Alcoholismismism

The legal age in the Netherlands is 16 at the moment, but it'll be changed to 18 on 1st January 2014. Good thing, if you ask me. I don't think you can drink responsibly at 16.

On the same date, the legal age to buy cigarettes gets raised to 18 too.

 

16 or 18, I guess. I don't really think its a big deal. They may have that ridiculous challenge 25 policy, but I was served in bars a couple of years ago (before I took hormones) when I looked about 14. If people want to drink they will, laws be fucked.

 

At 18 you can smoke cigarettes, gamble, buy a gun, be drafted into the military, join the military on your own and be shipped off to Afghanistan to be killed, but you can't have a drink. Screw that.

 

Never!

 

Agreed, it's high time to shake off any lingering influences of The Temperance movement, Prohibition, and MADD. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act basically blackmailed states into raising the drinking age to 21, by threatening to withhold highway funding. If some zealots had their way, no one would ever drink, anywhere.

 

I think 18 is a good age. It's 18 in Quebec and teenagers who live near the border in Ontario go there to drink all the time (it's 19 in Ontario).

 

I really feel 18 is the right age for legal alcohol consumption. I do think you need to be an adult it should by no means go any lower (unless its a drink in a restaurant at supper with parents present)... I do feel here in the US, 21 is too high and alcohol definitely becomes a "forbidden fruit" of sorts in which teenagers go crazy and overboard once they get a hold of booze (which they will one way or another if they wish to drink underage) Whereas at 18, it would be so much a big deal for high schoolers. I feel there would be a higher chance of them not binge drinking, esp. in high school unlike the current situation. In addition to all the usual arguments of having the mental maturity to sign up for military service and possibly dying for one's country at 18.

 

Go to UK or Ireland and then tell me if they drink responsibly at any age whatsoever... :dry:

I voted 18 because it's the legal age in Portugal for basically everything except sex. That comes at 14 (16 for LGBT for some reason that I don't try to understand).

 

I agree with most of the above comments. I think that 16 is probably rather young for anyone to be drinking. That's still in High School, and chances are the average 16 year old is not going to hold their alcohol all that well. Add that to the natural immaturity that most teenagers have, and... Yeah. I don't think that would work.

At 21, however, it's really rather ridiculous. I mean, maybe if all our other laws were based around 21, but drinking is pretty much the only "adult" thing granted at 21 and not 18. Considering that even the age of consent is generally 18, there isn't a reason drinking alcohol shouldn't be 18 too.

 

If you can die for your country, you should be able to drink. It doesn't and wouldn't have affected me, since I don't care for alcohol. I think that such a law would create more abuse of alcohol, since it coincides with the age when most people go to college or go into the world of work and where socializing seems to almost require alcohol. However, all the other rights seem to arrive at 18, so ...

 

Are we just talking about beer or hard liquor as well. Eighteen is okay for beer but you should wait until twenty-one for hard liquor. Three years at that age does make a person more mature.

 

I am for a younger age like 18. You usually turn 18 still living with your parents, so they have the opportunity to teach responsible drinking. If it is 21 like it is now in all 50 US States, and the District of Columbia (Not the actual US drinking age though), you are away with your peers at college, or the military or whatever, and you have to learn it on your own. I think this is where a lot of college parties get out of control.

The Drinking age in the Untied States at the federal level is 18, if you are on a US military installation in another country the drinking age is 18 on that installation. All the stateside military bases have adopted the drinking age of their host state though.

 

I think it should be 18. I think it's kind of sad that these guys and girls can join the military at 18 and go out on active duty, but then, when they come back home, they can't even have a beer. "Yeah, you served our country bravely, and you do us a great service, but you can't have a beer." I know it's not a great reason, but when you're 18, you're legally an adult. I do think you should be able to buy beer. You can run away from home and not be considered a runaway at age 18.

I agree with biggayguy though. Hard liquor should be reserved for individuals over 21.

 

I agree with the above. Teenagers already drive like idiots here. Just give 16-year-olds easy access to hard liquor, and there would no doubt be a huge spike in drunk driving accidents and deaths...

 

I actually think 25 should be the minimum age to drink alcohol. I feel that that's the age when people are mature enough to handle it. I'm not saying people at about 23 aren't mature, it's just that at 25 or so most people are able to handle it. That and most people are past college at 25, so it won't interfere with school, etc.

 

So we should restrict people's freedoms based on self-righteous assessments that they're too immature to handle it? What gives the state the right to decide such things? People don't drink because they're mature.

 

Tails, this is 2013 and not the Prohibition years anymore.

 

I don't want to offend, but I think your point of view has everything to do with your age. When I was your age I was certain I wouldn't drink any alcohol ever, but look where we are now.

 

It's just that I read somewhere on the Internet that alcohol does work as a distraction for college, etc. people. And the mature part is my best judgement and commercials I sometimes see.