Should we lower the drinking age?

Um, is there any actual objective, independent evidence that "alcohol education programs" actually alter drinking behavior one iota?

I'm skeptical.

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What would businesses who serve alcohol be required to do in order to sell to an 18-20 year old? Request a copy of their high school diploma and a paper that says they've completed some course, in addition to their driver's license?? What pain--this would be a huge hassle for businesses trying to comply with the law, and it would be a total pain for ATD to attempt to enforce.

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My mother is a teetotaler, so I had to ask my husband for what his family did with him and his brother in regards to drinking. Once they graduated high school, they could enjoy a beer or wine cooler with their parents if they were together for an evening of cards or hot-tubbing. But away from home, they were expected to follow the rule of law. I think both of them drank a bit at parties and such, but it wasn't on a regular basis.

I don't know how I'll deal with the issue when my own children are older. Everything adult and naughty, like sex, drugs and alcohol, was totally off-limits to me as a teenager... which meant, of course, that I had to hang out with the bad group of kids to experience the wild life I craved. And I did it all without my parents knowledge or guidance in how to make better decisions about that stuff.

There must be some tactic one can take that wouldn't increase the allure of alcohol by prohibiting it, but wouldn't encourage drinking. My husband and I don't drink at all, so I don't know what kind of example my kids will have of adults who know how to use alcohol responsibly.

Maybe I could share with them my reason for not drinking. I did a Really Stupid Thing in college when I was drunk that I've regretted and repented for ever since. I know that I don't make good decisions when I'm inebriated, so I avoid alcohol, even if it precludes me from participating fully in adult get-together and parties.

I am in favor of lowering the legal age. Maybe if it wasn't taboo, it wouldn't be such a novelty. And parents need to be raising responsible citizens in the first place.

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I think this is an interesting concept. It just might work... But I am noticing a few setbacks.
1.) Americans are not used to drinking alcohol at an earlier age. Giving some college students the ability to legally drink right now might make them drink more. Usually people that age that have not been raised to drink responsibly, as they are in European countries, will probably go overboard.
2.) How would the person selling the alcohol know that the person trying to buy alcohol is passing their college courses? Also, this is an opportunity for the student who took the classes and is passing to give it to those who are not. How is the legal system going to keep up with that. They can barely keep up with the problem we have now.
I am kinda skeptical. I am 24 and I should be all for the lowering of the legal age. But I can see the negative aspects of it. I know that even though in school I was getting a 3.58 GPA and never had any problems I did do my share of drinking underage. But I see this as maybe something for the future if we as parents start right now teaching our children that it is okay to have a glass of wine at dinner or a drink or two at a special party as long as they don't drive. I would say they should start breathalyzing as people leave bars and such to cut down on alcohol related accidents. I don't know... how did the Brits do it?

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I heard the thing on NPR where they were discussing "licensing."

He basically said they'd manage it like we do with drivers licenses. You complete the course and you get a stamp on your driver's license or a State ID that says you are eligible to be served. It really didn't seem all that complicated.

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I can see all kinds of problems with the young-drinker-license idea. First thing you're going to hear is that it discriminates against populations that are less likely to graduate from high school.

I would prefer if parents could teach their kids how to drink responsibly from childhood. They ought to be allowed, for example, to serve beer or wine to inors in a restaurant if the minors' parents are present. Parents should be allowed to share alcohol with their kids wherever they are, not just in the confines of their own homes.

Stupid drinking in colleges was going on when I started college, when the drinking age was 18. That was probably the biggest reason they raised it to 21 in the first place - because young adults were actually drinking themselves to death. I remember youngsters bragging about how they drunkenly puked or did other Really Stupid Things, like it was some badge of maturity. Reducing the drinking age to 18 again isn't going to stop inexperienced young drinkers from thinking it's exciting to puke while drunk.

I was always allowed to drink alcohol (moderately) with my parents, so it held no attraction for me. I have never been inebriated in my 40 years, largely because I have seen how stupid people can be when they drink too much.

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I find myself unable to talk about drinking without talking about drinking and driving. I came of age when the drinking age was raised. I was legal, then illegal. My recollection is that the intention was to reduce drinking and driving; states were told to raise the drinking age or lose federal highway funds. Given the number of high school drinking & driving deaths in my area last year, I don't think it has been very successful. Education might be a good place to start.

I've lived in the UK, and what always impressed me is that friends of mine who *loved* a drink would only drink orange juice if they were driving. Here in the US we often don't have the public transportation available and people seem to think they have an inalienable right to have a few and drive. I'd like to see that change.

I'll be teaching my kids that I'd rather them not drink but my number one issue is that they don't drink and drive. I'll tell them they can call me to pick them up any time, but DON'T get in a car with someone who has been drinking or drive a car themselves. Everything else is secondary.

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"And if you're wiling to accept that it's impossible to stop kids from consuming alcohol in the first place, isn't the logical conclusion to lower the legal age for doing so?"

Sounds great, but simply not logical. People will continue to rape, murder and steal, no matter how many laws we make against these activities. We don't just make them legal.

I've also lived in the UK and the kids there get plenty drunk, too. At my college in the US, we had exchange students from European countries and Australia. They got at least as drunk as the rest of us.

Getting drunk isn't fun because it's illegal. It's fun because it's liberating and just, well, fun. Until you start having blackouts. Then you either wise up or continue down a bad road, but that's another story.

The culture needs to change. There is probably more extreme drinking at high school parties, where pretty much everybody is under 18. In my high school, the coolest got the drunkest. Every weekend, at least. I drunkeness were seen as undesirable, stupid, immature, kids would be doing less of it.

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I think the drinking age should be lowered to 18 without any other requirements. I would also go a lot further than most people in regards to personal liberties.

@SKL: I know that here in Texas a minor can drink alcohol if their parent is present, unless the restaurant has a specific rule against it.

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The drinking age in Canada is 18-19 and there is no differnece in the way kids act here. I find it strange that in the USA you can go to war at 18 but if you want a beer forget it that is not allowed.

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NO NO NO NO NO our kids have enough problems. There are already babies having babies not to mention having babies already on crack alchol and so fourth.I think peer pressure and having to keep up with the in thing are more than enough for our kids PLEASE IM BEGGING AS A MOTHER PLEASE KEEP IT AT 21 OR RAISE IT TO 23 we need to go forward not backwards.

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