how about somebody addressing the issue of being able to die for thius country or become a cripple but can't drink a beer, why do you and everyone else keep sidestepping this side of the issue?

I agree with you. So, what is the solution? Try to uphold a ban that most people agree doesn't work? That has worked so well with the farcical "war on drugs".

When I was a teenager, we spent 1/2 the week trying to arrange how we were going to get our alcohol for that weekend. There was always a big satisfaction on actually securing the goods. It was a thrill to get away with something that the adults were trying to stop us from doing.

When will people realize that prohibition, whether on alcohol or marijuana or hard-core drugs just doesn't work, regardless of whether or not it's a complete ban, or a partial, age-based one. We need to educate people and let them make their own decisions.

At the end of the day, people will do what they want. We all know that reverse psychology works very well. "You can't have this" becomes "I want that".

Yes kids will drink no matter what the law says, which means the stigma of illegality does not work. The fact that is is illegal means kids have to go out of their way and through other less safer options than if alcohol was legal for kids over 18.

If kids are going to drink anyway shouldn't we at least give them a safe place to drink? Would you rather have your child go to a party where other drugs most likely would be present or go to a bar on college campus with college security and officials looking out for the students well being (and considering this is an on campus event no one would have to drive home considering most kids in school live on campus)?

The issue at hand is not about what kids are going to abuse the alcohol (because face it, no matter what you do some people regardless of their age can and will abuse drugs) but giving them safer options than going to a party across town where they may have to deal with drunk drivers, other drugs and other people taking advantage of them.

People are going to drink, just give them a safe place to do it.

I think that making the drinking age 85 would keep some adults on the (relative) straight and narrow when it comes to alcohol ... oh wait!! That didn't work!

Jay,please continue on this topic.Kids will do what they want to do. The only thing we can do as parents is have a nonjudgemental open communication with our children. All you can ask them is to "be smart" My experience as someone who's counseled teens is overbearing parents' kids have a much higher incidence of binge behavior.
Love your kids it's that simple

Jay,please continue on this topic.Kids will do what they want to do. The only thing we can do as parents is have a nonjudgemental open communication with our children. All you can ask them is to "be smart" My experience as someone who's counseled teens is overbearing parents' kids have a much higher incidence of binge behavior.
Love your kids it's that simple

Jay,please continue on this topic.Kids will do what they want to do. The only thing we can do as parents is have a nonjudgemental open communication with our children. All you can ask them is to "be smart" My experience as someone who's counseled teens is overbearing parents' kids have a much higher incidence of binge behavior.
Love your kids it's that simple

Europe doesn't have the alcohol issues that we do. Figure it out.

As a parent of young adults in college, and a person who lost a family member in a car crash to a guy impaired by drinking too much beer, I appeal to the following considerations:
1.The problem must be wisely managed, because eradication has not and will not happen regardless of age. Whatever laws are put on the books, whether in a school or municipality, must have a commitment to be enforced along with the personnel and costs that go along with it. It is a health and safety cost of society.
It is a given that it is a very difficult, time consuming problem to manage. What is the level we are willing to commit to manage it?
2. Truthful facts should be the deciding factor.I have read statistics, and do not know how the averaging was done(whether it was median, mean, or mode), that accident rates in the 18-21 group have gone down in alcohol related accidents since the drinking age was raised to 21. If this is true, then I would support keeping the age where it is and we will need to manage the problem as effectively as we can. If it is not true, then lower it.
3. Serious alcohol education needs to continue in college. Alot of students get fake ID's, and find alcohol without much difficulty; they hide it, disguise it(vodka in water bottles), and minimize the affect of it. Education will not stop all, not even phase some, but will affect others. Teach and show kids and young adults they are not invincible and it can happen to them.
What is the worth factor we place on the problem? How much time and money will we invest in it? There is no easy fix, even if the age is lowered or raised. It is a matter of trying to protect people from harming themselves and others.

One huge problem with the 18-year-old drinking age is that it makes alcohol easily available to high school students. And, let's face it, kids that age aren't responsible, reliable, or mature enough to make good judgments.

I agree with the poster who protested that, if he could die for his country at age 18, why couldn't he drink a beer? The answer to that is: Let's stop recruiting kids under 21 to join the military. Let them have a little time to learn about life before shipping them off to boot camp.

We complain that our kids are growing up too fast nowadays, but we have no problem with letting them become soldiers while they're still practically children. The drinking-age problem would sort itself out quite nicely if we simply raise the age at which we can expect young people to die for our values and peace of mind.

We teach children to respect many things; elders, teachers, guns, traffic and so on. Yet we dont teach our children how to properly respec the powers and dangers of things like sex, drugs and alcohol. Laws do not stop people from doing what they want to do no matter how many you put in place. We need to change the culture in this country to change this problem, not change the laws.

Since we can't keep alcohol out of the hands of kids with cars (the heart of the issue) why not take cars away from kids with booze Lets raise the legal driving age to 21 and lower the drinking age to 16 as compensation. I am sure that it is A LOT easier for kids with cars to get booze than kids with booze to get cars. Plus this would reduce demand of gasoline thereby reducing the price. This would help get the economy back on track.

Mike B - Regarding going to war and drinking: Many rights have different ages of initiation. You can get a hunting license at age 12, drive at 16, vote and serve in the military at 18, serve in the U.S. House of Representatives at 25, and serve as the U.S. President at 35. Other regulated rights include the sale and use of tobacco, and legal consent for sexual intercourse and marriage. Vendors, such as car rental facilities and hotels, also have set the minimum age for a person to use their services—25-years-old to rent a car and 21-years-old to rent a hotel room.

And these minimum ages are set for a reason. In the case of alcohol, 21 is the minimum age because a person’s brain does not stop developing until his or her early to mid-20s. Drinking alcohol while the brain is still developing can lead to long-lasting deficits in cognitive abilities, including learning and memory.

Alcohol use by those under 21 is also related to numerous health problems including injuries and death resulting from alcohol poisoning, car crashes, suicide, homicide, assaults, drowning and recreational mishaps. Not to mention that the early onset of drinking by youth significantly increases the risk of future health problems such as addiction.

When the law was changed to 21, there was a decrease in deaths of those in the military who died from alcohol poisoning. I know you are too young to remember Roy Rogers (cowboy movie star and singer) and his actress wife Dale Evans....two fine people whose 19 year old son, serving in the military, died in Europe from alcohol poisoning. Visit
www.Why21.org for more facts.

MobTownMatt - In yesterday''s blog, the myth about Europeans was discussed. Here some of it is again. Europeans not having a youthful drinking problem is a MYTH. The number of people in their late teens and early 20s being treated for alcohol-related illnesses is growing in Europe. Read this indepth news report about the problem:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7093143.stm

And then there is an educational research alliance that has lots of info on the history of alcohol and the current problems. In the past, their laws were for PUBLIC SAFETY but now are moving towards for the good of PUBLIC HEALTH-the real issue. Here are some stats about European teen age drinkers: Nearly all 15-16 year old students (>90%) have drunk alcohol at some point in their life, on average beginning to drink at 12 years of age, and getting drunk for the first time at 14 years. The average amount drunk on a single occasion by 15-16 year olds is over 60g of alcohol, and reaches nearly 40g even in the lower-consuming (for 15-16 year olds) south of Europe. Over 1 in 8 (13%) of 15-16 year olds have been drunk more than 20 times in their life, and more than 1 in 6 (18%) have ‘binged’ (5+ drinks on a single occasion) three or more times in the last month. http://www.ias.org.uk/resources/publications/theglobe/globe200602/gl200602_p3.html

The health problems related to alcoholism have become so severe around the world, that the World Health Organization is seeking ways to combat this on an international scope. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2008/wha61/en/index.html

It is very much important and necessary to provide more knowledge on the effects and consequences of drinking at this age. Parents and schools should plan accordingly to help teens by making them understand more about drugs and alcohol.

http://www.troubledteensguide.com/

Teenager brat camps are just like troubled teens camps, where counseling sessions are given to the stressed teens. Therapy classes are also organized to overcome the troubles of the stressed and unmotivated teens.

http://www.teenageproblems.net/

There are many help centers and struggling teens boot camps that offer outstanding help programs for troubled teens. The professional and faculty of these centers are truly committed and helpful to wards their students.

http://www.strugglingteen.net/