Do you ever wish the drinking age were lower or do you think its at the right age?
Posted by Few_Mention8426@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 21 comments
In the UK I sometimes think the drinking age is too low. Or at least the rules theoretically allow drinking from age 5 at home.
A 16 year old can drink in a pub if they are eating a meal and are with someone over 18.
Anyone over 5 can drink alchohol in their own home. As long as the parents bought it. (its uncommon obviously, but I did used to drink beers at around 13 at home. No responsible parent would feed beer to their very young children)
The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend an alcohol-free childhood to prevent long-term damage, advising that if children do drink, it should not be until at least 15 years old....
AskAnAmerican-ModTeam@reddit
Thank you for your submission, but it was removed as it violates posting guideline "Check the FAQ and the sidebar prior to submitting your question."
This includes commonly asked questions, questions related to current events, or topics easily answered through a simple Google search.
If you have questions regarding your submission removal - please contact the moderator team via modmail.
OrganizationSouth481@reddit
I think it’s pretty much fine. What a lot of people don’t realize is in most states (30 or 31 of them I believe) minors can legally drink at home with a parent or guardian present.
My problem is we treat 18 like it’s an adult then don’t allow “adults” to do things till 21. That isn’t specific to drinking but it’s one of the applicable restrictions. Also if you can be sent to die for our country, then I think you should be able to have a drink at the bar with restrictions (food required, type of alcohol limited, number of drinks limited, etc).
Watchfull_Hosemaster@reddit
In America, it could probably be 18 without much of an issue, considering that drinking is pretty widespread around college campuses. It's not like the drinking age really prevents 18-20 year olds from drinking.
jessek@reddit
I did when I was under 21. After I turned 21 I’m “nah I don’t want to hang out with teenagers”
eugenesbluegenes@reddit
Yeah, regardless of other issues, I just like that there are (generally) no teenagers in bars.
JayPlays40k@reddit
So, the first thing to know is that the federal drinking age is 21 (and they bullied the states into signing on by holding highway money hostage, iirc).
The minimum age to serve in the military is 18.
If you're old enough to die for some dumbass's temper tantrum, you should be able to get a fucking drink.
Not that I have any strong opinions on the matter.
Treliske@reddit
My issue is that legal drinking age of 21 is inconsistent with other ages that define adulthood under U.S. law. Voting age is 18, which is also the age that the U.S. has determined to be old enough to join the military. If the government thinks an 18-year-old is responsible enough to be issued a gun and trained to kill, they should let 18-year-olds decide if they want to drink or not.
Strong_Landscape_333@reddit
Basically no one waits till 21 to drink
DessertFlowerz@reddit
It's pretty hard to justify not letting an 18 year old drink
Low-Landscape-4609@reddit
Like anything else, I think it depends on the individual. Some people are responsible enough to drink at younger ages and others are not.
I know people that drink heavily when they were younger and don't touch the stuff now. I also know people that never touched it when they were younger and that's all they do now.
yukoncornelius270@reddit
I think it should be lowered to 18 at least for beer and wine. It's kinda messed up that you can join the military and see your friends die or possibly be killed yourself and you can't have a beer when you get home.
Ideally the whole country would decide what age an adult is and make everything that age across the board not this hodgepodge of laws that we have now. Currently you can join the military, be sentenced to prison as an adult, be an "adult film star", sign up for crippling levels of student debt, buy shotguns or rifles at 18 but you can't buy cigarettes or alcohol, rent cars or buy pistols, until you're 21. It should be uniform across the board.
Innuendo64_@reddit
No. 21 is a good age. There's way less teen drinking now than there was with older generations anyway
bandit1206@reddit
You mean when the drinking age was 18? Of course there was more recorded teenage drinking when it was legal when you are still a teenager.
MeatInteresting1090@reddit
Why do you think someone who can vote or join the military shouldn’t be able to drink alcohol?
river-running@reddit
Alcohol is far deadlier than both voting and military service.
MeatInteresting1090@reddit
Deadlier than voting? You have seen the current administration?
throwraW2@reddit
I think it makes more sense to raise those ages than to lower the drinking age tbh. The military would never do it though because that would crush recruiting.
himtnboy@reddit
The law has nothing to do with that. There are several reasons why kids are drinking (and having sex) less.
02K30C1@reddit
In Wisconsin, it’s legal to drink underage as long as a parent is present. Even in a restaurant or bar.
RicksSzechuanSauce1@reddit
So weird thing with that you need your parent or guardian. So once you turn 18, that law no longer applies. Making it again illegal until 21. So from 0-17 years its legal with a parent or guardian present unless you're mentally incapacitated and have a court ordered guardian after you turn 18
GoodCallMeatball@reddit
The main reason the drinking age in the US is so high is because we have a lack of reliable public transit and many areas where not driving is not even an option, so drunk driving is and was a real issue. So if the US ever got it act together and build out more walkable cities with public transit I would have no problem lowering the drinking age, but as of now we have a higher than normal drinking age and have to be one of a few countries where every bar has a parking lot.