The Amethyst Initiative

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Author	Message
it's all happening Salute You in Your Grave Age: 31 Gender: Female Posts: 2038	May 26th, 2009 at 09:45pm If this is better discussed in the "Underage Drinking" thread, feel free to delete. But I felt that this was a whole new topic altogether-- "Launched in July 2008, the Amethyst Initiative is made up of chancellors and presidents of universities and colleges across the United States. These higher education leaders have signed their names to a public statement that the problem of irresponsible drinking by young people continues despite the minimum legal drinking age of 21, and there is a culture of dangerous binge drinking on many campuses. The Amethyst Initiative supports informed and unimpeded debate on the 21 year-old drinking age. Amethyst Initiative presidents and chancellors call upon elected officials to weigh all the consequences of current alcohol policies and to invite new ideas on how best to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol use." -Amethyst Initiative Official Website What are your views? Do you support it? Is the five-year gap between the driving age and the drinking age arguable? What about the gap between voting, smoking, enlisting in the military, and drinking? Is it a smart move?
questionable content Always Born a Crime Age: 28 Gender: Female Posts: 5604	May 26th, 2009 at 09:54pm I don't support this. Yes, kids will drink when they're underage. But keeping the legal drinking age higher, with a window between the driving and drinking ages, will prevent at least some kids from driving drunk. I'm not sure of all of the details of this, but the drinking age was lowered to eighteen somewhere (it has since been raised again), and the number of crashes/young drunk drivers increased dramatically. So, yes, people still will have ways of obtaining alcohol even if they are underage if they do so desire, but if the legal age is kept higher, it will be, at least slightly, less accessible.
it's all happening Salute You in Your Grave Age: 31 Gender: Female Posts: 2038	May 26th, 2009 at 10:05pm I understand what you mean-- if you look at the cold, hard facts, countries that have always had lower drinking ages (France, South Korea, the UK) normally have kids (and later, adults) that are more responsible with drinking. But lowering the legal age will not fix everything. But is it right that our laws say that eighteen year olds can legally vote, enlist, and smoke, but they can't drink? That I can't agree with.
Marilyn Monroe Awake and Unafraid Age: 30 Gender: Female Posts: 13140	May 27th, 2009 at 12:11am Well in Australia we can drink at eighteen and I think that this makes the most sense, this is when we become an "adult" and it's when you can vote, and smoke and you're seen as an adult under the courts, so it makes sense that you can drink then aswell.
MiDesfileNegro Thinking Happy Thoughts Age: 33 Gender: Female Posts: 476	May 27th, 2009 at 05:17am ^ It's exactly the same here in the UK. I think it's legal here to allow children over the age of 5 to drink alcohol in their own home too. I'm not too sure on that though...
Marilyn Monroe Awake and Unafraid Age: 30 Gender: Female Posts: 13140	May 27th, 2009 at 06:07am Hmm, I think I have heard that if it's on your own property that it's legal to drink too.. I don't know though Does anyone know if that's the case?
Cigarettes And Suicide Bleeding on the Floor Age: 37 Gender: Female Posts: 1725	May 27th, 2009 at 06:16am As an Australian citizen (where the drinking age is 18, driving is 17, and you are legally an adult - ie can get married/vote/join the military - is also 18 ), I say big mistake. There's not much I like about how the US runs things (eg, their gun control laws, wtf?! You guys just hand 'em out like candy, to criminals and the mentally ill for starters...), but one thing I do agree with is the drinking age being 21. Sure, college kids get messed up. But imagine this: a world where CHILDREN are constantly getting drunk because 'it's only a couple years difference'. Here, it is unusual to see a 14-year-old who doesn't binge drink. Their brains have barely begun developing properly, and they're already destroying them with booze. The road toll statistics involving young drivers are astounding, disgusting, and frightening. Obviously not all accidents involving young drivers are caused by alcohol, but there is a large proportion that do involve alcohol - if not a drink-driver, then a sober kid driving his/her friends to/from a party where there is alcohol. Teenagers are being killed at ridiculous rates by alcohol-related violence - perpetrated against them by other teenagers, usually at suburban 'house' parties - even the ones where there is parental supervision and security. There are so many other societal problems involving teenagers and alcohol - teen pregnancy for one. Look at the UK, where the drinking age is also 18 - it doesn't even make the news anymore when a 13-year-old girl has a baby, because it's so common. And usually the excuse was, 'my boyfriend and I were drunk, we forgot to use a condom'. Yes, at age 18 you can vote, get married, hold a job, drive a car... so what? Why should that automatically give you the right to drink, just because 'legally' you're an adult? I'm the first person to feel that the government intervening in our right to choose our fate is so wrong, but I think having the drinking age put up to 21 would save so many lives, and not just in the literal sense, either. The later teen years are such a tumultuous time, mentally, phsyically, emotionally - why throw alcohol in there and really complicate matters? It just doesn't make sense to me, at all. The US would be making a HUGE mistake if they lowered the drinking age. I am well aware that there are other countries - typically European - where the drinking age may be different, or just that minors consuming alcohol is acceptable in a cultural setting. Obviously, this is due to CULTURE - Australian, British and American culture when it comes to drinking habits is VASTLY different to that of, say, France or Italy or Greece, where alcohol is consumed frequently, but with respect. In the former countries, it's a 'badge of honour', so to speak, to get blind drunk and look like an idiot. In European countries, sure they drink like fish, but nobody ever gets drunk and those that do are looked down upon. Changing the legal drinking age in a culture where binge drinking is socially acceptable, is not going to suddenly change that society and make them model their behaviour on another country's. It just opens the door to so many societal problems, and it's not just the drinkers themselves picking up the tab - it's the health system, the taxpayers, innocent victims of drink-driving accidents and other alcohol-related violence. Protect children while they are children. Leave the drinking age at 21, and other countries should look at putting theirs up to 21.
Jenny. Moderator Age: 30 Gender: Female Posts: 19720	May 27th, 2009 at 08:39am Cigarettes And Suicide: Protect children while they are children. Leave the drinking age at 21, and other countries should look at putting theirs up to 21. But surely if that's so, then the drinking age should be18, when they become legally adults? They are no longer children then, so your statement doesn't really...work in my eyes. Just throwing that in.
MiDesfileNegro Thinking Happy Thoughts Age: 33 Gender: Female Posts: 476	May 29th, 2009 at 05:29am Cigarettes And Suicide: Look at the UK, where the drinking age is also 18 - it doesn't even make the news anymore when a 13-year-old girl has a baby, because it's so common. And usually the excuse was, 'my boyfriend and I were drunk, we forgot to use a condom'. While this is true, I'm not sure raising it to 21 is the solution - the age limit of 18 clearly hasn't stopped these 13-year-olds, so why will a limit of 21 make any difference to them? Cigarettes And Suicide: Protect children while they are children. Leave the drinking age at 21, and other countries should look at putting theirs up to 21. In that case would you support other 'adult' activities (such as driving, smoking, voting) being raised to 21 as well?
Alexface. Salute You in Your Grave Age: 31 Gender: Male Posts: 3489	May 30th, 2009 at 01:13pm I think it's a psychological thing, that the lower the age, the less people feel they need to do it when they're in the right age group. Within reason, obviously; I'm not suggesting that they lower the age down to like 14 or something. But it's similar for age of consent. In some countries, teenage pregnancies are lower when the age is lower, whereas in countries where it's rather high, teenage pregnancies are also high. Basically a possible reason for this is that in a country where the age is 14, 14 year-olds may not feel as much need to have sex, whereas somewhere where the age is 16, they may get more of a rush out of breaking the law. That's one possible thing. I think the age of 21 would perhaps be better off lowered slightly.
Jesse Lacey; Awake and Unafraid Age: 28 Gender: Female Posts: 12077	May 31st, 2009 at 10:50pm I fully support this. The legal drinking age in the United States is ridiculous. The government does not have any right to tell me what to drink in the first place, nor should I have to wait until four years after I am legally considered an adult for them to finally butt out.
John St. John Shotgun Sinner Age: 31 Gender: Male Posts: 7145	June 1st, 2009 at 06:19pm Quote The government does not have any right to tell me what to drink in the first place They do when your actions can affect another person. But i agree, the drinking age in america is abit harsh
Jesse Lacey; Awake and Unafraid Age: 28 Gender: Female Posts: 12077	June 2nd, 2009 at 06:39pm John St. John: They do when your actions can affect another person. But i agree, the drinking age in america is abit harsh My actions would affect another person if I chose to drink enough to get drunk enough to hurt someone. Not everyone who drinks goes out and binges all the time. A lot of people, like my mom (granted she's older than 21 xD) only drink at parties or dinners or other social occasions, and not to the extent where she gets drunk out of her mind and hurts people.
John St. John Shotgun Sinner Age: 31 Gender: Male Posts: 7145	June 3rd, 2009 at 05:14pm Yeah but not everyones like your mum, when laws are made they need to consider all factors that alcahol can cause.
Stifled Endings Killjoy Age: 35 Gender: Male Posts: 66	June 15th, 2009 at 02:13am ok everyone whose saying it should be 18 because your an "adult" then clearly dont understand that being a legal adult and actually being an adult are two diffrent things tottaly ....most 18 yr olds are still kids...not mature enough....make rash destructive decisions because they are at the peak of feeling indestructable....they are of a mind set to rebel agaisnt anything and everything....laws are meant to keep honest people honest...same as a lock...a lock will only keep someone out if they arent determined to break it....if your gonna break it your gonan break it...but if the lock wasnt there...anyone could be tempted because it would be easy to take and take and take....most 18 year olds are still kids....not adults
Mindfuck Always Born a Crime Age: - Gender: Female Posts: 5614	June 15th, 2009 at 07:07pm Stifled Endings: ok everyone whose saying it should be 18 because your an "adult" then clearly dont understand that being a legal adult and actually being an adult are two diffrent things tottaly ....most 18 yr olds are still kids...not mature enough....make rash destructive decisions because they are at the peak of feeling indestructable....they are of a mind set to rebel agaisnt anything and everything....laws are meant to keep honest people honest...same as a lock...a lock will only keep someone out if they arent determined to break it....if your gonna break it your gonan break it...but if the lock wasnt there...anyone could be tempted because it would be easy to take and take and take....most 18 year olds are still kids....not adults But there are people well into their 20s who also feel "indestructible" and "invincible". I don't think you're a kid a 18. They're not the most mature demographic, but neither are some 24 year olds I know. So where do you draw the line? You're saying 18 year olds are too irrational to be considered adults, but what about people who are still acting like an 18 year old when they're in their mid-twenties? Is that unacceptable too?
K.K. Bleeding on the Floor Age: 28 Gender: Female Posts: 1787	June 17th, 2009 at 06:31am ^^I don't think responsibility has much to do with age... I've met 10 year olds who had more of it than some 20 year-olds I know. I think you're only grown up when you're responsible enough to deal with permission. Personally, I agree with Cigarettes And Suicide. The law might not change much for some people but there's still lots of people who follow the law..
Jesse Lacey; Awake and Unafraid Age: 28 Gender: Female Posts: 12077	June 17th, 2009 at 07:46pm John St. John: Yeah but not everyones like your mum, when laws are made they need to consider all factors that alcahol can cause. yes, but the majority of people don't get drunk and in bar fights every night, if at all. you can't make a law that fits every single situation, only the most common ones.
John St. John Shotgun Sinner Age: 31 Gender: Male Posts: 7145	June 17th, 2009 at 08:01pm The majority of people dont murder, yet we have laws against that. The majority of people dont steal yet we also have laws against that. Laws arnt always made to fit the most common situation.
James Owen. Sullivan Banned Age: 32 Gender: Female Posts: 12000	July 14th, 2009 at 10:09pm In switzerland the legal drinking age is 16 for beer, wine and cider, and 18 for spirits and liquor. The legal age to learn to drive is 18, and the number of car crashes is very low. To be honest, think it's a good idea- kids get it out of their systems when they're kids. they don't go off to university and get alcohol poisoning the first week there. They learn to control their drinking, and get the "wahey look at me i'm drunk" phase over with young.

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