It was my birthday on Tuesday this past week and I turned 21. It seems like its been forever. Now it is legal for me to drink and I don't have to break the law anymore. I do need to have some responsibility though since I am officially an adult. It is nice to be able to go out whenever you want and stop at the liquor store whenever you want.
A lot of people think that the drinking age should be lowered and a lot of people think that it should stay the same. Out of all the countries in the world the United States has the highest drinking age. Followed by Japan and Iceland with age 20, and South Korea with age 19. The rest of the world is age 18, 16 or they don't have any at all. Even though the U.S. has the highest drinking age, we still have the highest drunken driving rates and the highest alcohol related deaths. I don't think raising the drinking age will change anything. People in this country will always do what they think is fun and drinking is an American favorite. No matter what the drinking age is people of all ages will continue to drink.
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I wonder if people binge drink in the U.S. because of media, lack of stimuli, weather, or heritage. I've always thought that people got so drunk in Wisconsin because of the winters and lack of things to do. Others have said it is due to the dominant German heritage. It could be due to parenting as well. I'm not too sure what the reason is. I'm completely stumped. Let me know if you ever find the answer!
I think one of the reasons why so many people binge drink, and drink and drive in Wisconsin and all around the U.S. is partially due to the fact that those who are underage have a great time getting alcohol and getting away with it. I think that part of our fascination with drinking kind of has to do with the fact that it's a "rush" to do it because we're not supposed to. I actually think that if the government didn't make such a big deal about the drinking age, we wouldn't have as many problems. Part of my opinion is influenced by my friend who came to visit from Germany. He believes that the reason we have so many problems with drinking here is because we haven't embraced the fact that people under 21 are still going to drink, and instead of teaching them how to do it responsibly and not get hurt or drive drunk, we try to stop them all together and that has proven impossible. I don't know if this is true, but I think he was definitely on to something. Happy birthday Joe!
congratulations on turning 21. prepare to be broke. but hey, look at the bright side... only 45 more years 'til retirement.
I agree with Adam's german friend... I think it's all about education. By the way, you can thank Nixon for the drinking age. Oh but we love our highways...
Congrats on your 21st Birthday!!! I think that around here people drink because friends are doing it, you can have fun and possibly meet new people. Some find it as a way to fit in ... but who knows why, everyone has a different thought on this subject.
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