Many people would back raising the alcohol age limit to 21
- Thread starter Hawk Tuah
- Start date
That's the problem though. We're stuck in a "it's ok at the moment" mindset instead of worrying how these problems are going to translate to future generations.[DW]Muffin;10684865 said:
Like I said I wouldn't trust a lot of people to wipe their own arse these days, forget their descendants.
Can we turn this into a poll? Those who back the idea and those that don't.
Personally I'm in favour of it. I've always thought - even from when I was in my early teens - that 21 should be the drinking age.
I remember going to Italy when I was younger and the drinking age was 14 or 16... and because it was so low there seemed to be less abuse. People grew up with alcohol being less of an issue and because of this it isn't the enshrouded evil it's made to be by the far-off and distant age limit.
However, in this country I believe we're different as people, and we have a different culture. We have more of a beer/let's get totally wasted mindset and I think that wouldn't change whatever the age limit was, in fact, lowering it to 14 or 16 would compound the problem. Raising it certainly wouldn't stamp it out, but I think it'd go a long way to helping the situation.
Personally I'm in favour of it. I've always thought - even from when I was in my early teens - that 21 should be the drinking age.
I remember going to Italy when I was younger and the drinking age was 14 or 16... and because it was so low there seemed to be less abuse. People grew up with alcohol being less of an issue and because of this it isn't the enshrouded evil it's made to be by the far-off and distant age limit.
However, in this country I believe we're different as people, and we have a different culture. We have more of a beer/let's get totally wasted mindset and I think that wouldn't change whatever the age limit was, in fact, lowering it to 14 or 16 would compound the problem. Raising it certainly wouldn't stamp it out, but I think it'd go a long way to helping the situation.
It's all very well asking for the limit to be raised until people can be seen as being responsible drinkers but governments don't work like that. They don't give, they just take.
If they raise the limit it will never be lowered. Look at the flak there was for having 24 hour drinking - imagine a move in 15 years time such as proposing the age limit be lowered. No government would risk it because it would risk their power. We would lose out.
The only thing, as far as i'm aware, the government has lowered age limits on is the age on concent for gay sex and even then they had to force it through using the parliament act.
If they raise the limit it will never be lowered. Look at the flak there was for having 24 hour drinking - imagine a move in 15 years time such as proposing the age limit be lowered. No government would risk it because it would risk their power. We would lose out.
The only thing, as far as i'm aware, the government has lowered age limits on is the age on concent for gay sex and even then they had to force it through using the parliament act.
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If you couldn't have bought alcohol until you were 21 you would simply have delayed going out and "getting really smashed" by a couple of years, not avoided it. You don't hit 21 and suddenly gain enlightenment.
For me, the best solution is to allow children moderate amounts of alcohol whilst they are growing up, get them used it to. My parents allowed me small amounts of lager and cider occasionally with meals from being really young and it took away the whole fascination of it. I didn't hit 18 and suddenly start going on on mass benders and getting blasted, I carried on drinking reasonably in the same way I had been doing for years. Plus, as I was used to it, alcohol didn't affect me in the same way as it did some of my friends who were out of their tree after a couple of pints to start with.
Fascism won't save the situation, you cannot give people something, then take it away and expect the solution to resolve. Like has been stated people do not automatically become mature at 21, some people are idiots their whole life and can't manage life, but the vast majority of us can, thats the thing to remember this unsociable lots are a minority, a tiny minority.
This country already has issues with minority's taking precedence over the majority, tackle the problem head on, know yobs banned form town centers on Friday and Saturday nights, the face recognition system can solve this.
This country already has issues with minority's taking precedence over the majority, tackle the problem head on, know yobs banned form town centers on Friday and Saturday nights, the face recognition system can solve this.
Entirely down to the individual as that would be bad for kids with a predisposition to addiction, you'd probably get them sneaking out at night for more rather than discovering it at 18/21 as you said to the other guy.
Also, you wouldn't let your children experiment with other things like that would you.
I had the same thing with my parents, but I still went out on multiple benders from when I was 15 onwards. I think it doesn't necessarily matter how your parents teach you about alcohol, as long as your friends are 'discovering' it too, so will you. It's not about following the crowd, kids want to have fun when they grow up and alcohol, girls and all that kind of thing are rife in most teenagers' heads.
Exactly my point & the way I was was raised... bits on the side from when I was 12 or so & it's led to me appreciating the finer drinks rather than going out and drinking as much as I can of the cheapest stuff I can find.
The problem comes from some people not being able to moderate or simply not caring how their children would drink... but I still think that would be the minority.
I think the public smoking ban demonstrates that you can.[DW]Muffin;10684905 said:
That's all easier said than done though because yobs who want to get hold of alcohol and cause trouble will always find a way to do it. The only real solution is an overhaul of education and making sure that future parents know what they're doing, and those are very long-term solutions, so we need something for the short-term.[DW]Muffin;10684905 said:
You can have a glass of wine in this country with your meal can you not? I can't recall, but in France and Italy, they have wine from twelve with their meal, giving the 12 year old the right to buy alcohol is wrong, nobody is talking about Vodka here, but an appropriate glass of wine (not the pub fish bowls) with a meal for a 14 year old isn't going to cause social issue.
If 14 year olds are getting hold of paint stripper from thier parents already, they will still get it after the ban too.
What has it solved though? There should have been at least a referendum on that, the government had no business intervening, bars always had the right to not allow smoking.
And raising the age to 18 for smoking, I still the same amount of kids smoking in the street, after all its only illegal for them to purchase them, not attempt to purchase or actually smoke them.
The loss in taxes of these kids smoking is probably to blame for Duty on fuel rises.
Something for the short term yet in the same statement you say they will always find a way... so that means raising it to 21 won't solve it, actually is has the possibility of making it worse
But everyone can agree educating people to whats ahead in life is better then sheltering them, funny how France, Italy, Spain all have less social problems, less teen pregnancy, less people on welfare etc.
Well... to be fair... my mum told me I should try weed to get it out of my system lol! Still haven't though and don't plan to... haven't even tried a cigarette :S
I think it's only the things that are immediately detrimental to your health that should be unavailable.
But even with things like the harder drugs - it's all about modeartion. You can have an e or a line once in a while (not that I personally would) and be perfectly fine as long as you understand how to take care of yourself and keep it in moderation. The problems only come in when you take too much or get addicted. The same is true about smoking, drinking.... and even eating!
Yes, you can get addicted to eating - even if it sounds silly. And say you were to eat too much... clogged arteries etc etc and I remember hearing about some foods that were even an immediate danger to your health... like a 6000 calorie desert and silly things like that.
Granted the quatities are quite different, but if you look at it in that kind of way, it's all the same principle.