Old enough to fight a war

Some of you may have seen similar discussions elsewhere.

If one is old enough to fight a war, vote for the next ruler of the free world, get married, etc. then why can't they have a beer in the comfort of their own home without getting in trouble if they get caught; or even, if they want to go to the bar and have a few with some friends?

Thoughts?

 

It actually is state dependent. In my state, Virginia, if you are 18 and on private property, with parental consent and supervision you can drink legally. You just can't drive or go out in public. Also from what I have read it can really depend on the military base you are on, if you are in the military. A lot of them will let those under 21 drink in moderation but it depends on the commander. If a base is abroad then they follow that countries rule concerning drinking and most of those countries have low or no drinking age. I wrote an argumentative paper on it my first semester of English and had to research it.

 

I believe the reason they don't do it is because they assume that dropping the drinking age from 21 to 18 would cause a lot more fatalities on account that more than 60% of fatal car accidents result from drinking and driving teenagers; here in Florida at least.

 

I've served in the Army for 5 years now, and I used to believe the same thing, when I was underage. I even got UCMJ punishment for drinking underage.

Now that I'm 23, and a bit more wise (h), I understand why the drinking age is 21. If it were up to me, the age to drink would be 23. There are two reasons I agree with the drinking regulations.

1. The brain is still developing when you are 18.
2. The irresponsibility of 18 year olds (even 21 year olds). When I look back at the ages of 18-21, I see how much problems that I, or the people around me have caused in direct relation to alcohol.

I don't believe most 18, or even 21 year olds are responsible enough to drink.

Offtopic: I, for damn sure, disagree with 16 year kids olds with their license.

 

Well in the UK you're actually allowed to drink alcohol in your own home under the age of 18, as long as you have adult supervision.
You're also legally allowed to drink in pubs under the age of 18, the law states you're not allowed to drink at a bar, but if you are away from the bar, it's legal. However the pubs themselves stop young people from drinking.

 

the difference between drinking ages is largely arbitrary, with no real significant reason for it being 21 instead of 18 or 18 instead of 21.


also, I wouldn't call this the free world when you are simultaneously talking about government restrictions on minor things like drinking.

it really screws with your credibility.

 

Some countries need the young to fight because they don't have the numbers. No country needs anyone to consume alcohol.

Caught by who? Police or parents?

 

Im 18 i can drink. I don't because i care about my liver and my brain. I do think that U.S drinking laws are a little high though.

 

There should be no actual age limit, to get rid of the "OH I'M SO BADASS LOOK AT ME" mentality when they're in highschool smashing down a 6 pack.

Forbidden fruit is enticing to the young mind.

 

I am 23 too. I completely agree with you. My girlfriend is 19 and she drinks every night and I try telling her the same thing. I had my fun with probation and even stomach problems I still have every day and I don't even fuckin drink no more. I'm 23 years old, and I feel like Im 60. I'd be glad to make it at least to 27.

and to remind myself just incase I was too stubborn to forget, i tattoo'd step 1 on my arm.

 

Because they're deemed mature enough to make that choice.

Because drinking alcohol excessively is more of a risk for adolescents and children who are arguably not fully developed. If it's illegal, it's probably less likely that teenager will consume alcohol than if it were legal.

 

I hear bullets are too! If they're old enough for such a major decision as joining the armed forces, they're old enough to make the decision to drink alcoholic beverages.

 

I'm pretty sure the Government try to decrease the number of alcohol related deaths and accidents involving alcohol - not say it's their own fault for choosing to drink alcohol. The armed forces is just as dangerous, yes - but nobody abuses the fact they can join the army. I'm pretty sure anyone joining for the Hell of it would soon lose their position or get tired and quit.

If it's harder to get a hold of, it's less likely to be abused. Hence why it's legal in cases where there is adult or responsible guardian supervision in place - because it's also less likely to be abused when an adult is present.

 

i agree with you

 

In UK you can also have a pint of bitter or glass of wine with a meal, given you are 16+.

I haven't heard that about drinking away from the bar though, this is totally new to me.

 

In the U.S. it is different. We have the context of having attempted Prohibition in the 1920s. We had a predominantly Catholic/Christian population which believed in temperance. So alcohol had become something considered taboo by Americans and politicians for a while, although no one may actually agree with the fact that alcohol is "bad for you".

Whats interesting is in countries such as China, UK, France, etc. where drinking is legal at a young age or there is no legal age, there are much less: alcoholics and alcohol-related incidents. This just goes to show that the U.S. has so "hyped up" the feeling and drinking of alcohol that at some point all Americans when they are growing up think, "damn I wanna get some liquor, seems like something cool and now I can finally do it."

Basically legal age->more incentive for illegal drinking->more incentive for future drinkers ( when legal)->repeat

 

u must be 18 to fight and 21 to drink

 

I actually agree with this, and I'm 16.

 

I agree with the fact that a drinking age is not the best choice but wanted to hear your opinion about Russia (no drinking age) because I know their country has a big problem with drinking (youth as well).

 

First, I wanted to say that taking away an age limit wouldn't have much of an affect on a teenager's mentality. Actually, to attest for myself AND plenty of old friends I knew, drinking at school was just a nice way to make the time fly by. In fact, usually no one could tell I would be drinking because I would down it all in the bathroom or something. Doesn't seem like I had the "i'm a badass" mentality. I just wanted to get a little drunk and sleep the day away lol. If they had lowered the limit, damn I just wouldn't have stood a chance at all!

Now as far as the military thing, lol, think of it this way: Usually, enlisting in the army is the irresponsible mistake. To put it in another perspective: I remember when I was thinking of enlisting. My reasons weren't just because I love 'MURICA, it was because I had little self-value on my life, I had no ambitions/goals, I wasn't doing anything. And I'd like to believe I'm not the only one that had thought of it this way. Yeah there's a part of it that feels like it's for a good cause (When in reality, it's war - it's not good from either side of the stick), but i know that especially the benefits (Financial, educational) are sought after. So really, it's an irresponsible decision in the sense that it's usually made from being enticed with something, or just from all the wrong reasons.

So in my opinion, drink age limits should definitely not be affected by military status.

I'd also like to say that there was a point in time when I would have literally almost bought my own camo suit and run off into the army just to get away from my home.