Drinking alcohol

[crystallll]

Obviously, a person who drinks alchohol will probably be less trustworthy and maybe unstable. In China, there is no drinking age (or so i've heard)so technically, i COULD drink if i wanted... I'm pretty sure there has never been a drinking age in China. I, personally, have tasted beer because my grandpa stuffed a chopstick that was dipped in it in my mouth and it tastes nasty. I don't intend on drinking anymore... But I agree that even if there IS a drinking age, people will always find a way around it. There aren't police all over the place looking for underaged kids drinking beer. It would be really hard to track.

[Shane for Wax]

Just cause I drink doesn't mean you can't trust me, nor does it mean I'm unstable. What a load of codswallop. It all has to do with control.

[Mireia]

Some problem here is that we put all alcoholic drinks together. I don't think that a person under 20 should drink strong alcoholic drinks, but here in Spain it's normal to start drinking beer since 15-16 years old, we drink lots of beer specially in the summer. Younger people (like 14-15) usually drinks "claras" which is a mixture between beear and lemon, which is truly refreshing...

 

So I think the age should be higher for strong beberages, but low ones, like beer or wine, should stay at 16-18.

 

Off topic: The first time I went to London I was 14, I wanted to go into a pub to have a coffee and they didn't let me in! Because I was underaged and I dind't had an adult with me. I was amazed!

[CAV of Gang Green]

On parenting: if you believe everything your children say, they will walk all over you. Discipline and love are both important things for parents to give their children. In fact, if you allow them to drink at your house, they will be doing it in a safe place where you can monitor them.

 

You make it sound so, but I'm not a parent. And like I said, I'm from NEW YORK.

 

Just cause I drink doesn't mean you can't trust me, nor does it mean I'm unstable. What a load of codswallop. It all has to do with control.

 

Yes, it's all about control. But a lot of people out there DON'T have control.

[Ro-]

That's an excellent point, Mireia. Kids aren't going to get hugely drunk drinking beer and lemonade.

[CAV of Gang Green]

Once they have 1 beer, they are going to want another, and another, and another. And that's how alcoholism starts.

[hrtbrk]

LOL. You make it sound like alcohol is like methamphetamine, where you take one hit and you're hooked. Your brain doesn't think it needs beer to function after one drink lol Alcoholism happens progressively. IF a younger teen becomes addicted it is usually due to some form of abuse (emotional/physical) or their parents are alcoholics. The chances of someone becoming addicted based off of taste and accessibility is very slim.

 

Furthermore, beer is one of the most popular drinks in the entire world (pretty sure it's the most widely consumed or oldest?). Billions of people consume it regularly, without becoming addicted.

 

Let's keep in mind that chances are, our grandparents, their parents, and our parents etc all drank at a young age and are now running businesses and companies or may even be fighting for your country. They're competent, successful, healthy people.

 

So please stop making it sound like one sip of booze before you're 18 means that you're going to become an alcoholic because the chance of that is quite slim.

 

Heck, a fair chunk of this forum may have consumed alcohol before their legal limit and you have intellectual conversations with them everyday. I' m sure they have Neopets withdrawls looong before they have booze based ones. :laughingsmiley:

[Mireia]

Once they have 1 beer, they are going to want another, and another, and another. And that's how alcoholism starts.

 

OMG, that's so wrong... I've been drinking beer since I was 14, like most of my friends.

I don't drink every day, I don't get drunk on weekends. I just like beer because it tastes good and it's a nice way to stop being thirsty (I don't how to say this in a shorter way, sorry :eh: ), if you get tired of water, and it's far more healthy than most of the soft drinks.

 

My mother drinks beer too, so does my grandmother, and none of us is alcoholic.

[Shane for Wax]

Once they have 1 beer, they are going to want another, and another, and another. And that's how alcoholism starts.

I'm sorry but you have NO idea what the heck you are talking about. And I find your statement offensive because alcoholism runs in my family and I'm paranoid I'm going to become an alcoholic too because it IS a genetic trait.

 

I drink 1 beer every once in a while. And that is Cherry Beer which is EXPENSIVE. You know why I do that? 1) It's good to drink. 2) Being so expensive keeps me from buying too many.

 

I drink more alcoholic cider than I do beer.

 

Please stop making it seem like drinking under the legal age limit is going to turn you into an alcoholic. Or that drinking one beer is going to turn you into an alcoholic. You sound like a very poor, factually incorrect after school special.

 

There are plenty of Europeans who drink early and drink at least once a week if not more than that and they are quite successful. Please get your facts straight.

 

It would be smart of you to get educated about the facts while you're young. I'm 21 years old and started having occasional drinks at 18 (the legal age in a lot of European countries). But am I an alcoholic? No.

[Featherstar]

It can be addicting if you overdose on it, but many people drink a little every so often and it's fine. Red wine is even healthy for you if you don't overdo it. :3

[CAV of Gang Green]

I'm sorry but you have NO idea what the heck you are talking about. And I find your statement offensive because alcoholism runs in my family and I'm paranoid I'm going to become an alcoholic too because it IS a genetic trait.

 

I drink 1 beer every once in a while.

 

Everyone hits me because of 1 (count it) 1 quote. Look at the last 4 pages and see everything else I've said, but noooooo, it's that one quote.

 

My dad drinks once in a while too, so it's not that I don't know what I'm talking about. I live in Brooklyn. This kind of stuff is ALL OVER THE NEWS. People getting hit by drunken people, wives getting beat by their drunk husbands. Teens getting hooked on alcohol and doing things that can't be said on this site, so I know what I'm talking about. The people in New York, they drink 1 while they're under 18, they can't stop afterwards, and half of them DON'T have any abuse of any kind. I'm 13, and half the people in my school think this is all a joke, but it's not. I know what I'm talking about, because I've seen it happen.

 

So stop slamming on me for one quote. If you deside to rant on me, do it for my entire argument (like people won't jump on that).

 

Sorry if I blasted at anyone. I barely had any sleep last night and I'm not in such a good mood.

 

Besides, the topic is not about if alcohol is good or not, it's about weither they should raise the legal age in AUS.

[hrtbrk]

People may be jumping on you because you're trying to strengthen your position on the matter by stating how you feel as a fact, when it is nothing more than an opinion.

 

Saying something like this: "The people in New York, they drink 1 while they're under 18, they can't stop afterwards, and half of them DON'T have any abuse of any kind." is ludicrous because that is your perception of underage New Yorkers (or people) who drink; it's not reality.

 

There are actual scientists who dedicate their life and career to finding the cause of alcoholism and other addictions. The results of their research prove that the chance of becoming addicted after one drink is extremely rare. It's common sense. It's progressive and about control - which is why a lot of people don't mind having the limit be lowered or are in favor of an underage person drinking in the presence of a parent (as many people have argued & been in favor of here).

 

No one is arguing your point that it's unhealthy for the brain and other developments if abused. We're raising an eyebrow at your outlandish claim that any person under the legal age will become addicted after one drink or that the entire state of New York becomes addicted after one drink - as you mentioned above.

 

Everyone's comments still pertains to the OPs post of what is a healthy legal age limit and why we feel that way. :P

[CAV of Gang Green]

No one is arguing your point that it's unhealthy for the brain and other developments if abused. We're raising an eyebrow at your outlandish claim that any person under the legal age will become addicted after one drink or that the entire state of New York becomes addicted after one drink - as you mentioned above.

 

Like I said, it's all over the news. And I watch the news daily.

[hrtbrk]

What is all over the news? That said person took ONE SIP of booze and they are now an addict, thus they got into an accident? You must be kidding.

You shouldn't take the news at face value. It's propaganda. They only care about giving you the shock value to scare you, and more often than not leave out a huge chunk of the truth. The news cares about a story, not educating it's viewers.

 

A lot of us can also watch the news from New York via the internet or satellite television. It's the same everywhere in regards to people abusing alcohol but that didn't come from one sip or from them drinking under the legal limit. The state of New York isn't the exception, despite your claim.

 

There are stupid, foolish people everywhere who like to push the boundaries because they were given boundaries without much logical reason [to them]. But it is very easy to teach youth to have a great social and casual relationship with alcohol.

 

A great example is something like the DARE program. I still remember being in the 5th grade and learning all about substances and peer-pressure. One reason why so many parents loved it was because it helped start a healthy relationship towards these types of things instead of instilling a "this is bad. don't do it" attitude.

 

Most agree that it's easier to go into unknown territory with a map than blindfolded and that's why programs like DARE are so successful.

[Shane for Wax]

It's all fine and dandy to watch the news daily. I watch little of it. But you know what? The news is going to blow accidents out of proportion. My parents have been in a couple of accidents but not from drunk driving on either end. But did they get on the news? No. Why? No fatalities and no drinking WAS involved!

 

I could google right now and throw up numbers and all sorts of other proper research in here. There is no reason why the drinking age can't be lowered back to what it was 40 years ago (18) in the US.

 

I have always gone by the idea if you can fight and die for your country, you should be able to drink. Teach the kids at an early age how to properly handle alcohol. Teach them how to drink responsibly.

 

You tell someone they can't do something that makes them want to do it more. But teach them why they should not be drinking under the age limit or why they should not get drunk and get behind the wheel when they can drink and they'll be better off for it.

 

Your claims are ludicrous. Wise up and do your own research on the stuff you learn about in 'teh newz'. By the way, get used to people 'jumping on' you for just a single comment. It happens when you make silly ones.

[Ro-]

I would like to point out the nature of the news - they display rarities. They don't mention the hundreds of people who die in normal car crashes, or every baby born, because they're common. Something being on these news means it's news-worthy - it doesn't happen often.

[CAV of Gang Green]

I'm just going to leave this topic because aparrently, I'm wrong for believing in what I believe.

[Ro-]

That is simply the nature of this section, CAV - debate. Don't take it personally that we do not share opinions.

[CAV of Gang Green]

I know that. But I'm getting slammed for saying something, not debated, slammed.

[Stephé]

Ok everyone, I understand that everyone knows that this is a debate section. :) But I'd just like to remind everyone that there are certain guidelines that we should also abide to.

 

Please RESPECT everyone's opinions. People will challenge your points of views, so don't take their rebuttals to heart. ;) Even if you do not agree with one's point of view, please understand that others have different beliefs. But, in saying that, make sure you back up your statements before posting, that is what makes a good debate!

[oustun]

it's 18 in Turkey. and i think, 18 is too late!!!

i'm 21 years old, and i've gone to bars since i was already 15(illegal=)). now i'm thinking, and 18 is too late. a 15 year old person has the ability "to think what is wrong".

 

now in turkey there is a religious government, and i dont like them. they are trying to make people live as what "islam" says.. (sorry guys, my english is not so good and i've been drinking a little=P). but i think this is illegal! nobody can tell me what to do! i do, what i want, because this is my life! so, drinking alcohol is fun, and if i want to drink alcohol, nobody can judge me. this is my life...

 

i think there must not be a law about the age of drinking alcohol..

 

(i hope you understood what i've been trying to say=$)

[youber12]

I didn't drink until this year and I'm 19 (I'll be 20 in a few weeks). I think the drinking age here in the US should remain at 21. It is fun and everything but you can do without it before you are 21 and only have a little bit of it on rare occasions before that.

[Caly]

Here in South Korea, it seems that the drinking age is... if you look old enough.

Seriously, back in middle school, we'd get the kid who was the tallest and looked the oldest to go to a corner market to pick up the local brand of alcohol. Whenever someone asks for an ID, the kid can usually get away with 'I forgot' or 'it's for my dad'. Usually these stores are run by people who really don't care and probably did the same things themselves when they were younger. I think the legal age is 18~19, whenever you graduate high school :P

[Meagan]

I agree that if someone wants to drink, they will, regardless of the legal age. In Canada, the legal age is 19, although I started drinking/going to clubs at the age of 14. I was rarely asked for ID, although I did have a fake one at the age of 15. I wasn't concerned about the legal age back then, and now that I am 24, I certainly wouldn't be concerned if it changed now.

[Chu]

I don't see why the government should have any right to dictate what its citizens consume. I'm personally strictly against the use of any alcohol, but I only apply that to myself. What others do is completely up to them - it's their decision, or sometimes mistake, to make.