Would kids drink as much if there was no minimum age?

Simple question. Do you think high school kids would drink as much if they could do it much younger? Like it would be legal to start when your 13. Personally, I don't think it would be such a big deal if you didn't need to be 18 to do it legally. Sure kids would still drink but I don't think it would be every singly weekend, as well I think it would lose its "cool" factor, such as kids posting on facebook "omg I can't wait to get hammeredz tonight!!!1!1!!" or "can't remember last night because I'm such a hardcore drinker".

So what do you guys think. Do kids drink because they know it's illegal, or because of it's effects? Maybe both?

I don't doubt a lot of teenagers who get plastered every weekend are only doing it because its illegal (I don't doubt a lot of people do illegal drugs for the same reason).

I never drank before turning the legal age (18 in Manitoba) and haven't ever really done any binge drinking at all. I've become inebriated several times, but never to the point of throwing up incessantly, or forgetting complete nights. Getting absolutely hammered has never appealed to me, before or after being legal age. I've never understood the appeal to be honest.

However... I don't think it really should be legal under the age of 18, at least unsupervised by parents/guardians. It takes an adult level of responsibility and maturity to do things like this. Though, I know its impossible to arbitrarily select an age that encompasses everyone's "maturity." 18 just seems like a more reasonable date for most people. Even despite most people never maturing at all.

I can tell you right now i would probably drink. Not because i want too or even because its good. It would be because it would be like drinking soda too me. Just another drink.

No because I honestly doubt that most 14 and 15 year olds actually like the taste of hard liquor or even beer for that matter, and most aren't [personally] wealthy enough to drink good wine.th3warr1or

You know, my father once gave me alcohol at the age of six of years old. I remember this occasion quite well because it's so odd and inappropriate.

i rarely drank after 21 but that doesn't mean others wouldn't drink more if it were legal.

I don't know, to me it just seems people around my town do it to tell others that they're "cool". I'm 17, I haven't got drunk since spring break down in Jamaica. All I hear about kids doing on the weekends are getting drunk. My ideal weekend is staying at home after a week of school and playing video games while relaxing. Getting drunk doesn't seem very relaxing to me. Maybe the kids have alterior motive, such as trying to get lucky with girls?

yes

thats a scary thought, theres a reason usa age limit was changed, "shudders"

No, places where drinkign age is quite low like Germany I think, there is way less problems with it, cause it isnt seen as "cool" and "hardcore", they see it as it is, just alcohol.

People drink it because of its effects. Heck, I do. My ideal Saturday night is getting into the city at 7:30, having a meal, going to the club by 8:30, drink and dance until 1am, catch the last train home, and get picked up by a mates parent at 2am. I do it for the care-free aspect, as I remember most things from the night before, plus never get a hangover, no matter how much I drink. For example, last Saturday night I spent $100 on alcohol at a place where it was $4 Bourbons and $6 Smirnoff's, yet I remember the major majority of the night.

Also, my first taste of alcohol was when I was about 6 months, when my grandfather dipped my dummy into his Whisky. I've been having the occasional glass of wine and mouthful of beer since I was about 10.

I turned 21 a month ago and I still haven't had any alcoholic drinks. No alcohol is just how I roll.

I think probably both.

Probably...i think the issue stems from irresponsibility more then anything else..

People say that if the law was more fair people would supposedly drink less, honestly I feel it would not change anything.

People drink it because of its effects. Heck, I do. My ideal Saturday night is getting into the city at 7:30, having a meal, going to the club by 8:30, drink and dance until 1am, catch the last train home, and get picked up by a mates parent at 2am. I do it for the care-free aspect, as I remember most things from the night before, plus never get a hangover, no matter how much I drink. For example, last Saturday night I spent $100 on alcohol at a place where it was $4 Bourbons and $6 Smirnoff's, yet I remember the major majority of the night.

Also, my first taste of alcohol was when I was about 6 months, when my grandfather dipped my dummy into his Whisky. I've been having the occasional glass of wine and mouthful of beer since I was about 10.

daqua_99

ahh the golden age of drinking. Take it from an old pro, pace yourself. Nowadays when i drink, by the time im feeling the effects of the alcohol... im about to black out and will stay blacked out for hours on end. At a certain point all the enjoyment from drinking goes away.

I think they'd try for the first bit until they woke up with massive hangovers and sleeping in their own vomit. Then I think they'd wait.

i believe they would, teens in America are not tought the same way as other teens around the world. We drink because its fun and it makes us look mature and it takes us away from our problems, other people in different contries drink when having a good meal and having some family time, they dont drink to look kewl or mature. Now Im not saying all American teens are like this, I for one have tried bear/ whine/ maybe other alcholic drinks and they all taste nasty to me, and my parents tought me well.

It's sort of based on that. We want what we can't have.

Although, underage binge drinking has become so ingrained in our culture, removing the minimum age now would do more harm than good.

Yes...Yes they would.

just look at france, no-one gets drunk there. there's no binge drinking or anything either.

I agree. Drinking underage is the "cool" thing to do. If everyone can do it, it seises to be fun. It's fun to be a rebel.

Ghost_702

Is that why they do it?

I always thought they just drank to drink.

Ask Italy , France, Greece and Denmark.

I don't know, to me it just seems people around my town do it to tell others that they're "cool". I'm 17, I haven't got drunk since spring break down in Jamaica. All I hear about kids doing on the weekends are getting drunk. My ideal weekend is staying at home after a week of school and playing video games while relaxing. Getting drunk doesn't seem very relaxing to me. Maybe the kids have alterior motive, such as trying to get lucky with girls?

Da_lil_PimP

I think it is the fact that it is illegal to begin with that makes kids interested to get wasted before they hit 18. This is just a hypothesis though.

They probably think it's cool to do illegal things. Heh.

This would have made a great poll, so we can see the weigh in.

No, I think they would drink more.SolidsnakeY15

I know a girl who couldn't have been older than 14 at the time get herself into a coma due to alcohol poisoning. She was 6 times over the legal limit apparently, and the doctors didn't expect her to live. She was like 105 pounds, so it's not like she had a huge body that could process all that alcohol. So while it may cause the "cool factor" to lessen for some kids, it'll also put kids into comas. So no, it needs to stay how it is.XilePrincess

And this happened in a country where there wasn't a drinking age, correct? Otherwise your argument makes no sense.

If it happened somewhere where there was a drinking age, then one could argue that the thrill of drinking illegal beverages leads kids to drinking to the point of coma.

This would have made a great poll, so we can see the weigh in.

LexLas

id pop bottles everyday :P