on prior to the actual event. If that makes me a non-drinker, then so be it.

Oh, the Baylor thing. That had as much to do with the lack of, well, anything going on before the event. I know people that throw great tailgates who barely/don't drink.

Your comments in this thread (and many others like it) indicate a very conservative view point on alcohol/drugs, and a belief that there should be stricter governmental controls in regards to those things. There's nothing wrong with that, but I think it's good to be above-board with your biases. My biases are that I like alcohol and firmly believe that attempts by government to control social behavior as it pertains to individuals creates more problems than it solves, and attempts at stricter control only further said problems.

 

[jbhtexas]

Your comments in this thread (and many others like it) indicate a very conservative view point on alcohol/drugs, and a belief that there should be stricter governmental controls in regards to those things. There's nothing wrong with that, but I think it's good to be above-board with your biases. My biases are that I like alcohol and firmly believe that attempts by government to control social behavior as it pertains to individuals creates more problems than it solves, and attempts at stricter control only further said problems.

Aside from the questionable statistic on hospital beds, the links I posted earlier show that US federal, state, and local governments bear significant costs (both healthcare costs and economic costs) because of excessive alcohol consumption. So, to me, it seems reasonable that the government would be looking for ways reduce excessive alcohol consumption, and thus the money lost because of it.

In general, I don't support the government dictating social policy, but when a certain harmful activity imposes significant costs on society and the government, I think it is a legitimate role for the government to be involved with other social organizations to curb the harmful activity.

A drinking age limit is one way that the government can be involved in. It may or may not be the best way. The drinking age in Iowa was 18 at one time. Perhaps one could do a study comparing the the time when the limit was 18 and the present limit of 21 to see if there have been any measurable benefits to society.

 

[Al_4_State]

Aside from the questionable statistic on hospital beds, the links I posted earlier show that US federal, state, and local governments bear significant costs (both healthcare costs and economic costs) because of excessive alcohol consumption. So, to me, it seems reasonable that the government would be looking for ways reduce excessive alcohol consumption, and thus the money lost because of it.

In general, I don't support the government dictating social policy, but when a certain harmful activity imposes significant costs on society and the government, I think it is a legitimate role for the government to be involved with other social organizations to curb the harmful activity.

A drinking age limit is one way that the government can be involved in. It may or may not be the best way. The drinking age in Iowa was 18 at one time. Perhaps one could do a study comparing the the time when the limit was 18 and the present limit of 21 to see if there have been any measurable benefits to society.

Europe doesn't have the problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption that the United States does.

They also don't treat alcohol as taboo, and encourage people to learn at a young age how to responsibly use it.

I think there's pretty good evidence that they have a superior approach to alcohol than we do. The tighter controls we've exercised on alcohol have created the environment that leads to our increased social cost.

 

[colbycheese]

My experience is completely different. I grew up in rural community were Saturday night was for drinking that would by today's standards result in ending up well over the legal limit. Many adults did it as well as their kids. In fact, a couple of my classmates had parents who would by them the beer. And there was no adult supervision when the kids were drinking. For the most part, the kids who avoided it had parents who drank sensibly.

Just curious, even though your parents didn't drink in front of you, did they hold the belief that drinking to get plastered was accpetable or unnacceptable behavior?

They considered it unacceptable behavior.

 

[isuno1fan]

Europe doesn't have the problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption that the United States does.

They also don't treat alcohol as taboo, and encourage people to learn at a young age how to responsibly use it.

I think there's pretty good evidence that they have a superior approach to alcohol than we do. The tighter controls we've exercised on alcohol have created the environment that leads to our increased social cost.

the USA isn't Europe and never will be. Move there if you prefer their social laws.

 

[Angie]

Europe doesn't have the problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption that the United States does.

They also don't treat alcohol as taboo, and encourage people to learn at a young age how to responsibly use it.

I think there's pretty good evidence that they have a superior approach to alcohol than we do. The tighter controls we've exercised on alcohol have created the environment that leads to our increased social cost.

I don't really have a dog in this fight, but here's what the WHO has to say on that:

http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/alcohol-use/data-and-statistics

"The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol."

 

[jbhtexas]

Europe doesn't have the problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption that the United States does.

They also don't treat alcohol as taboo, and encourage people to learn at a young age how to responsibly use it.

I think there's pretty good evidence that they have a superior approach to alcohol than we do. The tighter controls we've exercised on alcohol have created the environment that leads to our increased social cost.

I'm not sure where this idea comes from. Many areas of Europe have an alcohol problem. It may not be as bad as the one in the US, but they have one. From the first document (published in 2013)

Alcohol in the EU: The Basics
Europe is the heaviest drinking region in the world, with the average European consumption accounting for twice that of the global alcohol intake. Over 1/5 of the European population aged 15 and older binge drink at least once a week. Alcohol is the third leading risk factor for disease and death after tobacco use and high blood pressure. Globally, the European Region has the highest proportion of ill health (7%) and early death due to alcohol.3,4,5

http://www.eurocare.org/resources/factsheets/alcohol_and_women/women_and_alcohol_in_the_eu
http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/128065/e94533.pdf
http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/160680/e96457.pdf

 

[Al_4_State]

the USA isn't Europe and never will be. Move there if you prefer their social laws.

For a country based on freedom and individual liberty, we sure have a ton of restrictions on it. But hey, if it doesn't affect me, why should I care? I know that's basically your thought on the matter.

I'm not saying Europe is a better place than the US, but this is one area where they have a better approach than the United States. They aren't utopia, but when it comes to alcohol, they're in better shape.

 

[isuno1fan]

For a country based on freedom and individual liberty, we sure have a ton of restrictions on it. But hey, if it doesn't affect me, why should I care? I know that's basically your thought on the matter.

I'm not saying Europe is a better place than the US, but this is one area where they have a better approach than the United States. They aren't utopia, but when it comes to alcohol, they're in better shape.

As proven by the links shared by Angie and JBH.

Al you've proven yourself to like a good party and that's ok, but sometimes you take it over the top with your views on drugs, alcohol, police, etc.

Curious what your views are on the seatbelt law?

 

[RoseBowlBound]

I think what is essentially occurring here is a disagreement in how to improve the drinking culture in the US. Most of us think that de-stigmatizing drinking at a younger age could lead to better drinking habits and others think that the drinking age is just a scape goat.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

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