How to end binge drinking? Let your teenagers have a few

Its not like "encouraging them to drive safely by allowing them to speed and run red lights" - it is more like letting them drive at an early age. The drinking age should be lowered to 18-19 or so, most people in that age range drink alcohol anyways. I think people are less likely to binge drink if they legally have the option to drink, if that makes sense. Drinking as a form of rebellion can be a dangerous thing.

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The difference between letting your kids drink and teaching them to run red lights is that only running red lights is always dangerous.

Drinking can be dangerous, but it can also be harmless or even good for you (i.e. red wine in moderation for your heart, fruit juice based cocktails for antioxidants). The age restrictions we have created as a society are completely arbitrary. There is no specific reason that 21 was chosen as the legal drinking age. You could easily argue that, from a health perspective, drinking anytime after puberty will have the same effects.

I think every kid is different and parents have to make the call. I will say that I don't see any problem with it in general. Truthfully, I think it makes much more sense to have the drinking age set at 16 and the legal driving age set at 18.

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In theory lowering the drinking age would make sense, espically if you look at countries where the drinking age is 18, like Great Britian, whom statically have lower incidents of binge drinking. However, you need to consider the american culture and the developement of american teenagers. If the drinking age were lowered there would have to be a drastic change in culture and education, beyond simply changing the drinking age.

I went to college in New Orleans, where legally you can be 18 to drink in a private residence and get into many bars. Students there were binge drinking at an extremely high rate and were often unsucessful in school. Having access to alcohol at 18, students were not more responsible infact more irresponsible.

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In theory lowering the drinking age would make sense, espically if you look at countries where the drinking age is 18, like Great Britian, whom statically have lower incidents of binge drinking. However, you need to consider the american culture and the developement of american teenagers. If the drinking age were lowered there would have to be a drastic change in culture and education, beyond simply changing the drinking age.

I went to college in New Orleans, where legally you can be 18 to drink in a private residence and get into many bars. Students there were binge drinking at an extremely high rate and were often unsucessful in school. Having access to alcohol at 18, students were not more responsible infact more irresponsible.

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If, at the age of 18, one can go to war for our country, be responsible for financial obligations, be sued, or even go to jail for the rest of one's life, one should have all legal rights and responsibilities of adulthood. Either everything 18 or everything 21.

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