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Do you remember your first taste of alcohol? How old were you? Twenty-one? All 50 states currently demand that their citizens reach age 21 before they can legally drink. But there's a growing movement that says mandatory minimum laws may do more harm than good. When determining the right date when a young person can take one of their final steps towards personal responsibility and freedom, what's the right answer?
I completely agree with the above post. How is it that we believe 18 year olds are mature enough to enlist in the military, to fight and die for our country......and yet, not mature enough to drink alcohol? If they are too young and immature to make up their own minds about alcohol use, why do we believe they are mature enough to make up their minds about serving, war and death? I believe that if a man or woman decides to, in my opinion, take on one of the hardest jobs out there, they at least deserve a beer when they get back. I think that is the least amount of respect they deserve.
- michecrawfo1
October 19, 2008 11:00PM
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Alcohol and Fighting for Your Country do Not Mix
- From PIRE
By Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation - Bringing Research to Life
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Well, they don't mix most of the time...
After serving in the US Army,I DO think that if you're brave enough to enlist and possibly die, you should be able to drink. One problem is that sometimes, younger soldiers can't handle their liquor. That said, the military is equipped to deal with the problem. I've seen underage soldiers get hammered in the barracks, get stupid, and spend a night with the MP's mopping floors, puking the whole time. When they see the sun come up and have to go straight to PT and then a full day's work, most quickly learn it's not worth it. Furthermore, soldiers look after one another, and often stop these things from happening. I have bought beer for underage soldiers who I deemed mature enough to drink, but I drank with them, and kept an eye on them.The military deals with alcohol abuse in ways that I feel are at once strict and constructive. If they will take on the intense responsibilty that entails fighting for America, they should be able to drink. The military will take care of its own.
- PSYOP
August 14, 2008 9:16PM
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Factual Inaccuracy
Just wanted to point out that it's no longer true that you can't rent a car until the age of 25. Drivers under 25 have to pay more, but you can rent a car as young as 18.
- lostlo
August 19, 2008 11:17AM
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Besides
There was never a federal law which stated a minimum age of 25 to rent a car. It was always at the discretion of the rental dealership.
- mburmei1
August 27, 2008 1:21PM
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Poor citation
I'm irked by this posting. The claim is made in bold type that according to the AMA far less alcohol is needed to get a "teenager" (someone 13 years old?) drunk than someone in his or her 20's. But no citation to any AMA publication is provided nor way I able to find any backup for the claim.
I suspect that the full story is not being told here. Of course there is a metabolic difference between a 90 lb 14-year-old and the same person at 25, after a growth spurt and years at a desk job. But it isn't clear to me why that fact would show that moderate drinking is unreasonably dangerous for that person at, say, 19.
As for the graded rights, the ones to look at are those relating to bodily integrity and personal health decisions. Those all come in at 18 or younger, this one should as well if the effect on health is the primary concern. (Anyway the observations about car/hotel rentals are individual business decisions, not the law.)
- Abigail Adams August 21, 2008 7:21PM
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Really?
If a person's brain does not stop developing until his or her early to mid-20s. And drinking alcohol can seriously damage long- and short- term growth processes. And if damage from alcohol during this time can be long-term and irreversible, then what about people who are 18 being able to join the military?
If I can choose to join the military where I could be:
- injured physically (lose a leg, arm, etc.)
- mentally (post traumatic stress disorder, etc.)
- tortured by the enemy
- missing in combat, potentially never seeing family and friends again
- killed in combat, definitely never seeing family and friends again
Then I don't see why I can't choose to drink responsibly once I turn 18. In my eyes, I would think being tortured, physically losing body parts, or dying in combat is a lot worse then drinking responsibly.
If the government decides that we can responsibly choose to join the military or not at the age of 18, then I would say that the government should also let us responsibly choose whether or not to drink alcohol.
- incognitouser
February 22, 2009 6:18PM
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Apples and Oranges
I joined the military when I was 19, I've deployed 3 times, and I've endured intense training designed to induce an unprecedented amount of stress (stress indoctrination , they call it)
Many experiences that I've had had the potential to cause bodily harm. In fact, I can honestly say that I've faced my own mortality several times.
I've also had friends, acquaintances, and mere coworkers I didn't know, die while they were in the military. None of them died from gunshot wounds or military training. All incidences were due to drug / alcohol abuse.
My experience is not unique. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, dying in combat, capture/ torture by the enemy, gunshot wounds, and other military-related problems don't happen anywhere near as often as alcohol-related deaths and injuries. Underage drinking was a huge problem in my squadron. Ironically enough, so were DUIs. Huh.
And there was a visible difference between the age groups and their drinking habits. 25 year olds and up had a tendency to drink socially. A glass of wine here and there. Like....grown ups.
20 year olds and under, almost 100% of the time, had a propensity to binge drink.
- Livvy March 29, 2009 6:55PM
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