Thread: Legal Age

Hello gentlemen/ladies,

Just to clarify something, the topic of this thread is legal drinking age, NOT a conversation about age of sexual consent....

It occurred to me recently that we have a large number of youngin's here, as in the under-20 demographic, who are shaving with SR's but aren't even old enough to buy booze. That reminded me that for a lot of our American friends the legal drinking age is 21.

The LDA varies in Canada from province to province, just as it varies from state to state. Here in Alberta it is 18. This seems reasonable enough to me, as the age of majority includes many other responsibilities other than buying alcohol. 21 just seems to be such an odd-ball number, and I have no idea why it was chosen. As well, it just doesn't seem right. In the States at 18 you are deemed old enough (and therefore responsible enough) to vote for your president, you can die for your country in the armed forces, you can operate a motor vehicle (with the potential to kill people) and I'm assuming you can also buy a gun. But apparently you aren't mature enough to go to a liquor store and buy a six pack to enjoy a hot summer day, or enjoy a nice glass of wine with a meal. You get my drift...

So, what is the legal drinking age in your area? What are your thoughts on the whole issue?

The US is 21 across the whole breadth and width...

HOWEVER..

I agree with your logic.
If you can Vote, Enter in a contract, and join the Armed forces you can Drink!!! and that in itself proves that the 18-21 year old vote is pretty much a joke... Wouldn't that be that first thing on your agenda if you were 18 and politically organized????

BTW You can only buy certain guns at 18


PS; keep in mind that my thought goes both ways maybe you shouldn't be doing any of those at 18 either

In Finland legal drinking age is 18 for wines & beer (tobacco as well) and 20 for hard ones. That doesn't stop our youth drinking younger but it makes it little (but only little) more difficult to get alcohol. Once they reach their legal age they usually have learned how to deal with alcohol civilized.

Most youngsters take their first experiences with booze at the age of 14 or 15. Police can take the bottles away when they see underaged person obviously drunk but usually, and specially in the big cities there must be hundreds of teens humming around very drunk so police only tries to pick up only those who seem to have their condition worse.
I do not know if this is good or bad. Just a way it is and have been maybe for decades if not hundreds of years.

The legal age throughout the US is 21... the federal guv'ment holds highway funding over the heads of the states to keep it that way.

My feelings are very mixed... 18 is old enough to vote and go to war to fight and die for the country, so why shouldn't they be "full" adults and allowed to tipple? To me this should be simple logic.

*BUT* (There is always a but....)
In my line of work, I see on a daily basis, the effects of poorly made decisions on the parts of young people heavily influenced by liquid-courage. My inner cynic says the drinking age should be about 37 after passing a test and being licensed by the state as a responsible adult.

I honestly don't think most folks are mature enough at 18 (or 21 for that matter) to consume alcohol as they desire. To many self destructive, both intentional and unintentional, actions occur... to many times I've heard a recently sobered-up teen say "I did what?" I'm sure that there is a pretty large number of 18 year old young adults who are perfectly mature enough to handle drinking, but as our society has to dumb things down to the level of the common moron.... I'm guessing it will stay at 21 for the foreseeable future in the US.

On a side note, I also feel that folks shouldn't be allowed to breed until they can prove to the state that they are capable of being decent parents.... but as my inner-cynic isn't currently all powerful sympathetic dictator of the world, I'll just sit quietly and plot to take over the world...

Originally Posted by OiRogers

I honestly don't think most folks are mature enough at 18 (or 21 for that matter) to consume alcohol as they desire. To many self destructive, both intentional and unintentional, actions occur... to many times I've heard a recently sobered-up teen say "I did what?" I'm sure that there is a pretty large number of 18 year old young adults who are perfectly mature enough to handle drinking, but as our society has to dumb things down to the level of the common moron.... I'm guessing it will stay at 21 for the foreseeable future in the US.

But, they are old enough to handle pulling a trigger in War???? and signing a contact to buy a car... Perhaps waking up the next morning and saying "I did what" see that "but" sword cuts both ways...
Either lift the age of responsible adulthood the 21+ or everything is 18 that is only fair...my 2 cents

There are definitely reasons the drinking age is 21 and I fully agree with it. This should help you: WHY 21 -Get the Truth About the 21 Law

Specifically the part on the "Teen Brain".

In Norway the age for voting, bying alcohol and driving a car is all 18.
You are a grown-up or you are not, seems to be the thinking here!

Age for voting and drivers license is 18. You can join the military at 17.
That has nothing to do with your ability to deal with alcohol. Sadly we have sort of a drinking culture that has nothing to do with the age. I know many people between 30 - 60 who still do not know how to drink civilized. It is ass over shoulders every time.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

The US is 21 across the whole breadth and width...

Thanks for the info, Glen. I thought I heard somewhere that there were state variances, it was an assumption on my part. Perhaps I was thinking of an initiative where a specific state was thinking outloud on the subject...

Originally Posted by Sailor

Once they reach their legal age they usually have learned how to deal with alcohol civilized.

This is pretty much how I feel.

I don't believe there should be a legal drinking age. I quit heavy drinking when I turned 21. I started drinking beer at 21.

I joined the Army at 22 and didn't drink again until my team went to Iraq when I was 31. The entire team stayed drunk most of the tour. I'd go into Baghdad once or twice a week and come back to Al Hilla with an FMTV loaded with pallets of beer. We had walls of beer in our safe house. I went from 184lbs to 220lbs in less than a year.