Should the minimum legal drinking age across the U.S. be lowered to 18?
Why?
Why not?
If not to eighteen, how low should it be brought, if it is lowered at all?
I'm totally undecided on this issue, and I want to find out more from BOTH sides. Best answer will go to the most well thought-out, most persuasive, and most well-sourced answer on either side.
Answers:
Actually, when I first thought about it my first thoughts were to leave it at 21, but then thinking about it again I realized that it really is such an arbitrary number, and I'm not even sure where they came up with that number. It used to be the age for drinking and for voting, but the age for voting was changed when it was realized that at the age of 18 you could be in the armed forces and you could die for our country, so you should be able to vote for your politicians. Thinking about that brought up to my mind that if at the age of 18 you are old enough to vote, to fight for our country, then why shouldn't you be old enough to drink. You are in most ways considered an adult, as the first two of the three points make you pretty much of an adult and give you a right to make decisions that effect you and the country, then shouldn't you have the right to govern yourself and your own habits, one of them being drinking. At the age of 18 most people are out of their parent's homes. They are either away at college or they are in their first apartment working at their first job, even if it is a menial job, but they are out on their own. I'm sorry for the person who feels there should be no alchol because he can't contol himself, but truthfully, that's his problem, and it shouldn't be laid at the feet of every other 18 or 21 year old. If someone is going to have a drinking problem it is going to be there at 18 or at 21.
When you come down to it, in a lot of other countries there is no drinking age. I know that when I lived in France in my mid-teens there was no problem getting alcohol at any time. We just went into stores and bought bottles of wine, nobody asked how old we were. Also, when we went into what were called American Bars, those being bars that served mixed drinks, we had no problem ordering anything we wanted. It didn't cause any of us to over drink and didn't turn any of us into alcoholics at an early age or give us any problems later on in our lives.
So, I say 18 years old is a good age, along with all the other things that change in our lives as we turn 18.
No...most definatly not. A lot of people here would abuse it. They probably would at 21 too, but still...if we can hold them off for a few more years...=P
I'm a total alcoholic. and would prefer it to be completely illegal, because its so hard to quit.
No,the minimum drinking age should not be lowered to 18. America is probably the only country that has such horrible and grotesque drinking and driving issues. Looking at it from the standpoint of a teen the answer is an obvious, hell ya! But ask them again when they have lost a friend to drunk driving and you'll get a different answer.
I don't think so. Teenagers would totally abuse this right and there would be far too many alcohol related deaths to make it worth the privilege.
NO! people at 21 abuse that law. if you want to drink you are going to find a way to get it, but just imagine if it was allowed, there would be so many more car accidents and it would get people who are just turning adults in alot of trouble and could ruin there life for ever
Absolutely Not! Don't we have enough teens dying in car accidents now? Making it legal for 18 year olds will just ADD to the Deaths of our young!
Yes, all the rights and responsibilities of an adult citizen should come into full force at 18.
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