Is turning 18 not a big thing in the USA?
Posted by JuniorRegister791@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 337 comments
In Europe this birthday is widely celebrated as you become an adult and are allowed more freedom such as drinking.
But in the USA it looks like 21 is the new 18 as you can’t drink until your 21 and 18 year olds don’t have the same freedoms as 18 year olds in Europe
Arleare13@reddit
Yes, it’s big. It is officially the age of becoming an adult for many purposes, and you can do things such as vote.
21 is big also. They’re not mutually exclusive.
WellWellWellthennow@reddit
Yes - we have two big birthdays :-). We can also count 16 because you get to drive so really three.
DawaLhamo@reddit
Four big birthdays for some - 15 if you're Hispanic American.
WellWellWellthennow@reddit
Good point!
Arleare13@reddit
That’s different in every state.
WellWellWellthennow@reddit
What states don't allow you to drive at 16?
Arleare13@reddit
Many states give permits at 15 or even 14. 16 is common for intermediate licenses, but ranges from 15 to 17, with many states doing things like 16 years, 6 months. And full licenses are usually 17 or 18.
WellWellWellthennow@reddit
Sure but every single state allows driving at 16 in some form. Are you arguing at 16 is not a milestone for kids?
Arleare13@reddit
I mean, yeah, I guess I am. Sure, every state allows it at 16 in some form, but my point is that it’s not always precisely at 16 that’s particularly meaningful.
Personally, I don’t recall 16 being particularly important to me. There weren’t any specific milestones for me at that age. I’m not saying that’s the case for everyone, but it’s not a universal thing.
Academic-Balance6999@reddit
You can vote starting at age 18 though.
Landwarrior5150@reddit
Why are you responding to multiple comments stating that you can start voting at 18 by repeating that exact same information as if you’re correcting them? You’re the only one here potentially putting anyone off from voting by causing needless confusion.
Academic-Balance6999@reddit
I just tried to fix it and added an edit to my first comment explaining why.
But… you really think multiple comments saying “it’s 18” are confusing?
sexytokeburgerz@reddit
The nature of your response is confusing, not the information of the response.
Big brain
AtlasThe1st@reddit
Honestly, your comment just seems like a bot comment
artopunk14@reddit
When there was no implication to the otherwise, yes
danigotchi@reddit
I’m not sure these are bots, to me it’s kind of seeming like you replied to the original comment saying you can begin voting at 18, by saying “you can vote at age 18 though”. Which was already stated. So some people seem to be poking fun at you correcting the original comment’s statement when they said the same thing as you lol
saltnshadow@reddit
Critical thinking skills are a rarity these days.
Academic-Balance6999@reddit
Sunday morning Reddit cluster… I should get off the internet and finish the laundry.
ATLien_3000@reddit
Reading comprehension, bro.
I've got the feeling you're the bot.
JimBones31@reddit
No, you can vote at 18.
JohnMarstonSucks@reddit
Not any more, now with the 26th amendment the voting age is 18.
JimBones31@reddit
Oh shit, I thought it was 18 now!
terrovek3@reddit
Incorrect. it's actually the one after you turn 17, and before 19. It can be confusing sometimes.
Academic-Balance6999@reddit
WTF, I wonder if these are bothering to convince teenagers they can’t vote.
People: if you will be 18 by Election Day in your state, you can register to vote!
JimBones31@reddit
Yeah...just like the first comment said. You can vote at 18.
Academic-Balance6999@reddit
Ah, my bad. I read “it” as 21 because the comment didn’t have numbers. Still, not a bad opportunity to remind new voters to register.
smcl2k@reddit
If someone reaches 18 and doesn't know they have the right to vote, should they be voting...?
Academic-Balance6999@reddit
Given the concerted effort the current US government is making to curtail voting rights, and the number of bad actors working through social media to foment distrust in democratic processes, and the poor state of civics education in this country… I’m not going to blame someone for not being clear about their rights.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if teens are already getting misinformation prior to the midterms through TikTok right now.
Academic-Balance6999@reddit
Given the concerted effort the current US government is making to curtail voting rights, and the number of bad actors working through social media to foment distrust in democratic processes, and the poor state of civics education in this country… I’m not going to blame someone for not being clear about their rights.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if teens are already getting misinformation prior to the midterms through TikTok right now.
officechair2017@reddit
Thats what they said?
GreatestState@reddit
It was when 18 years olds could buy vapes and fake ID’s were scarce. Fuck these kids don’t know how good they have it. I mean, the onion fields out there, all of it, and we didn’t have any of it back in the day
Embarrassed_Fig1801@reddit
The only thing you can do in the USA when you are 18 is drink and gamble. It’s a big deal birthday here. Lots of trips to strip clubs for 18th birthdays.
Vachic09@reddit
18 is still a big milestone, but it's not the go out and drink birthday.
Bibliospork@reddit
It was the "go out and buy a lottery ticket" birthday when I was growing up lol. Also the "18+ club nights" birthday.
It was also the age buying tobacco was legal when I was growing up but if you weren't already smoking it's not like tons of people went out and tried it on their 18th birthday as a celebration.
Rude-Illustrator-884@reddit
I remember turning 18 and my friends were telling me to buy a pack of cigarettes for the fun of it and then give it away. Then the legal age to buy tobacco became 21 when I was 19 so I got to celebrate it twice lol
illeatyourkneecaps@reddit
the legislation to move the smoking age from 18 to 21 happened the day before my besties birthday lmao. she was mad as hell lmao
MycologistAlert6106@reddit
They should have just grandfathered in anyone in who was above 18 at the time.
Rude-Illustrator-884@reddit
it was a few months before my husband’s 18th birthday. He was mad as hell too lol
peter303_@reddit
Triple here: drinking legal at 18, then college in the state that lowered it to 18, then most places raised back to 21 ...
amethystalien6@reddit
I bought and smoked a Swisher Sweet lol
QuietObserver75@reddit
It was the "I can drive after 9PM birthday" for me.
Uffda01@reddit
We'd all go and send the birthday guy in to get cigarettes or swisher sweets and a porno mag - it was before the internet.
sgtm7@reddit
The drinking age didn't change where I was at until after I had already turned 21. Even though 18 was the legal age, it wasn't really a go out and drink birthday, simply because you were 18. I think raising the age, might have encouraged that mind set.
tmckearney@reddit
Just the "die for your country" age
san_souci@reddit
17 with parental permission.
gosuark@reddit
It is, just not legally
Normal_Occasion_8280@reddit
18 brings adult responsibility but no adult privileges.
discourse_friendly@reddit
At 18 we ('Mericans) decide that people are not too dumb to get married, buy a gun, or serve in the military.
But you are too dumb to rent a car, rent a hotel room, or buy alcohol. ...
yeah it doesn't make sense to me either.
Helo227@reddit
It is, but it also isn’t. You gain legal adulthood, but not all the freedoms, like drinking and smoking. For some people it’s huge because they can leave home and be on their own, but for others it is just another birthday.
WhatABeautifulMess@reddit
In the flip side of this I’ve always wondered why 21st is treated like a significant birthday in some places outside the US. When I turned 21 the only person who sent me a card that said 21 was my cousin in England and I was confused why they’d sell them there. It was a sweet milestone type card, no reference to drinking. My mom said well 21 is a big birthday coming of age type there too and i was confused why. I looked it up and all I could find was that’s the age you could become a knight, so I guess that still carries over that it is significantly to some?
OrdinarySubstance491@reddit
It's still a big deal.
CH11DW@reddit
The only thing that you can’t do (at least legally) until you’re 21 is drink, tabbaco (it changed from 18-21 somewhat recently, and weed (in states where it’s legal). Otherwise you’re full adult. You don’t have to go to school anymore, you can work full time, move into your own place, get married (if you wanted to that young), and anything else. It’s a huge milestone. But 21 is also big.
Positive-Avocado-881@reddit
Well there’s more to being an adult than drinking alcohol
Yankee_chef_nen@reddit
If you go by the way a lot of Europeans (not necessarily OP) in this subreddit act about 21 being the legal drinking age you’d think that’s all being an adult was about.
eyetracker@reddit
Almost all Europeans, and even most Americans, don't realize that like 38 states don't have any drinking age. Just purchase age.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
I don’t think that’s true at all
stiletto929@reddit
Pretty sure that’s not accurate. The states were forced to toe the line on many rules regarding drinking if they wanted Federal funds for roads.
Some states do have exceptions, like in Iowa you are permitted to drink under 21 while in the presence of your parents.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
It’s illegal for minors to drink in all 50 states other than very specific exemptions (at home with parents, at communion). You can get a criminal charge for possession by consumption in all 50 states.
sgtm7@reddit
Not true.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Which state allows you to consume alcohol without your parents present?
sgtm7@reddit
Sorry, some people are mixing terms on here. Did you mean a minor, or someone under the age of 21. Anyone over the age of 18 is not a minor, and it is only illegal for them to purchase alcohol in 50 states, until they reach the age of 21. If you meant an actual minor, as in under age 18, then it varies by state. In addition to parents, it could also be a guardian or spouse, depending on jurisdiction.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Age 18-21, which state allows consumption of alcohol without parents present.
christine-bitg@reddit
In Texas, the parent or guardian has to remain present while the alcohol is being consumed. There's no restriction on where this takes place.
TheViolaRules@reddit
In Wisconsin, parents/guardians can order a drink then hand it to their kid, no problem. This can also happen in a bar.
BikePlumber@reddit
States weren't forced.
It wasn't if they wanted federal highway funds, but that "could" lose some of their federal highway funds if they didn't meet the deadline.
Many states did not meet the deadline and also included a bunch of loopholes and grandfathering in drinking ages.
Not one state lost any federal highway funds as a result.
The 17 year old that shot protesters, went to bar and legally drank with his mother, while out on bail, awaiting his murder trial.
The threat of federal highway funds never affected any US territories or Washington, D.C.
All US territories still have drinking ages under 21.
Washington, D.C. didn't raise their drinking age at first and had no plans to do so, as much of the alcohol sales were to college students.
Several years later, the neighboring states stated their displeasure with the drinking age in D.C. and D.C. started to raise the drinking the last year of the state time limit, but with grandfathering.
Several other states did not meet the deadline due to grandfathering and politicking delays.
If they had grandfathering, they were supposed to be at 21 by the deadline.
The Internet even says at least one, maybe two states, didn't settle things until after D.C., which was after the state deadline.
The last Supreme Court justice told Congress he drank in high school, at age 18 because it was grandfathered.
Actually his home and his private school in Maryland were both very close to D.C. and at 18, he could have bought alcohol in D.C., but he was younger than the Maryland grandfathering age.
He didn't mention the fact that he had to cross the state line to buy alcohol, but it wasn't far for him.
I grew up in D.C. and remember people coming to town, just to buy alcohol.
D.C. left the legal age to enter a bar or a club at 18, but didn't make well known, until a Russian girl under 21 was assaulted after leaving a club.
There is at least one club in Baltimore Maryland that allows 18 year olds to enter, which requires some type of waiver of the law there.
Virginia ids always, or almost always 21 to enter a club, that serves alcohol.
Some D.C. clubs deny entry to those under 21, even it would be legal to allow them.
The old D.C. college clubs ran down after the drinking age increased and they were all bought by Arab owners that changed them to European style dance clubs.
sgtm7@reddit
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands drinking age remains at 18 despite losing 10% of their highway funding. Guam remained at 18 until 2010.
BikePlumber@reddit
They lost 10 percent the first year, from the previous year.
After that, the federal funding doesn't continue to decrease 10 percent each year, so not a great loss.
Virginia immediately increased the age to purchase alcohol to go, to 19, but left the age to be served alcohol at 18, until both increased one year in age, each year, until reaching age 21.
It's strange that they felt they didn't need to grandfather the to-go age, but grandfathered the age the first year.
18 year olds, from Maryland and Virginia just came here to D.C. to buy alcohol for several years.
I think Pennsylvania was always 21, at least in many places.
Anyway, no place lost all of their federal highway funds, due to their drinking ages not meeting the deadline date.
D.C. lost nothing at all and was never under threat of losing federal funds.
sgtm7@reddit
Actually, the threat wasn't even to remove all highway funds. They would have only withheld 10% of the federal highway funding.
Altril2010@reddit
Texas has the same restrictions. Minors cannot purchase alcohol, but as the parent I can allow my minor to drink it.
squarebodynewb@reddit
And in Wisconsin if you are under 21, but your husband/wife/spouse is of age, they can purchase for you and you may drink legally.
J_arc1@reddit
31 states allow parents to give their minors alcohol in private settings
hitometootoo@reddit
Not just a private setting. It can be in public too such as in a restaurant or at a party. Parents don't have a private vs public limit necessarily but the law is loose on what is allowed and how much alcohol is reasonable.
cryptoengineer@reddit
It may be legal, but I've never seen a restaurant willing to serve a minor in the US, even with a parent present.
When my daughter hit her 21st birthday, we took her to a wine pairing dinner at a very fancy French restaurant in Boston. She was, of course, carded, but she was legal, and they brought out a complimentary tiny birthday cake for her. (No, they didn't sing. It wasn't that kind of place).
ForestOranges@reddit
It does happen. Back when Kyle Rittenhouse was 18 he went to a bar and was drinking with family.
Uffda01@reddit
Its pretty standard and fairly common in Wisconsin
Playful-Business7457@reddit
Texas. Texas will. Why not?
hitometootoo@reddit
The restaurant won't serve the minor, but the parent or guardian can order and give their drink to the minor in most states.
harpers25@reddit
This is not true. Wisconsin allows this. "Most" states do not.
harpers25@reddit
This is absolutely not legal in the vast majority of states.
JasminJaded@reddit
There’s a federal minimum drinking age in the US. See: National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984.
sgtm7@reddit
You should see it, and actually read it. It is not a "drinking age". Despite its name, this act did not outlaw the "consumption" of alcoholic beverages by those under 21 years of age, just their purchase or public possession.
Also, no state had to comply if they didn't care about losing 10% of their highway funding.
eyetracker@reddit
"Despite its name, this act did not outlaw the consumption of alcoholic beverages by those under 21 years of age, just their purchase or public possession."
lfxlPassionz@reddit
American states all have a drinking age of 21
christine-bitg@reddit
Not true. In Texas, as a server, I can serve it to the parent or guardian, who can then give the beverage to the minor. That parent must remain present the entire time the beverage is being consumed.
lfxlPassionz@reddit
Essentially people have been forgetting that states pass "illegal laws" a lot where they conflict with federal law but in the United States federal law cannot be changed by state government
christine-bitg@reddit
Federal law is not in conflict with state law in this instance.
lfxlPassionz@reddit
Federal law does consider it illegal to drink under 21
lfxlPassionz@reddit
That's still illegal wether or not the state agrees
eyetracker@reddit
Nope, it's to purchase. Most allow you to drink with parents or other authority figures, and/or in certain restaurant settings. Or religion, Catholic kids get it around 7. Things vary on how actually enforced this is.
lfxlPassionz@reddit
It's a federal law so if any states say differently it's illegal for then to do so
Landwarrior5150@reddit
Those are exceptions though, even if they are widespread. What are they an exception to if there isn’t a baseline minimum drinking age?
uwagapies@reddit
wisconsin has a loophole, kinda
lfxlPassionz@reddit
It's a federal law still
The_Bjorn_Ultimatum@reddit
It's usually the case where the parents or guardian have to give it to their kids. A kid can't just drink by himself without the permission of their parent. But yes, given that detail, you are correct
icyDinosaur@reddit
TBH its not all an adult is about, but I would assume the one most 18 year olds are most excited about... I can promise you I wasn't that pumped about getting to pay taxes.
Curmudgy@reddit
You have to pay taxes at any age. It’s just that when you’re under 18, your parents (or guardian) has an obligation to ensure you do. And most teens don’t make enough to be required to file, but you better believe tax forms are filed on behalf of child actors.
UnrelatedCutOff@reddit
Filing taxes doesn’t mean you pay taxes. There is an income range that pays no taxes. It usually applies to teens or college students going to school full time.
sgtm7@reddit
For quite a while now, around 47% of workers have no federal income tax liability. Been the same for years, except for during the pandemic when it got as high as around 60%.
Curmudgy@reddit
I think I said that.
teaanimesquare@reddit
I mean let’s be honest most people are drinking alcohol in high school anyways. Me and all my friends smoked weed and drank way before 18.
BlaggartDiggletyDonk@reddit
There's a difference between that and being able to stride into the neighborhood bar alongside your older brother.
smcl2k@reddit
It's not "all being an adult [is] about", and the number of people who die in alcohol-related road accidents in the US compared to most of Europe suggests it isn't the latter continent which has the problem 🤷🏻♂️
Ithinkibrokethis@reddit
Now look per capita.
The U.S. makes getting a license to operate a vehicle relatively easy compared to Europe and being able to drive is essential unless you live in New York City. The U.S. restricts drinking more heavily than Europe.
Europe basically does the reverse. Much harder to get a driver's license much easier to get alcohol. Considering the distance from London to Damascus is 100 miles less than the distance from Boston to LA, driving is a bigger part of being an "adult" in the U.S. than Europe.
smcl2k@reddit
I did. I'm guessing you didn't.
Maybe they should make it harder.
And much harder to keep your license if you get caught drink driving.
lorna2212@reddit
I think OP should have clarified that when you turn 18 in Europe, you are a legal adult in all aspects. Yes it includes drinking, but the bigger deal is actually driving a car, voting, signing your own papers, paying your own bills, being allowed to work full time with all rights, including starting your own business - I think the only restriction that remains is hiring a car (for insurance reasons). Other than that, it's considered the end of childhood/ adolescence and you're now fully responsible for your actions.
Positive-Avocado-881@reddit
That’s the case in the US except we can start driving at 16. The only restriction left at 18 is drinking and renting a car.
kurtplatinum@reddit
Not if you're an alcoholic.
Positive-Avocado-881@reddit
Idk I know functioning alcoholics who may has a drinking problem but also manage a lot of adult responsibilities so well that most people don’t notice
toiletparrot@reddit
18 and 21 are the big ones. People drink before they turn 21 lol
SquareShapeofEvil@reddit
21 is bigger. 18 is too, I guess, but often it’s quipped “you can die for your country now but can’t have a beer in it”
TheDeaconAscended@reddit
It can be big, as we have many different cultures in the US, 14 and 16 can be huge birthdays as well. It seems that you may not be aware of traditions globally but those are also celebrated in the US by family and friends. My wife is Ga and they have a whole series of events including the first week of a child's life. The Amish I believe celebrate around 16 and Judaism has Bat Mitzvah and Bar Mitzvah at 12 and 13 I think, I could also be mixing those around. While we are all American, we have many traditions.
Grunt08@reddit
When I was young, I thought this meant Europe was enlightened and more adult.
As an adult, I realize Europe has a drinking problem.
smcl2k@reddit
FYI, alcohol-related road fatalities in the US far outstrip those in Europe.
And in spite of age limit differences, per capita alcohol consumption in the US outstrips several European countries.
chrisinator9393@reddit
The US is also many magnitudes larger than Europe.
arcticmischief@reddit
No, it’s not.
US population: ~340 million Europe population: ~740 million
US land area: 3.8 million square miles Europe land area: 3.9 million square miles
Europe just builds their cities better than we do. You can get around almost everywhere in Europe without a car – cities are walkable, have public transit, etc. We force everyone to use a car to get to/from the bar, meaning you either have to drive drunk home or pay for an expensive Uber/taxi.
Europeans can just stumble home by foot or take a bus/metro. Hence a way lower incidence of drunk driving.
The best thing MADD could do to actually save the lives of children would be to become a radical pro-urbanism organization.
Necessary_Zone6397@reddit
Or Europe built up their population centers largely before the invention of the automobile.
Yet 90% of Europeans owns a car and the majority commute by car, including the majority in cities like Rome and Manchester.
https://www.reddit.com/r/urbandesign/comments/1bv1bmn/shares_of_commute_modes_around_the_world_source/
smcl2k@reddit
The US is smaller than Europe.
GetInTheHole@reddit
Great. How about fetal alcohol syndrome? Or alcohol related liver disease? Road fatalities aren’t the only way alcohol can mess you up.
And several European counties always means the select few in Western Europe where we can cherry pick the best stats. It never includes eastern. It would be like excluding the south US when talking about obesity rates.
smcl2k@reddit
TIL that Ukraine is in Western Europe.
Thanks for clearing that up.
iloveartichokes@reddit
Because the US drives a lot more than Europe
smcl2k@reddit
So maybe Americans should drink a lot less than Europeans.
iloveartichokes@reddit
They already do.
If Europeans drove as much as Americans, they would have 5x as many accidents and fatalities.
smcl2k@reddit
They drink less, but not "a lot" less. And only 1 state mandates driving bans for first DUIs, which certainly doesn't help.
Yes, because there's no chance at all that European countries would take action to make roads safer...
MmmIceCreamSoBAD@reddit
Okay so all of this is BS.
Fatalities on the road involve impairment about 30% of the time in the US versus about 25% in Europe. Given our much closer relationship with cars versus Europe, this is entirely reasonable.
Europe consumes way more alcohol on average than we do. Wisconsin is our worst state by far and it's average among European nations.
smcl2k@reddit
American roads are also far more dangerous in general, with alcohol-related deaths in the US amounting to over half of the EU's total number of road fatalities.
Cool. Please show me where I claimed otherwise.
AuroraDF@reddit
How funny. As a European adult, I realised that many Americans appear to be terrified of alcohol.
garden__gate@reddit
How so? What have you experienced in the US around attitudes towards alcohol?
thloki@reddit
Utah
GreenBeanTM@reddit
“I saw this cult that most of the country thinks is insane and think it’s how the rest of the country functions” are you drunk? I mean since you’re European probably.
garden__gate@reddit
Ok well that’s just silly.
AuroraDF@reddit
Ooo. First time I've had much in the way of downvotes. I've obviously upset some Americans with my perspective. I guess I should go and downvote the ones who think Europeans have an alcohol problem, since I don't agree with their perspective.
ShotgunCreeper@reddit
Your perspective is confusing and doesn’t match up with reality. America is a very drink-happy country, often to a detriment. Maybe it would make a bit more sense if you elaborated?
Ithinkibrokethis@reddit
Americans do have a weird alcohol culture. I live in Kansas. Until I was in my mid 20s, it was illegal to sell anything other than 3.2% alcohol by volume beer on Sundays. On the other hand, I am Lutheran and he had Maniachewitz with commune since I was nine. My best friend used to take his mom and dad's beer bottles until he was in junior high school.
There are lots of places in the U.S. with, what to anybody not raised in that place, appear to be insane liquor laws. At the same time, the U.S. consumes a lot of Alcohol.
Americans have curtailed when it is socially acceptable to drink more than most European states, and we pushed back the purchase age to basically coincide with the end of University Schooling. These are all vestiges of Prohibition.
rbroccoli@reddit
I’m not anti-alcohol, but this is kind of a ridiculous and disingenuous thing to say about something that:
Vidistis@reddit
Oh, you mean the drug that causes tons of death and addiction due to it being socially acceptable? The drug that has less people taking it as they recognize the tremendous amount of downsides it has, similarly to how smoking cigarettes has gone down considerably. So most likely people down the line will look back and see how stupid it was for people to ingest a poison that messes with a person's bodily/mental functions that leads to reckless behavior, addiction, and or death -- especially when paired with other drugs.
sweetEVILone@reddit
Nah, when one vice goes out of fashion, another will replace it. See: smoking —> vaping
Grunt08@reddit
That's a weird and obviously defensive mischaracterization of what I said, but okay.
LadyGreyIcedTea@reddit
A few years ago my husband and I did a Polish food tour in Krakow. One of the stops was supposed to be vodka. We told the guide we were going to skip that (we were the only people on the tour, if there had been others we would have just not taken the vodka at that stop) because we don't drink alcohol and he was genuinely confused.
smcl2k@reddit
Tbf, I'd be pretty confused if someone who didn't drink paid me for a tour that included alcohol.
GreenBeanTM@reddit
Why when it is one of several stops? They didn’t sign up for a wine tasting or something.
smcl2k@reddit
There are presumably other tours which don't include it at all.
Grouchy_Conclusion45@reddit
Smoking and drinking problems. Netherlands, Germany, etc etc, all have they issue. Where I'm from in Scotland it's drugs and alcohol though, smoking not so much. I honestly find it disgusting, especially since whenever I decide to eat outside at a dutch or German restaurant, the smokers always seem to be upwind of everyone else
Arleare13@reddit
Yeah, they do not have a healthy relationship with alcohol. I’ve been to quite a few countries in Europe, and it’s really reinforced my support of the 21-year-old drinking age.
codenameajax67@reddit
Who cares about drinking?
If you are going to drink you already were before you turned 21. If you aren't then there is nothing special about it.
Uffda01@reddit
Its fairly big still because you can vote and sign contracts etc - but most people are still in highschool when they turn 18 so your day to day life doesn't change that much
da_chicken@reddit
You become a legal adult and gain the right to vote.
Constellation-88@reddit
Where can you not buy tobacco at 18?
Relevant_Airline7076@reddit
Every state except Alaska, Montana, the Carolinas, and Wisconsin
da_chicken@reddit
No, it's everywhere now since 2019. It's a federal law and there are no exceptions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._history_of_tobacco_minimum_purchase_age_by_state
Relevant_Airline7076@reddit
If you look carefully at the link you shared, the states I mentioned are, in fact, exceptions
da_chicken@reddit
You need to re-read the article.
The states you mentioned do have a state law which sets the purchase age below 21.
However, there is a federal law which requires it to be 21 which supersedes all state laws that would set it lower:
The 1992 Synar Amendment is the federal law which previously set the minimum age to 18.
Under the authority of the FDA to regulate the sale of drugs, federal law does not permit any sale of tobacco or nicotine products to anyone under the age of 21. It is a drug, and it is regulated federally as a drug.
Any state law which sets a purchase age lower than 21 is moot.
sgtm7@reddit
True. But I wouldn't say lower purchase ages are "moot". It is also against federal law to buy or consume marijuana.
Constellation-88@reddit
This must be new. IDC because I’ve never tried to buy tobacco, but I remember lots of signs saying you have to be 18 throughout my entire childhood.
5littlemonkey@reddit
Even before the more recent change, it was 19 in Alabama and Utah.
Constellation-88@reddit
I heard you can drink at 18 in Louisiana. States are all individual sometimes. Interesting.
PPKA2757@reddit
Some states like Wisconsin allow minors to drink alcohol in the presence of a parent or legal guardian (if they’re over the age of 21), with the consent of the liquor license holder and said parent/guardian.
In Louisiana, that same statute applies but the key difference, from what I understand, is that it’s only if the “underage” person is over 18 and under 21. Whereas in Wisconsin an “underage person” is defined as anyone under the age of 21.
Constellation-88@reddit
Me imagining an 8 year old drinking with parental permission in Wisconsin: 😬😬😬😳😳😳
Relevant_Airline7076@reddit
It became a federal law in 2019, and some states took longer than others to enforce it
notyogrannysgrandkid@reddit
The USA
cohrt@reddit
everywhere
Vachic09@reddit
It's been 21 on a federal level since 2019, apparently.
https://www.lung.org/policy-advocacy/tobacco/prevention/tobacco-21-laws
Constellation-88@reddit
Neat!!
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
The legal age to buy tobacco in the US is 21. It is a federal law that was made about 6 years ago.
1PumpkinKiing@reddit
For most people 18 is big because you are legally considered an adult for most things. But there is 1 way that you are not considered an adult, and that is you are not allowed to drink alcohol. Also, now that about half of the states have legalized Marijuana, you have to be at least 21 to buy and smoke it (some rare exceptions are made).
I personally think that it's very stupid to not give full rights to people and allow all things at 18. This is not because I think people are mature enough to properly handle these things at 18, I mean, a large percentage of people aren't mature enough to be considered an adult well into their 20s, if ever... but, if you are old enough to vote and help shape the the country, and join the military, and risk your life for freedom, your country, someone else's agenda, or whatever label you wanna put on it. Then you are old enough to be 100% considered an adult, with no exceptions, and accept all responsibilities and consequences that go with that status.
Maybe I'm crazy, but that just makes sense to me.
So ya, 18 is the age where you are able to vote, join the military, and be tried as an adult. But you don't get to properly party and celebrate the good things in life with a couple shots or a rip until you're 21.
So 21 is usually the much bigger party, where you can walk into prettymuch any bar, and get people buying you free drinks. Or you can do what i like to do and have some real fun and setup a bonfire out in the middle of the desert, with live music, tons of food, jungle juice, and a few kegs, and have a couple thousand people come through over the course of the night.
TLDR: at 18 you're an adult, but like on really messed up training wheels that make it easy to fall, and impossible to reach the speeds where you start really having fun, and feel truely free. At 21 the training wheels finally come off, and you're given all rights and able to start having fun and seriously enjoying being an adult, and you learn what true freedom is. 21 is the big party, because that's the first time you can legally truly party.
Boring_Kiwi_6446@reddit
“21 is the new 18.” Oh my sweet summer child.
Remarkable_Table_279@reddit
10, 13, 16, (15 if Mexican) 18 & 21 are big birthdays for younger people. At 18 you’re “legal” you can vote & do all sorts of stuff. 21 is basically you can drink now…
john_hascall@reddit
21 is all the "sins" -- Alcohol, Tobacco, Gambling, Handguns, etc.
CobandCoffee@reddit
Pretty sure gambling is 18. I'm not a big gambler but I believe lottery tickets and everything are 18. With handguns I owned several before turning 21. In a lot of states it's legal to own and even carry them at 18. You just can't buy them from a federally licensed gun dealer but you can be gifted them or buy them from a private seller. I bought mine off of Armslist.
kylesbadatprivacy@reddit
You can buy lottery at 18 in most states but the two main gambling states, Nevada and New Jersey, require you to be 21
john_hascall@reddit
21 in my state (Iowa)
JerryCat11@reddit
Porn and strip clubs at 18
ATLien_3000@reddit
You can do some form of all 4 of those at a younger age than 21.
wiserTyou@reddit
Ohh it's a holiday weekend. I might do all four. Fun!
SteampunkExplorer@reddit
I want to point out that handguns are generally not expected to be used sinfully, though! 😱 That's for responsibly cautious target-shooting, or for self defense (which is never likely to be necessary, but then neither is a fire extinguisher or a tourniquet).
GreenBeanTM@reddit
5 is also a sort of big one because you’re a “big kid” old enough to start school. Could also be mixing up my historical facts but if I remember correctly if a kid reached 5 they’re chance of surviving childhood also significantly increased.
Remarkable_Table_279@reddit
Can’t remember that far back (and I started school when I was 4) but that makes sense.
GreenBeanTM@reddit
To my general memory of life then/full house, I think modern day it’s more “the kid sees it as big so let’s play along” than actually being a big deal, which is why I called it “sort of” big. Decent chance if you/any of the kids around you didn’t care (which would make sense since you started school at 4) then it wasn’t treated as any sort of big deal.
TSells31@reddit
14 was a way bigger birthday than 13 here in Iowa. You can get your learner’s permit (driving) at 14 here. Can’t do shit at 13 besides call yourself a teenager (which is a big deal to kids, yes, but not as big as driving):
Remarkable_Table_279@reddit
Driving at 14! I remember reading about someone getting license/learners early in books written in 60s/70s…but I didn’t think it was a still a thing (and it seemed like a myth when I read it in 80s) (either encyclopedia brown or three investigators)
sweetEVILone@reddit
Mexicans are not the only Hispanic culture that does a quince
Cinisajoy2@reddit
I put Latin America, am I right or wrong?
Remarkable_Table_279@reddit
TIL
ABelleWriter@reddit
Came here to say exactly this
reluctantmugglewrite@reddit
18 is the coming of age birthday so some people get nice presents from their parents or have a big party. 21 is the legal drink birthday which normally involves getting drunk with your friends and it is not normally a nice dinner with your parents.
aMoose_Bit_My_Sister@reddit
for one thing, you're finally allowed to have sex with your older friend, as i did.
GreenBeanTM@reddit
Is there nothing cool about being an adult in Europe other than drinking?
travelingquestions@reddit
It's a big thing legally but not socially as much. Basically it means you can fuck up way more if you get in trouble lol
BoseSounddock@reddit
It’s definitely big socially lol. It’s when most people leave the house/go to college.
smcl2k@reddit
On their 18th birthdays?
GreenBeanTM@reddit
Really like being a pedantic POS huh?
WhatABeautifulMess@reddit
For me that was months later and related to having graduated high school, not turning 18. I know plenty of people who did that at 17 because they have late birthdays.
WaltKerman@reddit
If you tie being able to drink as the only thing that makes you an adult, sure.
In the US it's not viewed as what makes you an adult.
Forlorn_Cyborg@reddit
You can join the military at 18 and see combat, but no cigarettes or alcohol until 21. In 2019 a federal law was passed raising the age of buying cigarettes to 21. 18 year olds are still doing all that, just more underground.
Trinx_@reddit
My 18th birthday was also my high school graduation party. I feel like the graduation party was more of a big deal than turning 18. Had a couple hundred people in my parents' yard and garage. Friends, family, church folks, teachers, neighbors, and other people in my life. Many gave me money for college. I was celebrating the last 4 years and preparing for the next.
Siddakid0812@reddit
18 is when you get all of your adult responsibilities. 21 is when you get all of your adult freedoms.
It’s still a big deal. High school graduation is typically somewhere in there, it’s the commencement of one’s journey as an adult, but most of the sweet notes thereof come much later and that can leave turning 18 feeling pretty bitter. There’s a few token privileges, but for the most part, you only get responsibilities (taxes, voting, criminal charges) and things like marriage and the right to sign your own will which you’re not likely to use or benefit from until you’re 21+ anyway.
bookshelfie@reddit
18 and 21 are both big.
erturgul4life@reddit
18 years old is a big deal. I don’t know why some people like act like just because it’s illegal that American teens still don’t have party’s and get drunk. My 18th was like a month ago and I had a separate party for friends and family. For my friends party there was a shit ton of weed and alcohol.
CornPuddinPops@reddit
You can buy Nudie magazines!
Holiday-Menu-171@reddit
Turning 27 when your parents can't claim you as a dependent child on the IRS forms is the biggest thing.
Chank-a-chank1795@reddit
Birthdays aren't as big of a deal in US.
Except in Hispanic homes.
Ive repeatedly heard how birthdays are bigger than Christmas.
Well, not in the US of A!
san_souci@reddit
It’s a more notable birthday in the US than most, but it’s typically not some event like renting a hall or such. Maybe inviting a bunch of friends and family over.
teslaactual@reddit
16 18 and 21 are the big ages in the U.S. most states 16 is when you get your drivers license, 18 is when your officially an adult and 21 is when you can drink
Accomplished_Will226@reddit
Your 18 is our 21
JackieBlue1970@reddit
It’s kind of a big deal but also kind of sucks imo. You have all the legal responsibilities of an adult but none of the privileges which seems really contradictory to me (as a 55 yo). You can vote, buy lottery tickets, enter into contracts, get in big time legal trouble, join the military, etc. You cannot drink alcohol but can be sent to jail if caught drinking. You cannot possess marijuana (in states that are legal) at 18. You cannot go to casino. You cannot use tobacco or vapes. You can be drafted or voluntarily serve in the military. The draft is unlikely but if you are male you are required to register for it. God forbid you get caught having sexual relations (or even just accusations) with someone who is 17. Your life would be ruined. There are so many gotchas for an 18 year old because honestly, most 18 year olds are still having problems making good decisions. As the father of 3 adults, I can say that was a scary time.
I think all of adult things should be 21. Reduces the risk of major judgment errors ruining a life. It won’t totally fix things but it will help. Heck, I still see my 30 year old making some stupid ass decisions.
I
Cinisajoy2@reddit
I told my son to card every female he dated. I actually said put her ID in front of her chest and take a picture. And that was 20+ years ago. His comment was mom you don't trust me. Then he got a funny look on his face and said you don't trust the girls.
17 is or was a funny age for sex. The girl could consent but if her parents didn't like it they could scream statutory.
stiletto929@reddit
Some states set the age of consent at 16, not 18. It varies. But honestly 16 & 17 is one thing. 16 and 50 is just disgusting.
JackieBlue1970@reddit
18 and 50 is legal and still disgusting. My neighbor (male) is 58. He married a 20 year old when he was like 54 or 55. They are getting ready to have their 3rd child together. Nuts.
ChaoGardenChaos@reddit
I don't have much to offer here and I don't know how it is in Europe but I don't know many people who weren't drinking before 18 let alone 21. Even as a teenager sometimes a friend's dad would give us shots or a pack of beer (not saying this is right but I think it's super common).
Cinisajoy2@reddit
My dad sent me into convenience stores at 17 to buy beer. I so wanted to get carded just to show him I couldn't. Funny thing was that was the 4th or 5th store he had pulled up too. He was looking for one with a male clerk.
When I was 12 before cigarettes actually had an age attached, my best friend and I could buy cigarettes with no hassle from one store because my dad told the manager they threw a lot of parties and would be sending us for cigarettes. He tried for alcohol but the manager said no to that.
freebiscuit2002@reddit
Most states" laws do allow consumption of alcohol under age 21, but usually with a caveat, like at home with a parent present.
FlamingBagOfPoop@reddit
Spouse also counts at least in Texas. A restaurant can still refuse service but technically legal.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
Or child.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
If you are descended from Latin America, 15 year old girls have a huge celebration called a quinceanera. Just the dresses alone are expensive.
peter303_@reddit
Financially you can open a bank account on your own, sign a contract on your own, e.g. home purchase and mortgage, enlist in the military on your own ...
LikelyNotSober@reddit
16 is big because you can get a drivers license (in a lot of states). 21 also because of the drinking age.
After that, 65 is the next big one: Medicare!
LordlySquire@reddit
It used to be bc that meant our kids were finally moving otu
V_is4vulva@reddit
18 is big, but we literally can't celebrate it the way you do since our government decided 18 year olds don't get full adult privileges. It's kinda fucked up. That really makes 21 take priority as far as party birthdays.
TehWildMan_@reddit
It's not the legal age of adulthood where I grew up, but it's still moderately celebrated.
Nobody celebrates turning an adult at 19/21, though.
ObjectiveElefant@reddit
16, 18 and 21 are the big 3 in the US.
SabresBills69@reddit
Not really much...
Legal documents can be signed as an 18 yr old
Many states have 21 as drinking age and pot age, snd gambling age.
Many hotels dont allow thise under 3 21 to stay.
GreenTravelBadger@reddit
18 in America seems to be the age where some people get kicked out of the family home, or gouged for "rent" in a house that, 24 hours earlier, they were allowed to live in for free.
naked_nomad@reddit
When I was growing up 18 only meant you weren't a kid anymore. A whole bunch of laws that did not apply to you yesterday, started to today.
While you still could not vote, buy alcohol, sign a contract or own a car in your name until you were 21; you could be drafted.
The 26th Amendment changed that for the most part as states still controlled the drinking age.
ThePurityPixel@reddit
Americans have increasingly viewed childhood as encompassing more and more years (such that you're often still viewed as a child if you're 17). So turning 18 is just kind of like someone finally paying you back something they owed you for years.
It also signifies new responsibilities more than it signifies new freedoms.
TiFist@reddit
16 and 21 have traditionally been more important. It's still meaningful but the *celebration* aspect isn't especially linked to your 18th birthday.
q0vneob@reddit
16 felt like a way more important event for me. Getting a drivers license was huge. Turning 18 just felt like another day, being able to buy smokes (back then) and lottery tickets wasn't as meaningful, graduating HS was a more notable event around that time.
TiFist@reddit
Right-- 16 was liberating. 18 was paperwork. (It was a milestone but didn't line up neatly with any major life changes like getting a driver's license.)
MetalheadGator@reddit
Not anymore. They aren't self sufficient, they can't exercise all of their rights, they can't drink or smoke, we treat them like children and make excuses for them. Meh.
Civil_Papaya7321@reddit
I think 21 seemed bigger because of the drinking age. Different states used to have different drinking ages. However, around the mid 1970's the federal government said they would withhold highway funding from states who didn't go with age 21. I think 18 is actually a bigger deal. The 18 year old can have sex with any aged person. If under 18, each state has a formula based on the number of difference in years between the loversvthat is a little confusing. Also, you are free from control of your parents, which is a big deal if you have lousy parents. For example, they could send you to a military school or a crazy treatment program of some sort. Plus you are independent financially. You can get credit cards and administer your own bank accounts.
seifd@reddit
I'm a June baby, so my 18th got lumped in worth my graduation party.
favouritemistake@reddit
18 you can smoke cigars, have sex, buy a lotto ticket, and vote; you’re officially responsible for your own fuck ups. 21 you can drink. They’re different but both big in their own ways
1029394756abc@reddit
It’s the go out and get drafted birthday.
vaspost@reddit
High School graduation is the coming of age celebration in the US snd is usually close to turning 18.
Why is alcohol consumption such a big deal Europe?
LexiusCoda@reddit
Tbh you really shouldn't be considered an adult until you're 21. Most university students are graduating at that age, and your brain is pretty much done developing by this point as well. And yes, you can legally drink or smoke at this age as well. I also think you shouldn't be allowed to join the military until you reach this age, as you'll have had time to figure out what you want to do with your life by this point.
Hij802@reddit
18 is literally everything except for legal age to buy alcohol, weed, and to gamble, which are each 21. Otherwise you are a legal, independent adult for all purposes.
Mission-Carry-887@reddit
For kids in border counties, it is, the go out and drink day
____2049____@reddit
You can own a gun and exercise one of your many amazing rights as an American 😃🇺🇸
username-generica@reddit
18 is a big deal but 16 and 21 are bigger deals.
tlonreddit@reddit
Yes it is as 18 is when you become a legal adult and most kids go off to college or to the military.
smcl2k@reddit
Those things rarely happen on the day someone turns 18, though.
There's a big cultural difference between the US and Europe, and it's definitely because of the legal drinking age.
anclwar@reddit
Growing up in a big military area, people would literally sign up with a recruiter the day they turned 18.
ThePickleConnoisseur@reddit
Can’t you also sign up at 17?
anclwar@reddit
With parental permission, but yes. At 18, you can sign the papers without them.
smcl2k@reddit
That's not at all the norm, though.
For reference, there were over 4.2 million births in 2006, and last year saw a total of 225k people (of any age) joining the military.
hypo-osmotic@reddit
I’m with you on this one, I have a September birthday so when I turned 18 I still had most of my senior year of high school left. The birthday was still celebrated of course but at that point of my life I was still very much treated like a child in most respects. My school even kept requiring permission slips and such to be signed by my mom. I was just shy of 19 before I was able to move on to the adult part of my life, but that’s a weird age to celebrate as a milestone
AtheistAsylum@reddit
No one said anyine went the day of. It's just saying that 18 is usually when that happens.
smcl2k@reddit
It doesn't happen when you "turn 18", though.
MuppetusMaximusV2@reddit
What does being this pedantic get you?
smcl2k@reddit
It's not pedantic, it's a really basic fact.
The post is about the way birthdays are celebrated, not events that might happen during the following 12 months.
Henrylord1111111111@reddit
Do you know why people have celebrations, especially birthdays…?
Salty_Permit4437@reddit
You can vote and join the military. That's pretty huge.
ThePickleConnoisseur@reddit
18 is a legal adult. Meaning you are now responsible for yourself
Parking_Champion_740@reddit
Not a huge deal but there are certain things you can do at 18
BlaggartDiggletyDonk@reddit
You can vote and join the military.
CODMAN627@reddit
Well when it comes to being 18 you’re technically still independent. You have all the legal rights of being a citizen. Voting, being able to work longer hours, signing legal agreements, military service, and let’s be frank here for a minute being consenting to sex.
if you do you party at home in some states you’re fine to drink under parental consent or what have you.
If you’re male keep in mind you do have to register for selective service.
RodeoBoss66@reddit
I’ve never understood the whole dichotomy between turning 18 and turning 21bin this country. At 18 you’re old enough, according to the government and society in general, to go fight for your country in the military and potentially die or get maimed. You’re legally considered an adult in every other situation where adulthood is required (including purchasing and using tobacco)….. EXCEPT buying and consuming alcohol. That’s the only reason why 21 is even notable in the life of an American. For everything else in life, if you’re 18, you’re old enough. Not booze. Not even beer or wine. Gotta be 21 for THAT.
It’s so unbelievably stupid.
Educational_Impact93@reddit
When I turned 18, way back in 1995, I bought a pack of smokes, a pipe and some rolling papers, a copy of Hustler, and a lottery ticket all because that's what I was allowed when I turned 18.
Some things are probably different now. But that birthday felt like a big deal to me at the time.
Guy2700@reddit
Not as big as 21, because even at 18, you still can’t smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol.
18 still signifies the typical age when one graduates from (mostly) non-optional education and can do whatever they want on their own for the most part.
ZebulonRon@reddit
18 was cool because I could buy my own smokes, 21 was way more of a “thing.”
cdb03b@reddit
21 is the drinking and smoking age.
But adulthood is 18. !8 is when you can vote, sign contracts, get credit cards, etc.
Usuf3690@reddit
I don't think it's as big a deal as turning 21 because of the drinking aspect, but 18:is still a milestone as it's also when you become a legal adult. You can enter military service, buy long guns, go to strip clubs, and do most adult things. What you can't do is drink, smoke (at least not in Pennsylvania) or gamble.
Constellation-88@reddit
First of all 21 is not the new 18. 21 was always the drinking age and in most countries it was your majority until about the mid 20th century. 18 is the new 21.
But yes, drinking is the only thing you can’t do at 18… At 18 you are a full adult liable for all of your decisions able to smoke and have sex and do all the other adult rights of passage other than drinking.
People make drinking way too big of a deal. It’s not so important that it takes away from the milestone of turning 18.
The reason there’s not a huge 18th birthday bash for everyone is that you have a huge birthday bash at 16, 18, and 21. Not everybody can afford all that shit. Not to mention the 15th birthday bash for girls of Hispanic descent.
In other words, we have so many big milestone birthday celebrations from 15 to 21 that maybe 18 gets more overshadowed here than it doesn’t other countries. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a huge big milestone deal.
Arleare13@reddit
Only since 1984. Hardly always.
Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit
And it was by state, under threat by the feds to withhold highway funds.
In Georgia, it went up one year every September, no grandfathering in. So, when I turned 18 in April of '84, I could legally drink until that September, then couldn't until the following April, and so on.
shelwood46@reddit
Wisconsin did do grandfathering, so when I turned 18 in 1983 there I could drink, and I could continue to drink when it raised to 19 the next year, and it was set to go to 21 the year I turned 21, but I foolishly moved to a state where it was already 21 (WI was last) when I was still 20, so for a few months I was suddenly underage again, which I found amusing.
Constellation-88@reddit
Age of majority was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971.
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
No, they moved up the smoking age to 21. Federal law passed in 2019 and it applies to all of the US
Constellation-88@reddit
I’m just learning of this. Cool! Very new development. Does not detract from the rest of my statement tho. Being unable to drink or smoke does not take away from being an adult.
gothiclg@reddit
You gain most of your adult rights at 18. 21 just gets you alcohol and access to calibers of guns you don’t get at 18.
Icy_Consideration409@reddit
And cannabis.
wwhsd@reddit
In California, you can get your medical cannabis card at 18. Unless they’ve cracked down on it in recent years, anyone that wanted one could get one.
I think most of the Seniors at my kids’ high school that turned 18 before graduation had their cards.
ATLien_3000@reddit
You can own a handgun at 18.
You can also purchase one from an individual seller in the same state (ie someone without an FFL).
smcl2k@reddit
I think the thing is that you can drink when you turn 21, whereas most other rights are things that you exercise at some point after you turn 18, and that obviously impacts the way birthdays are marked.
Like... Was gaining the right to vote really a massive celebration for someone who was born on November 6th, 2006?
gothiclg@reddit
I personally looked forward to voting when I turned 18. It really depends on your interest in US politics
smcl2k@reddit
Not really. I was definitely excited to vote for the 1st time in both the UK (after I turned 18) and the US (after becoming a citizen), but neither of those things happened until some time after I was eligible.
I'm guessing that very few people delay their first visit to a bar until shortly before their 23rd birthdays.
Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit
The age restriction on "handgun" calibers is true for some states and some sellers (e.g. Walmart), but it's indirectly due to the federal requirement that you must be 21 to purchase handguns.
I say "'handgun' calibers" above because calibers aren't technically restricted to handgun vs. long gun, as there are "pistol caliber" long guns and "rifle caliber" handguns.
HorseFeathersFur@reddit
You can legally go to war if you’re 18. You can also sign a contract. And you can be prosecuted as an adult if you commit a crime. Other than that, the really fun stuff is still three years away.
cryptoengineer@reddit
18 makes you an adult for most purposes. Not buying alcohol or a handgun. But you can have sex (some states are 16 or 17), buy porn, vote, buy a rifle, etc. You will also be charged as adult if you get in trouble with the law.
Hoopajoops@reddit
Yeah.. not as big as I'm Europe, but it is still technically when a child officially becomes an "adult"
You can go out and bang whoever you want (except if they are understand. You can also buy cigarettes.
PeorgieT75@reddit
When I turned 18, we could buy beer, so it was a bigger deal.
schlibs@reddit
18 is the more important milestone as it makes you a legal adult but 21 is more celebrated if for no other reason that many use that night to get absolutely blottoed (legally).
hungaryboii@reddit
It was nice for me since I was a smoker, I was able to go into a head shop and buy a bong and grinder, also a pack of cigarettes. Its also the age where you can go to big boy jail if you get in trouble
CaliTexJ@reddit
Not to mention 18 is when you can legally live on your own. For some, it’s freedom. For others, they lose support. For most of us, we just feel the pressure to figure out life out a good bit more.
MmmIceCreamSoBAD@reddit
Alcohol, tobacco and marijuana are all 21 in the US. Personally I think this is a good thing. 18 year olds are adults however.
Longjumping-Rich-684@reddit
Voting age.
Mirabeaux1789@reddit
18 is a big deal but on the ground teenagehood has been lengthen by the fact that they don’t need to have the same adult responsibilities as were required of them in the past. I do not consider this a bad thing, personally. They have the vast majority of their lives to worry about being adults, so why not enjoy college in a less serious way (on the social side) if they can? Some people go into adult mode at 18 and stay that way, but most are still just teenagers with a different legal status.
StrongStyleDragon@reddit
Yes. There’s a trope where 21 has become a I can legally drink now which is a joke bc they have already started drinking.
BigoleDog8706@reddit
Not anymore really. Just means you can vote, enlist, and buy long guns. Also be tried as an adult for crimes.
Littleboypurple@reddit
Turning 18 is still a massive deal in the United States. You're legally an adult and given alot more freedoms and liberties you didn't have before. Many people turn 18 and often already have stuff planned like going off to college or entering the workforce.
Yeah, 21 is when you're legally allowed to consume alcohol but, you're also finally able to purchase tobacco/legal cannabis products and gamble either in casinos, bets, lottery, and/or scratch tickets. Yet for many, turning 21 isn't that big of a deal for them because the things they're now legally allowed to do don't really interest them. Like I'm in my late 20s but, when I turned 21, I didn't immediately go out for shots, buy some legal weed, and/or try my hands at the slots because that stuff didn't interest me. I don't drink often and when I do, it's light because hangovers suck. Tobacco and Vapes are too expensive and dangerous. My older brother had a gambling addiction in the past and I didn't want to go down that road.
smcl2k@reddit
People seem to be commenting on the idea of being 18 rather than (as the post asked) how the birthday is celebrated.
I'm going to guess that the percentage of people who mark their 18th birthdays by immediately voting, getting married, or shipping off to college or the army is going to be minuscule compared to the percentage who go to a bar or club to celebrate turning 21.
InterviewLeast882@reddit
You use to be able to drink in many states at 18.
Curmudgy@reddit
I’ll point out that the 21 minimum for buying alcohol isn’t that new.
When I was a kid, it varied by state. NY was 18 but CT was 21. One of the problems was the 18yos driving over the border to drink legally. The problem was simply that they had to drive further.
I believe it was the early 70s when the age was lowered to 18 nationwide, only to be raised back to 21 nationwide later.
ngshafer@reddit
18 is still a pretty big birthday in America. That's the age where people are traditionally considered legally adults.
Waagtod@reddit
18 is the age your parents can kick you out and have no responsibility for your personal actions. Also, if you are in the foster onstage ward system, you are immediately cut off. You are on your own. No safety net. You also get to vote, not that you will see anyone your age to vote for. Just old people. Basically, all your responsibilities kick in with a few small perks. Yay?
Prize_Consequence568@reddit
Ok.
Ok_Remote_1036@reddit
There are multiple significant “coming of age” ages in the US. -13 is significant as you have become a teenager. Nothing changes legally, but it tends to coincide with when kids get more freedoms. - 16 is significant as it’s when most kids are able to get a driver’s license. This gives them even more freedom, to travel where they want on their own. - 18 is significant as it’s the legal age of adulthood, when you are able to vote, and also often when kids move out of their parents’ house (for instance to go to college). - 21 is significant as it’s the legal age for purchasing alcohol (as well as purchasing marijuana in states in which it’s legal).
MetroBS@reddit
You know 18 year olds still drink here right
ShipComprehensive543@reddit
16, 18 and 21 are the big birthdays.
BandanaDee13@reddit
At 18 you can vote in elections at all levels, sign contracts, buy cell phones, get credit cards, live on your own if you have the means, and get married without parents’ approval. Pretty much most adult freedoms you didn’t get at 16, except for drinking and buying some drugs. A few states have a slightly higher age of majority (either 19 or 21) so not all of those freedoms will be conferred then, but at the very least, the voting age is 18 everywhere.
At 21 you can drink. Hence the whole 21st-birthday “first visit to the bar” tradition. It’s treated as a major milestone but not much changes in terms of your rights aside from drinking…unless you live in Mississippi, I guess.
Bluemonogi@reddit
Turning 18 is a milestone here. In most states you are legally an adult at age 18 which means you can do things like vote, run for a city, county or state office, serve on a jury, open a bank account, sign contracts, change your name, get married, control who sees your health or education information. Many people graduate high school and start college around the age of 18. An 18 year old who is legally an adult can legally have sex with anyone 18 and older. So even if it is icky to many people an 18 year old could have sex with a 40 year old and as long as it is consensual there is no legal issue. Your parents are no longer responsible for your care and support when you are legally an adult so you might move out or be evicted from the family home.
Age 21 you can legally drink alcohol and purchase alcohol and tobacco. Many kids have probably had access to some alcohol before the age of 21. I personally consider turning 21 less important than turning 18.
itsjustmo_@reddit
A lot of 18 year olds are still high school students that live at home with their parents. That can make celebrating being an independent adult a little complicated, especially if those parents are strict. When I turned 18 I was still subject to very strict codes of conduct at school and extracurriculars so I wasn't exactly out having a wild party.
pinniped90@reddit
It's still kinda big. For most people it hits in your senior year of high school - your last birthday with all your hometown friends together.
For me it was like 2nd week of my freshman year of college so it kind of got lost in a dozen other things going on. But the friends I'd made in those 2-3 weeks took me out to party so it was still fun.
Jswazy@reddit
It's huge you get all freedoms except drinking at 18.
Fruitsdog@reddit
18 is a big deal, 21 is just bigger because you’re not only able to drink, but generally have way more freedoms.
Maddad_666@reddit
16 is big (can drive), 21 is big (can drink) … only thing about 18 is that you can vote, be charged as an adult if you commit a crime, and be drafted. It kinda doesn’t matter much here.
JasminJaded@reddit
They’re both milestones, as is 16 for a lot of people. At 16 you can drive, 18 you’re officially an adult, and at 21 you can drink.
SnooChipmunks2079@reddit
It's big but it's not as big as 21 for the reasons you mentioned.
In most US states, 18 is adult for purposes of entering into contracts and pretty much everything except drinking and maybe buying tobacco, I just don't remember on that one.
There are a few US states where it's 19.
Theycallmesupa@reddit
Well they can't buy cigarettes anymore and porn is available anywhere from your phone, so probably not as festive.
The big three adult activities when I was growing up were buying smokes, a porno mag, and a tattoo.
Tron_35@reddit
At 18 you are legally an adult and can vote, pay taxes and all that other fun stuff. At 21 you can drink and buy smokes. Basically we have 2 coming of age birthdays.
Beneficial-Crow-5138@reddit
My friend didn’t care until she was 24 or something like that bc that meant she could rent a car in any of the states.
GotWheaten@reddit
21 is bigger than
lfxlPassionz@reddit
18 is adulthood but the age for drinking and weed is 21 because alcohol and weed aren't safe for the brain at 18.
To put it more simply, in your mid 20s the brain changes a bit. It switches from mainly trying to adapt to what it's given to trying to use those adaptations to navigate the world.
Basically if you drink or have weed or anything that alters the brain in that way before your mid 20s, your brain will grow to expect that and adapt to it.
You'll need extra weed to feel high or more alcohol to feel drunk. These changes become fairly "locked in" around your mid 20s and a reliance on these substances is more likely if you use them before your mid 20s.
It's really bad for you to go out drinking at 18.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
It is but 21 is much bettet
knifeyspoonysporky@reddit
18 and 21 are both celebrated and both big milestones. Since they are close together in the grand scheme of things the celebration is kind of split between them.
And while 18 you become a legal adult, I would say graduating from high school is a bigger celebration as you are a legal adult (or almost one) and you completed grade school education.
Good families and friend will celebrate all these occasions
yellowdaisycoffee@reddit
Adulthood isn't just about drinking alcohol.
Vidistis@reddit
Drinking is dumb and teens drinking is even dumber. People should not be celebrating the freedom to take drugs.
aldmonisen_osrs@reddit
It’s a bit overshadowed by graduating high school a few months down the line. Not a whole lot actually changes other than signing up for the selective service and being able to vote.
16 is bigger than 18 because you can now legally drive, and that enables a lot more personal freedom.
21 is even bigger because then you can drink and smoke in every state.
FormidableMistress@reddit
Yeah it's a big deal because it's when you're responsible for paying taxes and can go in the military. It also used to be the age that you could smoke cigarettes legally, but President Trump moved that to 21 during his first term.
Fearless-Boba@reddit
16 is big- can drive a car legally, working privileges shift where you can work longer at jobs and get better jobs.
18- can make decisions without parent involvement,full employment privileges (including using knives and buffalo choppers, and dangerous machinery and chemicals). It's also often the transition year where kids go into the military or go to college/uni or get a "real" full-time job and start figuring out new living arrangements and such.
21- is when you can legally drink and buy drugs (like weed), etc. and for some it's a huge deal, but for others it's not that big of a deal. You can also legally gamble at 21 in casinos and such.
25- you're allowed to rent and drive a rental car.
TexasRed806@reddit
In my experience, 18 is still an important birthday for most but definitely not nearly as big as 21. A lot of 18 year olds are still in high school. I turned 18 a week after starting my senior year, so while I was now an “adult” I didn’t really feel like one yet and didn’t have a big party for it. Turning 21 gives you a different sense of freedom and adulthood and my friends/family threw a real party-party for me on that one.
No_Foundation7308@reddit
I think 18 is becoming less important, IMO. Not as many kids are moving out at 18 as there once was. The economy has kind of killed the vibe of independence at 18.
Sapphire_Bombay@reddit
It's big, but it's the least exciting of the big ones. 16 you can drive, 21 you can drink. 18 you can vote and serve in the military and get tried for crimes as an adult so it's just less fun.
erin_burr@reddit
Huge deal. You can vote and be selected to serve on a jury of your peers.
AtheistAsylum@reddit
18 is a big deal here. It's when you become a legal adult, usually graduate high school, many move out, if they haven't already. This is also when you can join one of the military branches, if so desired. There's usually quite the celebration at 18, though unless you have parents who let you drink at home, no alcohol is involved.
Stupidly, you can join the military at 18 (sometimes earlier], but you have to wait 3 more years, to drink or smoke/vape tobacco. For the states that have decriminalized marijuana use, this is when you can legally use that as well unless you have a medical card. At the very least, I feel like those who served should have the privilege of starting sooner if they want.
When you turn 21, it's the same big deal as 18, plus alcohol, if you've been waiting to legally drink.
pastelpinkpsycho@reddit
In my hometown in rural Mississippi, turning 18 was a big deal, especially when cigarettes were still available at the time. It was fairly normal to hear folks saying “when he turns 18 I’m going to beat his ass” (to avoid charges of attacking a minor). I grew up in redneck country.
SpiceEarl@reddit
While there are some privileges you get when you turn 18 in the US (such as voting...), for most other things 21 is the big one: being allowed to purchase and consume alcohol, purchase and consume tobacco, gamble in casinos, purchase and consume recreational cannabis (in the states where it is legal...)
You can see there are quite a few more things that make 21 the more important milestone for many people.
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
The only freedoms they dont have is smoking and drinking. 18 is still a pretty big deal in the US
LifeApprehensive2818@reddit
Eighteen carries most of the legal "coming of age" moments, but it's been watered down by the fact that many people stay in school, at least nominally supported by their parents.
Twenty one varies wildly depending on what you did between eighteen and twenty one. If you're in a four year degree program, you're still a student, and have another year to become a full adult.
If not, you've already been mostly an adult for a year or two, and reaching drinking she is the last major "unlock" into adulthood, so it will feel more significant.
Your 21st birthday party tends to be a bigger do, to take maximum advantage of being able to drink, so it looks more significant from the outside.
joepierson123@reddit
Was just another day for me
thecrookedcap@reddit
It sort of is, but since you’re often in your last year of high school it gets overshadowed by graduation as a rite of passage.
Champsterdam@reddit
Yes 18 is definitely a big deal. You are an adult. You’re moving out or to college. You get a job and finish high school.
dazzleox@reddit
I'd say high school graduation is the major you've entered adulthood party for many people even if 18 makes you a legal adult. For most but of course not all people, that's in the same year.
cherrycokeicee@reddit
for me, it went like this: 16 - drivers license, 18 - voting, 21 - drinking
(even though I had a driving permit at 15 and was on the tail end of my party phase at 21. underage drinking is very common)
Vexonte@reddit
It is big, but the celebration of entering adult hood is usual saved for graduation as many are expected to leave town and the lives they had been living to pursue a career or education.
Sabertooth767@reddit
It is and isn't. Most people are still in high school when they turn 18, and therefore not much actually changes.
Becoming an adult is a gradual thing, and the law does not always reflect the social and material reality.
goblin_hipster@reddit
It's still pretty big. This is the age you can vote and join the army, for example. It also typically coincides with the end of high school and the beginning of college--both huge milestones.
WiseQuarter3250@reddit
no, not really.
ABDLTA@reddit
No its still fairly big, its when you become an adult and such and typically go off to college