Drinking Age?

**El Dopa** · 25th May 2005, 20:21

Originally Posted by Waylander

I remember learning about 'prohibition patty' or something like that in school. Seems this chick wanted prohibition to become law so she ran around atacking bars and such with an ax. They burned her at the stake or some such I believe.

Good fnukin' job. Prohibition didn't work last time, and actually increased the number of bars in the US by something like 1000%. If you want Zed, I'll dig the exact figures out for you.

**Lou Girardin** · 26th May 2005, 12:33

Originally Posted by Clockwork

Cause and effect SD. Is it only people under the age of 20 getting wasted? I suspect not. Do people below the legal drinking age still get wasted, yes. Will changing the law change these facts? Seems unlikely to me.

IMHO So long as getting "totally" pissed is socially acceptable, so long as parents "don't give a shit" what their teenagers are doing after 10pm at night, so long as bars target young drinkers with advertising and "atmosphere" and then hype them up with loud music etc.... so long as advertisers promote the "Export gold, party culture" then this shit is going to continue regardless of legal age limits.

Personally, I think it's time we stopped restricting the activities of responsible members of society because of the excesses of the minority and I don't see how society can vest the resposibilities of an adult in an 18 year old without allowing them the priveliges of adulthood.

SD says that there were less problems before the legal age was dropped to 18. So if it's raised to 20, why do you think the problem won't be eased? After all, the de facto age will increase too. It seems logical that the entire situation will revert to how it was pre - 18 limit.
BTW, you have to earn those priviliges, something that hasn't happened so far. Perhaps they should raises all legal age limits to 20.

**Clockwork** · 26th May 2005, 13:16

In six years, society has moved on. I'm sure in another six years it will move on further. These changes that I don't dispute SD has witnessed may not be attributable to the law change. Binge drinking was not perceived to be a problem in the UK either 6 years ago...... yet they haven't changed their legal age of consumption.

And where did you get this idea that adult privileges have EVER needed to be earned? How did you earn yours?

**MSTRS:Me** · 26th May 2005, 13:49

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

SD says that there were less problems before the legal age was dropped to 18. So if it's raised to 20, why do you think the problem won't be eased? After all, the de facto age will increase too. It seems logical that the entire situation will revert to how it was pre - 18 limit.
BTW, you have to earn those priviliges, something that hasn't happened so far. Perhaps they should raises all legal age limits to 20.

If only you were both right - but I suspect that attitudes will be the things that makes the difference

**Indiana_Jones** · 26th May 2005, 14:32

I think it should be 20, Im 18 and I don't think I should be drinking, well not the amount i do sometimes

But like it's been said before, kids will always get there hands on it

It's kinda like gun laws, a few pricks kill the fun for everyone else

-Indy

**Lou Girardin** · 26th May 2005, 14:49

Originally Posted by Clockwork

In six years, society has moved on. I'm sure in another six years it will move on further. These changes that I don't dispute SD has witnessed may not be attributable to the law change. Binge drinking was not perceived to be a problem in the UK either 6 years ago...... yet they haven't changed their legal age of consumption.

And where did you get this idea that adult privileges have EVER needed to be earned? How did you earn yours?

Blood, sweat and tears.

**FlyingDutchMan** · 26th May 2005, 14:49

I recon you should only be able to buy low alcohol (less than 8%) stuff from the age of 18, and then from 20 you can buy anything. I've never ever seen anyone go comatose from drinking beer (just chunder), but from bicardi or stronger stuff like that I've seen a few, and it definitely not pretty.

I was in Holland for a few months a few years ago and the drinking age there is 16 for beer and 18 for anything else, and I only every saw 2 people chunder (myself excluded

), and none even get close to comatose. Seems to work really well.

**Sutage** · 26th May 2005, 15:09

Originally Posted by FlyingDutchMan

I recon you should only be able to buy low alcohol (less than 8%) stuff from the age of 18, and then from 20 you can buy anything. I've never ever seen anyone go comatose from drinking beer (just chunder), but from bicardi or stronger stuff like that I've seen a few, and it definitely not pretty.

I was in Holland for a few months a few years ago and the drinking age there is 16 for beer and 18 for anything else, and I only every saw 2 people chunder (myself excluded

), and none even get close to comatose. Seems to work really well.

Beer can make you puke when people bang the top so it all froffs up and you have to finish the bottle.. then they do it again and again ...

Very good idea though, 18 for beer/silly lolly drinks then 20 for spirits

**ManDownUnder** · 26th May 2005, 15:28

Originally Posted by Zed

Sure ED, if you have *proof* that Prohibition in the US was the cause of a 1000% increase in bars I would love to see it...but even if you provide that evidence it doesn't necessarily mean it "didn't work" during the time it was in effect!

I love stats!

That means there could have been 10 new bars open (if there was only one...)

imagine it - 10 bars right across the US... hell that's 2.5 in every timezone!

Or it could mean no new bars (if there were none open - it was prohibition after all)...

or it might mean MILLIONS of new bars opened... and I wonder how many went out of business after prohibition stopped...

ooo I just love stats...

Lies, damned lies and STATISTICS!!

**Skyryder** · 26th May 2005, 19:21

Originally Posted by Zed

Sure ED, if you have *proof* that Prohibition in the US was the cause of a 1000% increase in bars I would love to see it...but even if you provide that evidence it doesn't necessarily mean it "didn't work" during the time it was in effect!

I take great delight in shooting you down in flames Zed and the above is no exception. If there ever was an argument of illogical logic you seem to find it.

Of course prohibition did not work. That's why they did away with it. But your probably believe that the real reason was so Holywood could make gangster movies.

Skyryder

**Matt Bleck** · 26th May 2005, 19:25

If you can vote, go to war, root and get married, then shouldn't you be able to get your own grog??

**inlinefour** · 26th May 2005, 19:34

Originally Posted by Hitcher

Please don't turn this into a cannibis versus alcohol thread. This has been done before and is decidely unproductive. And I'm in no mood to rant. Maybe I need to ingest a mind-altering substance...

Here was I thinking that was where you got all your "words of wisdom"...

**Rainbow Wizard** · 26th May 2005, 19:41

Originally Posted by Indiana_Jones

I think it should be 20, Im 18 and I don't think I should be drinking, well not the amount i do sometimes....

18 for restaurants ie with a sit down meal. How's that for a compromise?

**Indiana_Jones** · 26th May 2005, 20:10

Originally Posted by Rainbow Wizard

18 for restaurants ie with a sit down meal. How's that for a compromise?

That doesn't sound too bad

-Indy

**El Dopa** · 26th May 2005, 20:57

Originally Posted by ManDownUnder

I love stats!

That means there could have been 10 new bars open (if there was only one...)

imagine it - 10 bars right across the US... hell that's 2.5 in every timezone!

Or it could mean no new bars (if there were none open - it was prohibition after all)...

or it might mean MILLIONS of new bars opened... and I wonder how many went out of business after prohibition stopped...

ooo I just love stats...

Lies, damned lies and STATISTICS!!

Now where the deuce (gotta be respectful to Zed, like) is Zed's reply to my post, that this a reply to? I'll dig out the statistics at te weekend and post them up. As a taster, and from memory, one of the choicer ones is something like: before prohibition there were 123 bars in X state. When prohibition was repealed there were 2,000 - in one county of that state.

Like I say, I will dig them out at the weekend.