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<p>So with this in mind, do you favor a drinking age of 25?</p>
<p>I agree with PATheaterMom: “I find it very hard to reconcile an 18 year old being allowed to marry, serve in combat, and be tried as an adult in criminal cases- yet not allowed to drink. There should be one consistant age for adulthood.”</p>
<p>I shared this opinion with my kids when they were teens. They’re also aware that the legal age in my home state, as well as where dh & I went to college, was 18.
<p>My own kids were permitted to drink a glass of wine with dinner at home when they were 16+. They didn’t care much for beer, but liked saki and enjoyed a small glass several times a year. My main concerns were that they didn’t drive after drinking or get into a car with a driver who’d been drinking. We discussed legal issues, too. They chose not to drink in public until they were 21, but they did drink in their shared residence much as they had at home or when they had friends over on weekends for a gaming/movie marathon. For the most part, I think they were more responsible about alcohol than either dh or I were at the same age.</p>
<p>Hunt is exactly right about graduated drinking as it once was in Ohio.
For yrs, 3.2% beer was legal for those 18 and over, with hard booze, wine, and 6% beer legal for those over 21.
Then our law changed to eliminate 3.2 beer but allow those 19 and over to drink 6% beer.
Now it is 21 for all types of booze.</p>
<p>I may be mistaken, but I seem to recall that Wisconsin had a similar system.</p>
<p>I like the drinking age as it is–21. I think it is safer, at least for those who obey the law.
I am not quoting studies here (is mini still around?) but I believe that the higher drinking age does save lives.</p>
<p>If the law changed back to 18 (it won’t) I wouldn’t buy or offer my 18-20yo kids or their friends any alcohol. We have alcoholics on both sides of the family. Alcohol isn’t good for your brain, so I want my kids to avoid drinking as long as possible. I am happy if they never drink alcohol. I’d discourage it–even if it were legal and I couldn’t prevent them from going out and buying it themselves. I don’t offer my kids of any age–even over 21–alcohol. One exception–glass of champagne for the new year. We generally have beer and wine in the house. H and I are very light drinkers, occasionally having one drink.</p>
<p>I was an Ohio resident/college student when the law changed in the 80s. I could legally drink 3.2 beer as an 18yo freshman, then the age was raised to 19 yo for beer my sophomore year. The next year you had to be 21 to drink any alcohol (I was in Europe–you could buy a bottle of beer from the “soda” machine in the hall and drink it during class. I tried it once just to see what it was like. . .) Any Texans? Was it legal to drink while driving back in the 80s?–I recall driving with my bro. who lived in Dallas at the time–I was shocked to see the driver next to us drinking a beer. I pointed it out, and my bro. shrugged and said it was legal. (I guess as long as you weren’t “drunk”?)</p>
<p>BTW, one of my friend’s kids got married at age 20. My friend had to sign a document giving permission for the marriage since her son was under 21. I’m not sure if this varies by state. What if this were the case with alcohol for 18-20yo? I wouldn’t sign!</p>
<p>I don’t think most rental companies will let anyone under 25 rent a car.</p>
<p>As states laws differ, so does the age of consent. It can be as young as 16. I’m curious who else has open container laws…meaning there can be no open containers of alcohol in the car. This applies to the passengers, but could be anywhere in the car.</p>
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<p>The majority of rental companies rent to those 21 and above for a surcharge.</p>
<p>I think they should lower the age to 18 and impose even harsher laws for drinking and driving.</p>
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<p>I don’t think anyone should be allowed to volunteer for the military until their brain is fully developed to make a mature rational decision. So minimum age for service should be 25.</p>
<p>What about marriage? I certainly think a brain should be mature for that.</p>
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Of course, this is the dirty secret. The military wants recruits with minds that have not yet fully developed. It’s a lot harder to train older people.</p>
<p>In Michigan you are not allowed to have any open containers in the car. My grandfather, uncles, aunts and cousins have been alcoholics. More people in my family have died from liver disease from drinking than anything else. </p>
<p>Like I said on the other post, when the drinking age in Michigan was 18 it was hard to keep it out of the high schools.<br>
I don’t see any reason why people can’t wait until they are 21 to drink.</p>
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The simple answer, again, is that 18-year-olds are adults for the purposes of even more important decisions, and it’s just unfair to make this distinction. Plus, they don’t wait, and they won’t wait.</p>
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<p>I agree with both.</p>
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I don’t see them keeping it out of the high schools now.</p>
<p>I also agree that it leads to binge drinking in young adults. If they can go to a party and have a drink, they are less likely to “load up” before they go to an event.</p>
<p>I forgot to add that I also lost 2 friends to drunk drivers. One friend was 18 and one was 22.</p>
<p>Where I live you will not find alcohol in high schools now.</p>
<p>How much more harsh could they make the laws?</p>
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This is maybe another thread, but right now the law isn’t all that harsh on drunk drivers until they kill somebody. I’ve never understood this, because to me the guilt is the same whether you kill somebody or not. I think confiscation of the vehicle for a first offense would be a good idea, for example.</p>
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<p>So are you Mormon, Amish, Martian, or just clueless?</p>