Drinking Age?

**Skyryder** · 24th May 2005, 22:32

Thought i would see how much support there is for a return to the drinking age of twenty years of age

**idb** · 24th May 2005, 22:36

Originally Posted by Skyryder

Thought i would see how much support there is for a return to the drinking age of twenty years of age

Frankly, every year my preference for the minimum drinking age goes up a year.
At the moment it sits at 40.

**Jeremy** · 24th May 2005, 22:43

Well, as we've seen there's been a decrease in the drink related driving deaths with teens. There was a nice little graph in the herald a while back (a week ago I think). And all that it showed is that we're now at the same level it was around 1991. However that's in raw figures, so since we have an extra million people it's really decreased by around 25%.

I say get around to changing the casino law so those who are 18 are allowed to gamble in casinos as well.

**Sutage** · 24th May 2005, 22:49

I turn 18 in August and will be highly pissed off if it changes to 20! Not that it really matters, can always get someone to get it for me, would be nice to be able to buy it myself

Plus going into town/bars would be cool fun

**Wonko** · 24th May 2005, 22:53

I remember the amount of shit I used to get up to when I was under 18, and able to get alcohol when the law stated 20. It was hard but doable. It was almost impossable when I was under 16. Now I go to parties, and there are 16 year olds with a 40 oz, drinking their nut's off. Raise the age again, and we'll have a lot less drinking related problems in 8 years time.

**John** · 24th May 2005, 22:53

Originally Posted by Sutage

I turn 18 in August and will be highly pissed off if it changes to 20! Not that it really matters, can always get someone to get it for me, would be nice to be able to buy it myself

Plus going into town/bars would be cool fun

This illustrates the point here, nuff said - "I'll just get someone else"

I think the driving age is more important 15? to drive I disagree, they cant drink but they can drive a 2 tonne metal machine around ?

**Ms Piggy** · 24th May 2005, 23:00

It's just all a bit inconsistent really. Able to vote at 18, marry at 16 (with parental consent, marry at 20 (without parental consent), enlist at 18 (?), get your license at 15.

I'm really not sure but, I assume (without actually researching it) that lowering it has resulted in younger kids getting pissed and having access to alcohol.

**Hitcher** · 24th May 2005, 23:06

The drinking age is 18. If society can't cope with that, then that is a problem caused by our attitudes and behaviours as a society towards consuming alcohol. God, how we delude ourselves as to how "grown up" we are. Good reason, in my view, to leave well enough alone with cannibis. Returning the "drinking age" to 20 will not help things one jot. The genie is too far out of the bottle now to catch and return.

**Waylander** · 24th May 2005, 23:06

Had a bit of an upset in this when I moved here. Have to be 21 to drink in the states and I didn't turn that till I got here. Anyway that didn't stop me from drinking before and I doubt raising the age will stop any one who is underage to drink. It'll just mean that they will more often be drinking at a friends house and then try to drive home rather than being in town and nearly being forced to take a cab or the late bus. Positive not is it will clear all the teenie boppers out of bars and leave them for us older folk.

**SuperDave** · 24th May 2005, 23:28

Like others have said, increasing the legal drinking age is not going to solve anything - but people continue to argue and delude themselves that it is the solution to the whole underage drinking/drinking driving problem. What they need to do is change the way our society views drinking. But that will be hard and is not something that will change overnight. Now if they really wanted to do something to prevent the high rate of road deaths/accidents due to underage drinking then they should change the driving age.

**Waylander** · 24th May 2005, 23:30

Originally Posted by SuperDave

Now if they really wanted to do something to prevent the high rate of road deaths/accidents due to underage drinking then they should change the driving age.

That wont change anything either. How many wrecks are caused by people with no licence at all... or even fake ones and such.

**Zed** · 25th May 2005, 00:42

Originally Posted by Skyryder

Thought i would see how much support there is for a return to the drinking age of twenty years of age

There's no option in your poll for "instituting Prohibition"! That's what I'd vote for.

**Ixion** · 25th May 2005, 00:45

Should there be any prescribed age ? Parental responsibility to stop children hitting the sauce , personal responsibility thereafter.

**Waylander** · 25th May 2005, 00:45

Originally Posted by Zed

There's no option in your poll for "instituting Prohibition"! That's what I'd vote for.

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.

**Phurrball** · 25th May 2005, 00:55

NZ societal attitudes are more of an issue here...personal and parental responsibility do have a role to play in instilling better attitudes to alcohol in our young. (*Disclaimer* in spite of the previous words, I am not an ACT voter, or rabid right winger!) Many have a 'pisshead' phase and grow out of it, like many other 'antisocial' phases. (I did...to some extent

).

Drinking in controlled environments has got to be better than getting older mates to buy booze so you can get trashed on the sly away from any responsible oversight. Perhaps a universal age of majority would be a good idea?

My $0.02...