Health Up the current drinking age

[bkozican]

I searched the forum and the other thread on this was a bit off topic.

At the old girls and the topic come up with upping the drinking age. Now, myself I'm 23 and personally I think the current law at 18+ is way too low........to be entering licensed venues such as pubs, nightclubs and just the major city hot spots in general.

I think it as of a year 7 student (who at the time in year 7 is at the top of the chain) who is going to high school for the first time (who are no longer the top of the chain and are now back at the bottom). These young blokes 18-21 year old's come into these spots thinking they are still at the top of the chain. Now we incorporate drugs and a whole range of alcohol into this situation and BANG......what we are seeing on the news is the outcome.

Personally I think 21+ is a better age. The person SHOULD be a lot more mature and be able to handle the alcohol/drugs .

The local and just drinking at home with your mates etc Go ahead and knock yourself out. But being out in public.

Now bare with me guys....I'm not the best in incorporating my ideas into a thread discussion hahaha so I hope you kind of get what I am trying to say

 

[exe ex machina]

Really? I am all for lowering it. Lower everything imo.

 

[PP34]

So you're reasoning is that 18 year olds think they're the top dogs and by raising it to 21 it will alleviate this problem? Why?

Studies show that males especially don't mature until their mid 20s.

 

[bkozican]

So you're reasoning is that 18 year olds think they're the top dogs and by raising it to 21 it will alleviate this problem? Why?

Studies show that males especially don't mature until their mid 20s.

Kind of
I'm just saying that being 21 with a couple of years under your compared to 18 and fresh out of school is a better way to go. As I write this I am already thinking of the problems that will arise if this was implicated.

 

[The Passenger]

I would think a better approach is to encourage teenagers to have the occasional drink with their parents, and learn that teenage drinking is not a taboo subject to be hidden from your parents where you sneak out late at night as a 15 year old to go to the park and get all kinds of ****ed up with kids who are your age and generally don't know what to do when shit goes wrong.

Australia needs a slight cultural adjustment to drinking but overall we aren't too bad. There are pockets of dickheads around, but that is the same in every society. If people get their news from Murdoch or Channel 7 or 9 then I can understand why they think going out on a Saturday night becomes a life or death struggle for every citizen. Fortunately, it's not quite like how they paint it out to be.

 

[PP34]

I would think a better approach is to encourage teenagers to have the occasional drink with their parents, and learn that teenage drinking is not a taboo subject to be hidden from your parents where you sneak out late at night as a 15 year old to go to the park and get all kinds of ****** up with kids who are your age and generally don't know what to do when shit goes wrong.

Australia needs a slight cultural adjustment to drinking but overall we aren't too bad. There are pockets of dickheads around, but that is the same in every society. If people get their news from Murdoch or Channel 7 or 9 then I can understand why they think going out on a Saturday night becomes a life or death struggle for every citizen. Fortunately, it's not quite like how they paint it out to be.

According to the cops who gave a speech to us we're one of the worst countries in terms of having a drinking culture.

Personally I think it's the stupid perception that having fun directly relates to getting smashed. Too many people my age see it that way. Plenty of parents need a kick up the arse too for being completely ignorant about their kids and alcohol.

It's almost like they don't believe that their kid is at the age where alcohol actually becomes a factor. Far too trusting of what their kids will drink and who they will drink with.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Plenty of Euro countries allow you to buy beer at 16. Pretty sure the NT had the law early on in my lifetime.

Don't think it needs to move up or down. All Anglo-Celt countries seem to have similar drinking cultures.

 

[dales.girl38]

My roommate when I was on exchange (USA) turned 21 while I was there - her first response 'it's less fun now that it's legal'.

Raising the age limit isn't going to stop teens from getting trashed, it's going to make them feel more rebellious for a longer period of time.

 

[Hank Scorpion]

Don't really think this will do much to control the associated problems, as such it should remain as it is.

If your permitted to go to war at 18, then surely you can drink alcohol?

 

[I Lost My Keays]

Alcohol plays a part in social events and if someone is deemed old enough to vote, drive, be a nurse, a policeman, a soldier, get married, own a house etc ... why should they be denied the right to have a drink at their own wedding, or enjoy a party after work?

 

[TigerGlory]

If you up the drinking age to 21, you'll just get the exact same problem with fresh 21 year olds entering licensed venues for the first time too.

There's nothing like a big exposure to reality to make you grow up first. Didnt take me long when I turned 18 to know that I couldnt act like a bighead either when I went out in public and had a drink either.

 

[exe ex machina]

Why i'd lower everything

 

[Hipster Doofus]

It really doesn't need to be changed, and if it did, it should be lowered not raised

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Unfortunately at 18 there is a large variety of maturity's among people. So for some people it could be lowered but then again at the same time some people aren't even near mature enough

 

[Dont be a lemon]

Better education and advertising restrictions and legalising other drugs would be far more helpful but none of those will be happening.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I still would of been drinking heavily at age 15.

 

[Schauermann]

Dislike it. People might miss out on the best times of their lifes...

 

[FreoGirl]

So you're reasoning is that 18 year olds think they're the top dogs and by raising it to 21 it will alleviate this problem? Why?

Studies show that males especially don't mature until their mid 20s.

try 28

 

[zimma]

My roommate when I was on exchange (USA) turned 21 while I was there - her first response 'it's less fun now that it's legal'.

Raising the age limit isn't going to stop teens from getting trashed, it's going to make them feel more rebellious for a longer period of time.

This, had a fair few American exchange students in my class at uni who said much the same thing about being here. Half the fun is in the rebellious nature of it all.

Also agree with that, it's gotten better in my area since most of the scummy types moved out as the prices went up, but you used to see the 12-16yo bogan kids sitting on the bench drinking every night after dark. Hell remember going to a few friends parties and their parents actually supplied shitloads of booze to underage kids, worst was my first friend to turn 18, rest of us were 17 or 16, he had so much alcohol it was ridiculous yet he was one of the only ones 18 or over...

 

[YAZZ#13]

I have always thought (even when I was a teenager) that giving an 18 year old access to alcohol and a drivers licence on the same day has a bit of a "recipe for disaster" type feel to it, still not sure as to what the best alternative is though.

 

[moses]

Kind of
I'm just saying that being 21 with a couple of years under your compared to 18 and fresh out of school is a better way to go. As I write this I am already thinking of the problems that will arise if this was implicated.

So 18 years olds, deemed old enough by law to vote and old enough by law to join the armed forces can't have a beer? Interesting....

 

[rodney86]

I have always thought (even when I was a teenager) that giving an 18 year old access to alcohol and a drivers licence on the same day has a bit of a "recipe for disaster" type feel to it, still not sure as to what the best alternative is though.

Isn't Victoria the only state that you have to be 18 to get your Ps?

 

[bkozican]

So 18 years olds, deemed old enough by law to vote and old enough by law to join the armed forces can't have a beer? Interesting....

When did I mention voting or joining the army ?

 

[moses]

When did I mention voting or joining the army ?

You didn't, I am just looking at this from the view point that once you turn 18 in this country, people are deemed an adult in the eyes of the law, can vote, fight in a war, be convicted as an adult in court, can smoke, why the drinking age should be raised.

 

[St 07]

You say "BANG......what we are seeing on the news is the outcome."

I've always thought it was odd that we never see any stories about young people going out and just having a good time on the news. Must never happen, surely?