[Holicheese]

I am really torn on this subject. I know that I hate being in places when a group of 21 year olds come in and start getting wrecked. What would it be like with a bar full of 18 year olds?
I think however, that if you are in the military, you can drink. Luckily, I was stationed in TX and it was still 18 while most states had gone to 21.
I also think that these college presidents are being very disengenious. They want the kids to be able to leave campus and go get drunk and die OFF campus and not in a dorm.
Why not make the drinking age 14 and really introduce safe drinking at an earlier age?

[austrian]

Why not make the drinking age 14 and really introduce safe drinking at an earlier age?

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we have drinking age 16. this means in some bars the usuall guest is about 13 or 14 . and don´t forget the daily reports of about 11 years old kids who have to be taken to hospital because of drinking. it´s not that perfekt.

[frithguild]

I am really torn on this subject.

You shouldn't be. We send out youths to college, where they are separated from home supervision - a challenge that may are not able to handle. With the drinking age at 21, we again separate our youths from any chance of supervison or socialization with those knowledgable with drinking alcohol, a potentially deadly pursuit. Why is it good to have such a "failure trap"?

It is far better to permit consumption under more controlled circumstances, where behavior is in the open and subject at least to greater socialization. It is always good to keep ourselves in flocks, rather than alone in a wilderness.