Drinking age lowered to 18?

[foilman8805]

Originally Posted by OrganisM

uhh..

That's a pretty sobering link.

All of this talk is pretty hypothetical though. I don't think the law is going to be changed anyways, so it's not worth it to get too worked up over it.

OrganisM, I must say that I respect your arguments even though our opinions differ. They are well constructed, intelligent, and definitely provoke thought.

[OrganisM]

the wonders of google. :P

seems like ryan has yet to fully discover teh interwebs.

edit: thanks, same to you.

ps, your sig makes this thread full of irony.

[ledwix]

OrganisM is correct to show that, IMO. The relative amount of useless suffering caused by alcohol has to be taken into account. It's a lot more effective at killing unsuspecting people than airplanes are.

I'd also have to agree that the education about alcohol and other drugs here in America is terrible. They show us fake movies and such about bizarre scenarios that make it psychologically appealing.

By the way, what is the point of drinking alcohol? I'm confused, honestly. I've thought about this a LOT, too.

[foilman8805]

Originally Posted by ledwix

By the way, what is the point of drinking alcohol? I'm confused, honestly. I've thought about this a LOT, too.

I think at first, the honest intentions of those who drink alcohol are focused on it being fun, because admittedly, it can be very fun if you're with the right people in the right environment.

At least, that is the only reason why I have ever consumed it - never for a release or to forget my problems.

However, these intentions can become misguided after prolonged exposure, because as we all know, it is a drug and behavior alters accordingly to an addictive substance.

[OrganisM]

Originally Posted by ledwix

By the way, what is the point of drinking alcohol? I'm confused, honestly. I've thought about this a LOT, too.

People drink it for a lot of reasons. The two most prominent reasons are enjoyment of the taste and the sensation it causes when used in moderation. Respect the alcohol, the alcohol respects you. At least that's one way of putting it.

The problem is, most folks have very little self control, and that's evident in many areas of our lives, and is one of the biggest reasons for many of this world's problems, as I see it. And what so many forget is this:

Alcohol is a poison.

That is fact. Alcohol is a poison. Used responsibly and in moderation, it is to be enjoyed. Just like with everything else, balance is key. Anything in large amounts can become poisonous. Vitamins in large quantities can destroy your body's filtration system, the kidneys. Sugar is also known as the "white death". Anything in extreme excess is bad for you, alcohol more so than most things.

Alcohol is not the devil, nor should it be portrayed as such, for propaganda for the "greater good" is still propaganda, and misleading the masses for what one thinks is a good agenda is not the right thing to do. Perception of alcohol needs to change, I think. But that goes hand in hand with many other reforms the world needs to go through before we do our species justice, to put things in a broader perspective.

[welsh_girl]

I think they should lower it to 18, it's 18 here.

I think the main people who cause trouble with alcohol like binge drinking and violence are the underagers. If they lower it everyone 18 - 20 wont think it's such an amazing drink to get there hands on and might calm down.

When I was 16 - 17 I used to take full advantage of being able to get into clubs etc. and used to be really bad for drinking alot. Now I'm 18 and can easily walk into any club/pub and can go to any shop I want and buy alcohol the excitment and appeal has really gone down.

[mnnicol]

18 year drinking age in New Zealand. Going to go drink some more and hit town bye

[customstuff]

19 here, 18 in some other parts of Canada. I think it should stay at 21 so we can rub it in US's face. I don't plan on drinking too much anyway.

[rzr]

I wish prohibition went more smoothly...

[Redsky139]

I apologize if any of this was brought up on page 2. I only read page 1 and 3. I'm lazy.

1) Alcohol is not actually a poison any more than aspirin. It is a foreign substance, which when introduced into the body causes metabolic changes. It could be thus interpreted as medicine and is actually prescribed occasionally for certain reasons (e.g., thinning the blood). Daily consumption of small amounts of alcohol (1 glass of wine or 12 oz of beer for women/2 glasses of wine or 24 oz of beer for men) makes you live significantly longer than people who don't drink at all. This is primarily driven by a protective effect against stroke and heart attack. Of course, these health benefits are completely wiped out if you have 3 or more drinks even once a week.

2) There is about 40 years of very solid research evidence linking alcohol use in 18-20 year olds with fatal drunk driving accidents in America. This is the primary reason why the drinking age is 21 in America. Traffic volume is lesser in Canada, so the danger involved in drinking and driving is less (or at least it's only likely to kill one person). Some 18-20 year olds can drink responsibly, but the body of evidence argues strongly that if 18-20 year olds in the US can legally drink, they will kill a significantly greater number of people while driving than if they must do it illegally. As a matter of fact, this is probably true of 21-24 year olds as well, but the evidence isn't as strong and it becomes even harder to enforce.

3) There is some evidence that alcohol use is supported evolutionarily, i.e., somewhere in the distant past, more individuals who drank alcohol at least some times survived to sexual maturity/were more reproductively successful. It's hard to
argue against evolution, and laws that contradict it tend to fall apart pretty quickly.

[dooty_7]

Wow I just read 9 pages of this and some interesting points have been raised. Here is a bit of a summary

-regardless of the limit, people underage will drink
-Alcohol should be illegal (won't do a thing)
-Alcohol can be your friend if you are responsible
-The age of responsibility is arbitrary and based on chronological age, not maturity level
-"I can go to war but I can't drink!?!?! WTF!?!"
-Drinking tests (....seriously this was presented as an idea!?)
-airplanes have to be 18 to fly

Anyways I think 21 is a bit high, a more appropriate age would be 18 or 19. At 18/19 you are (hopefully) out of high school and beginning your life on your own whether it be in Post Secondary or In a job or whatever. The point being you are now (at least in the eyes of the law) more responsible for your decisions since you are now an adult. With this growing responsibility comes the options to Go to War, and vote in elections. Therefore, it seems like one should be allowed the responsibility to do what they please to their bodies as long as it is not illegal. Also, the earlier it becomes legalized, the quicker Kids become used to it, and the earlier they learn their limits. Once one's limits are established, they rarely go over it again.

Completely making the consumption of Alcohol illegal would be pointless. Pot is illegal where I am from and in High School it was easier to obtain it then it was to get alcohol. lol. Actually I could get any drug easier pretty much which is a sobering thought!

An alcohol allowance test is also not a good idea. First of all the whole test itself is too subjective. One can argue that a Driving Test can be subjective as well but usually the Instructors are trained on what is and is not acceptable or safe and they judge based on that. A universal drinking test would be too difficult to administer being that everyone's reaction to alcohol is slightly different. Second of all the idea that one would go to a Government Building to get drunk seems hilarious to me.

[Sir_Thomas]

Originally Posted by s0ulst0n3

Sure, people can GO TO FREAKING WAR and KILL a person at the age of 16, but GOD FORBID drinking underage. It's such a stupid law anyways.

Everyone loves to argue this arguement..

The sad fact is, this is a HORRIBLE rebuttal.

The drinking age is 21 because consuming alcohol stunts growth... hence why it was moved from 18 (Because you are still growing at this age..) to 21.

It has nothing to do about having to be 21 because you are more mature, its so you dont end up being 4 foot tall with a microscopic penis. On top of that, youre brain is not fully matured as well.. this means the alcohol will impair your ability to think rationally.

[Myattboy]

Its always been 18 and its not a bad idea.

Before i was 18 all i wanted to do was drink but once i knew i was legal, couldn't be arsed lol.

Originally Posted by Sir_Thomas

Everyone loves to argue this arguement..

The sad fact is, this is a HORRIBLE REBUTAL.


The drinking age is 21 because consuming alcohol stunts growth... hence why it was moved from 18 (Because you are still growing at this age..) to 21.

It has nothing to do about having to be 21 because you are more mature, its so you dont end up being 4 foot tall with a microscopic penis.

So does smoking and thats 16. (18 to buy)

[Shashakiro]

Originally Posted by Sir_Thomas

The drinking age is 21 because consuming alcohol stunts growth... hence why it was moved from 18 (Because you are still growing at this age..) to 21.

It has nothing to do about having to be 21 because you are more mature, its so you dont end up being 4 foot tall with a microscopic penis.

Bull****. Source please.

[s0ulst0n3]

Originally Posted by Sir_Thomas

Everyone loves to argue this arguement..

The sad fact is, this is a HORRIBLE rebuttal.

The drinking age is 21 because consuming alcohol stunts growth... hence why it was moved from 18 (Because you are still growing at this age..) to 21.

It has nothing to do about having to be 21 because you are more mature, its so you dont end up being 4 foot tall with a microscopic penis. On top of that, youre brain is not fully matured as well.. this means the alcohol will impair your ability to think rationally.

Irony, I wrote that post you quoted while I was drunk. :P

[Sir_Thomas]

Originally Posted by Myattboy

Its always been 18 and its not a bad idea.

Before i was 18 all i wanted to do was drink but once i knew i was legal, couldn't be arsed lol.



So does smoking and thats 16. (18 to buy)

Cigarettes do not affect your ability to think straight. Alcohol does.
At 18; youre brain is not fully mature. Besides the fact that you're drinking something that impairs your judgement in the first place; your brain is not fully matured (the frontal cortex is what makes you think before acting on impulses..) making underaged drinkers more likely to commit reckless acts under the influence.

Originally Posted by s0ulst0n3

Irony, I wrote that post you quoted while I was drunk. :P

Uhmm... ok?

[Myattboy]

Originally Posted by Sir_Thomas

Cigarettes do not affect your ability to think straight. Alcohol does.
At 18; youre brain is not fully mature. Besides the fact that you're drinking something that impairs your judgement in the first place; your brain is not fully matured (the frontal cortex is what makes you think before acting on impulses..) making underaged drinkers more likely to commit reckless acts under the influence.






Uhmm... ok?

lol. I was referring to "alcohol stunts growth"

[rzr]

I think it was foil earlier who said wor brain stops developing at 25, which is why he wanted it changed to that. Well, I'm sitting here in driving school right now and they say it's 27.

[Redsky139]

Actually, recent evidence has contradicted that. Previously neuroscientists thought that you didn't develop any new neurons after about that age (25 or 27 is fine, it was an approximation anyways), but they located a region of the brain in the last 1-2 years that does manufacture new neurons throughout your lifetime. Of course, it doesn't manufacture nearly as many, but it's evidence for continued development - you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Anyways, the number of neurons is pretty irrelevant, it's how they're hooked together that matters.

[rzr]

Does that subsequently mean that those who propose drinking ages be heightened to when your brain stop developing mean they advocate reviving prohibition?