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U.S. Drinking Age
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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Dr Brasso on Sun Sep 4th at 4:36pm 2005

? posted by ReNo
I can barely imagine living in a society with a drinking age of 21. Here in the UK it is 18, but the vast majority of kids start drinking regularly by 16, to some extent with their parents knowledge if not explicit consent. While the drinking age in much (all?) of the US is 21, does it really have a big effect? Obviously it means you don't go drinking in pubs and things when you are younger, but is it still commonplace for 16 year olds to be getting drink while at parties and things? At the age at which teenagers are going out partying, it seems logical for drink to make an appearance, and I can't really imagine what these occasions would be like without that. If I was going to a party at 16 years old, you can bet your boots off most people would be drinking to some degree.

exactly duncan, its all in how yer raised.....if yer trained to drink responsibly, then youve been trained to "drink", which in actuality is a whole other topic. check that mindset....

ok....so lets be realistic.

in all actuality, life is not what you see in the movies, its hard, itrs day to day, its robbing peter to pay paul, its worrying about yer kids, its alot of things that drive yer spirit right into the f**king ground.....i know this....and everybody needs a little somethin' somethin' just to get em thru the damn day.....pick yer poison.alchohol. drugs. religion. sex addict (always wanted to investigate that one further.. <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/heee.gif"> ) fast cars and adrenaline rushes....whatever.....all things in moderation.

its the ability to choose yer road that should be cultivated....and yer all gonna hate this statement, but....few "kids" have the wherewithall and the qualifications to make that choice. they dont see the whole picture yet, because they havent been there. kind of a catch 22 in a sense i suppose.

Doc B...

good discussion so far gents.... <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_wink.gif">





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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by pepper on Sun Sep 4th at 5:27pm 2005

I think its to high, though i cant really be allowd to have a oppionon about this since i dont live in the us. But i find it hard to get around that you let kids dive a car at 16 and let drink at 21, here traffic accidents make more victims then alcohol does. Here you are allowed to drive when your 18, though there planning on raising it since researched showed that young drivers take a higher risk on the road, logical for me since young people usualy dare to do more things, if not dangerous.


RUST Gamedesign
pepper design

The strength of the turbulence is directly proportional to the temperature of your coffee.



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by MisterBister on Sun Sep 4th at 5:53pm 2005

? quote:
MisterBlister


Its MisterBister!
How many times do I have to tell you guys ^_^.




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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Sun Sep 4th at 6:17pm 2005

Sorry about that MisterBister, I had just woken up when I wrote that.

Reno, the drinking age is 21 all across the united states. Individual states have the ability to change the drinking laws in their state and lower, for example, but the federal government effectively forces the states to maintain the 21 year old law because if they change it, they lose a ton of federal funding towards roads and highways. Apparently Mrs. Dole gave a ton of money with the caveat that she would only provide it if the drinking age was 21. That's what I've heard, I may be wrong so any of you can correct me.

Doc Brasso, I agree that drinking responsibly is something that should be tought by the parents, but with a drinking age of 21 it seems to me that a lot parents choose not to prepare their kids for the realities of drinking until they've already explored it with their peers. The majority of kids in my area started drinking at age 14 or 15 (although I didn't start drinking regularly until 18) and most parents are oblivious to what their kids are doing. Some parents (my mother included) cling to this idea that their children wont be tempted to drink before 21 and they don't bother to worry about the issue of drinking until much later. It was only this year that my mother began to accept that I drink at college, after numerous hints. If the drinking age was 18 I would expect parents would teach their kids how to drink responsibly at a lower age than they do now, since they legally get to drink sooner and parents can't ignore the issue for quite as long.

Some people are afraid that if the drinking age is lowered to 18 that many kids in highschool will be able to buy alcohol and then distribute it down the chain from seniors to juniors to sophomore to freshman. But Reno was very correct when he assumed that 16 year olds are already drinking in the US, and they don't have a hard time getting a hold of alcohol. Fake IDs, real IDs from older siblings, and older family members or lenient establishments all provide the means for underage drinking to occur. The government and police seem so intent on eradicating underage drinking, instead of educating kids on how to drink safely. The end result is that kids binge drink and put themselves in situations where they'd rather not go to the hospital with a friend who needs help, because they're afraid of the consequences.




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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Dr Brasso on Sun Sep 4th at 7:18pm 2005

.....because they are kids, and havent really learned their ass from a bucket yet.....the problem is, i know "adults" who are the exact same way..... go figure.

Doc Brasso...:dodgy:





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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by $loth on Sun Sep 4th at 7:50pm 2005

? quote:
If I was going to a party at 16 years old, you can bet your boots off most people would be drinking to some degree.


He speaks no lies....

Addicted, most parent's of people who I know already know that their kids drink be it 15, 16 or 17. I'm 17 and my mum let's me have beer, not all the time but sometimes say at the weekend, maybe she respects me more because I don't choose the trashy stuff.




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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Tracer Bullet on Sun Sep 4th at 8:13pm 2005

I don't see what the big deal is. Who cares what the drinking age is? As numerous people have pointed out it, most people start drinking long before the legal age anyway. If your parents were going to teach you about responsible drinking, they would have done it already, all laws aside. Good parents teach their kids about sex and alcohol long before there is any temptation to try either.




Some people are like slinkys...

They aren?t really good for anything, but you can't help but laugh when one tumbles down the stairs.



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by azelito on Sun Sep 4th at 8:40pm 2005

? quote:
Here in Sweden, the rules are quite messed up.

I'm 18 and I'm allowed to buy low alcohol beer at the lokal stores awell as go to the pub and buy strong stuff.

However if you want the strong stuff in another place than the pub you have to buy it at ba "state-controlled company for the sale of wine and spirits" and im not allowed to enter that place until im 21. How weird isnt that?

Dear fellow Swede, this makes perfect sense to me.



"Azelito, stop being a f**king bitch. All I see you do is complain and insult people in your recent posts. We don't care, go find a razor you emo pansy..." -Windows98



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by fishy on Sun Sep 4th at 11:19pm 2005

an 'ability test' for drinking rights is a stupid idea, but if it came to it, i don't think it should be reserved for the youth.




i eat paint



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Nickelplate on Sun Sep 4th at 11:38pm 2005

? quoting Tracer Bullet
I don't see what the big deal is. Who cares what the drinking age is? As numerous people have pointed out it, most people start drinking long before the legal age anyway. If your parents were going to teach you about responsible drinking, they would have done it already, all laws aside. Good parents teach their kids about sex and alcohol long before there is any temptation to try either.

I agree-gree. Of course, there is a shortage of good parents too, probably. Women are "liberated" and off getting jobs and men are working as usual, and the kids get raised by uncensored (parentally) TV. They see beer commercials with cool dudes drinkin' a Bud, they're going to have that subconsciously in thier mind that it's cool. Or they see ANYTHING on MTC and think that casual sex is a great and safe thing. This is not ALWAYS the case of course, but its happening more and more.

I'm 20, and I've never had any alcohol yet. Except for when I was in UK and then it was legal. /Me loves UK.




I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Dr Brasso on Mon Sep 5th at 12:51am 2005

? posted by fishy

an 'ability test' for drinking rights is a stupid idea, but if it came to it, i don't think it should be reserved for the youth.

hear hear fishman.....<img src=" SRC="images/smiles/beerchug.gif">
i cant help but think of the old "WKRP in Cincinnatti" episode where johnny fever took the progressive alchohol consumption test on the air, and his reactions actually got better....<img src=" SRC="images/smiles/rofl.gif"> old show, excellent episode....
Doc B...:dodgy:




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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by FatStrings on Mon Sep 5th at 1:59am 2005

? quote:
? quoting Tracer Bullet
I don't see what the big deal is. Who cares what the drinking age is? As numerous people have pointed out it, most people start drinking long before the legal age anyway. If your parents were going to teach you about responsible drinking, they would have done it already, all laws aside. Good parents teach their kids about sex and alcohol long before there is any temptation to try either.

I agree-gree. Of course, there is a shortage of good parents too, probably. Women are "liberated" and off getting jobs and men are working as usual, and the kids get raised by uncensored (parentally) TV. They see beer commercials with cool dudes drinkin' a Bud, they're going to have that subconsciously in thier mind that it's cool. Or they see ANYTHING on MTC and think that casual sex is a great and safe thing. This is not ALWAYS the case of course, but its happening more and more.

I'm 20, and I've never had any alcohol yet. Except for when I was in UK and then it was legal. /Me loves UK.



i dont think seeing "cool" people on tv really has an effect if anything its seeing your friends who you actually personaly think are cool but mostly its your own choice to bow down to peer pressure or commercials if your actually that pathetically seeking coolness




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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Nickelplate on Mon Sep 5th at 3:15am 2005

? quoting FatStrings


i dont think seeing "cool" people on tv really has an effect if anything its seeing your friends who you actually personaly think are cool but mostly its your own choice to bow down to peer pressure or commercials if your actually that pathetically seeking coolness

Unfortunately it's worse than you think. Fatstrings, remember the guy, Pete W. at school that peed his pants at lunch for $3.67. PPL will do ANYTHING to be cool unfortunately...

Children and Adolescents, Even adults all take thier cues of what's "cool" from TV, Commercials work, otherwise they'd have stopped having them altogether.




I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Mon Sep 5th at 3:42am 2005

Peer pressure should not be underestimated. It's a powerful force, because aside from your family and for some people god, there is no greater influence on your life than your friends. Friends are usually people who you greatly respect, and their decisions inadvertantly influence your own. Obviously if some stranger came up to me and told me to smoke pot, I'd tell him to get lost. But if my two best friends attempted to persuade me and pressure me for months, inadvertantly something's gotta give. You can't dismiss all those who fall to peer pressure as pathetic.




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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Foxpup on Mon Sep 5th at 4:47am 2005

In Australia, the legal age is 18, otherwise you have to be on private property and have your parent's permission.


Better to be in denial than to be human.

Bill Gates understands binary: his company is number one, and his customers are all zeros.



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by omegaslayer on Mon Sep 5th at 5:02am 2005

First comment with out reading the entire thread: Its not the age that defines whether or not you should drink or not - its the level of maturity. 18 Year olds (in America) lack the responsibility of 21 year olds, granted A LOT of 21 year olds don't act their age, but I believe that 18 year olds don't need to have the ability to buy alcohol legally. And if anyone argues other wise is begging for extreme equality, because alcohol isn't a right - its a privilage, just like driving.


Posting And You



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Mon Sep 5th at 5:06am 2005

? quote:
First comment with out reading the entire thread: Its not the age that defines whether or not you should drink or not - its the level of maturity. 18 Year olds (in America) lack the responsibility of 21 year olds, granted A LOT of 21 year olds don't act their age, but I believe that 18 year olds don't need to have the ability to buy alcohol legally. And if anyone argues other wise is begging for extreme equality, because alcohol isn't a right - its a privilage, just like driving.


Well, does this mean that Americans are less mature than the rest of the world?




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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by omegaslayer on Mon Sep 5th at 5:08am 2005

? quote:

? quote:
First comment with out reading the entire thread: Its not the age that defines whether or not you should drink or not - its the level of maturity. 18 Year olds (in America) lack the responsibility of 21 year olds, granted A LOT of 21 year olds don't act their age, but I believe that 18 year olds don't need to have the ability to buy alcohol legally. And if anyone argues other wise is begging for extreme equality, because alcohol isn't a right - its a privilage, just like driving.


Well, does this mean that Americans are less mature than the rest of the world?
Yes



Posting And You



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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by Cash Car Star on Mon Sep 5th at 5:09am 2005

I love my parents, but I gotta admit, their ability to talk with me about difficult subjects was s**t and a half. I've said it before in threads where we've discussed public schooling, TB, your parents are far above the norm in terms of what they were willing to do. Please don't assume ours were (or could ever be) as enlightened.





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 Re: U.S. Drinking Age
Posted by FatStrings on Mon Sep 5th at 5:31am 2005

? quote:
Peer pressure should not be underestimated. It's a powerful force, because aside from your family and for some people god, there is no greater influence on your life than your friends. Friends are usually people who you greatly respect, and their decisions inadvertantly influence your own. Obviously if some stranger came up to me and told me to smoke pot, I'd tell him to get lost. But if my two best friends attempted to persuade me and pressure me for months, inadvertantly something's gotta give. You can't dismiss all those who fall to peer pressure as pathetic.


you misunderstand me i admit peer pressure works, but i dont know about tv commercials they just make me wanna change the channel





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