Armed Forces soilders drinking at 18

[cap235629]

Lest I recall the time I was almost killed in a Drunk driving crash/hit and run by a 41 Year old. yeah she knew better, yeah she drove anyways. Age is no cure for stupidity, nor equivalency for responsibility.

In fact in a few cases my senior class was incredibly more responsible then their parents generation.


I now return thy to thy regularly scheduled topic.
that is all

Yup, nope, argument doesn't work. The 21 age limit is based off of research and statistics, not a few anecdotal  stories some guys you go to school with.

How do we compare to Europe?

well here is an interesting anecdote:

We have hosted a German exchange student for a month each of the last 2 years.  My son traveled to Germany last summer where the drinking age for beer and wine is 16 and hard liquor is 18.  Their DUI rate per capita in the 16-20 year old age bracket is miniscule in comparison to the US.

They also can't get a drivers license until they are 18 so by that time they have basically worked the new drinker binging out of their system before they get behind a wheel.

[lordmonar]

well here is an interesting anecdote:

We have hosted a German exchange student for a month each of the last 2 years.  My son traveled to Germany last summer where the drinking age for beer and wine is 16 and hard liquor is 18.  Their DUI rate per capita in the 16-20 year old age bracket is miniscule in comparison to the US.

They also can't get a drivers license until they are 18 so by that time they have basically worked the new drinker binging out of their system before they get behind a wheel.

Add to that the phenominon of the 21 year olds going out on binge drinking sprees.  IIRC a president of a major university has asked for the drinking age to be changed because of this.

It is like we hand the keys to a NASCAR racer to a 16 year old with out any driver's education or even a requuirment to pass a basic knowledge test.  Heck most grade school's teach a class on SEX ed so at least they know how the basics work......all they ever get on booze is "just say no until you are 21"  and "don't drink and drive".

Not a smart plan IMHO.

[Eclipse]

Germany tends to treat driving as a privilege vs. a right and in general Europe tends to focus on driving skills vs.
crash survivability.

So I don't think that's a good example.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Germany tends to treat driving as a privilege vs. a right and in general Europe tends to focus on driving skills vs.
crash survivability.

So I don't think that's a good example.

Latvia doesn't focus on much of either, but you can get a learners DL at 17, and a real one at 18. Drinking age is 18.

[mclarke]

Members of the service should be setting an example. In-state let it be 21, in theatre let it be 18 (light alcohol only though) and at the commanders discretion.

[AngelWings]

 It really is a matter of what is cool and what is not that cause most people to drink and drive at an early age. You go out to a party with some friends, you get some beer, a random person pulls you over to a beer keg, you get completely smashed, you have sex witha completely random stranger, you go out for a ride at 1 in the morning and you go home (if your lucky). Thats the story I've heard from my completely detached uncles, cousin and basicvally everyone who isn't my mother or my sister. My biological dad even has done it before. They all had the same reactions, they all thought it was cool. And guess what, my uncle has come really close to dying, my biological dad is nearly dead, my cousins are all messed (or atleast the ones I know) and yeah. They all said it feels cool to do it. Until alcohol becomes "uncool" it is going to keep happening. It is the same with pot, heroin, crack, cocaine, speed, and any other drug. It has its own sub culture of people who suck you in and have no problem spitting you out.
Moral of what I said here is that drinking is "cool" in some peoples minds who are to young. There is adds for it showing the people who drink beer to be cool and attractive, and those who don't drink the right beer, are stupid and are unattractive. There is a commercial for tequila that makes it seems if you drink the brand, you will be the most interesting man in the world. There is even a commercial that real men drink a lemonade type of beer, and everyone who doesn't wants to. Thats where the problem comes from. People emulating a commercials, which sometimes lead to the commericals they ignored like "over the limit, under arrest" commercial.