this pole came about from this topic http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?p=50085#post50085
about the reduction of the drinking age, please read that post for more info on this question

No it won't. They will still binge drink. Now they will just be doing it legaly since most that binge drink are under 21.

I agree with Rick. Though it may possibly decrease the number of "binge drinkers" at the specific age of 21, I believe it would inherit a slew of other issues since most kids at the age of 18 are not capable of making completely mature decisions.

I voted Yes but would like to put a "but" with my answer. Now I am going to speak from experience of a former "binge drinker". I just turned 21 and currently a junior at a large state university. When I was a freshmen and a sophmore in college I def. binged drank(?) and even did in high school my junior and senior year. Now this is not something I am proud of and i dont do it anymore mostly because a. I hate puking b. I hate waking up with a hang over c. I just don't have time anymore working 25+ hours a week, double majoring and looking at future law schools. Now, am I more intelligent then I was when I was 18, I really dont think so, I just learned from me doing it and watching plenty of people I know end up going to the hospital or ending up with a busted liver by the time they were 20. Now I do think the age should be dropped b/c like others have said...if you can sacrifice your life for your country you should be able to have a beer. But I think something needs to happen first in order for the age to be dropped...and realistically it may never happen. The U.S. culture and its views on drinking need to change. I have been to other countries (Spain,France,England,Italy) where the drinking age is lower than ours and they have a totally different attitude towards drinking. I don't think its the whole "forbidden fruit" thing...cause hey cocaine is illegal and I've never done it. I think too many kids think its a neccasity to have a good time...that being hammered makes everything more fun. Now would I go to a college party completly sober...no probably not...but drinking two beers socially to loosen up isn't a bad thing. So I vote yes but we need to change our culture that surrounds drinking first...whether this is possible or not...I'll leave that for another poll :rolleyes:

I said no because sometimes binge drinking is a cause of the environment and not age.

Binge drinking is a social phenomena and no change to the age at which drink can be bought will make a difference.

Steve

Voted 'no'. I would only have started binge drinking sooner. Though I may be growing out of doing it 2 or 3 times a week, I still like to get shwasted about once a month.:drunk1:

< Prolonged college via grad school.

I voted 'yes'... not yes to "solving" the problem, but "helping" the problem.

I used to binge drink much more when I wasnt 21(about 17, 18, and 19) because of my lack of access to alcohol. When I got access to it, I would drink it... and alot of it. When I was 20 and now that I've turned 21 and have had access to it either through friends that could buy it for me or myself buying it, it's not that special anymore. I can drink at a reasonable pace knowing that it wont be gone in an hour.

Personally, I have been safer in the past year because of this reason.

I also voted no. It is not just in college,but the young Soldiers in the Army also do it. Part of it is the "getting away from mom and dad, stretching my wings, I'm independent" attitude. Although there are regulations against under age drinking, most do it. I've known several over the years that got into trouble for it. But, I will admit, drinking in the military has a very long past, with traditions and military rituals that include drinking as a major part of the festivities, and the higher ups are doing things to limit that.

nb

If they lower the drinking age im guna drink, if they dont....im still guna drink. Just makes it more convenient to get is all.

If your going to drink then your going to drink no matter what age, I started at age 2 with vodka and now at age 35 im still going but with about 3 shots in every drink ...lol..

Ok, so my team and I just lost in our championship soccer game. I'm gettin' hammered!

lowering the drinking age isn't about stopping binge drinking, it's about making college students (or 18-20 year olds in general) not be so scared as to drink behind closed doors, and then when someone gets sick/hurt/alcohol poisoning, be afraid to get help for the person because they are afraid to get in trouble. It's about trying to stop the deaths of people that occur simply because the 18-20 year olds are afraid to get in trouble.

Therefore, I find this poll as being irrelevant because it is not what lowering the drinking age would be trying to accomplish.

And I agree that as access becomes easier, frequent and dangerous binge drinking does, in fact, decline. Trust me, I'm a professional.

No, it just saves you from having to pay a lot of money for a fake id.

No, it just saves you from having to pay a lot of money for a fake id.

A lot of bars and liquor stores in college towns require that you provide 2 forms of ID before they will serve you...

A lot of bars and liquor stores in college towns require that you provide 2 forms of ID before they will serve you...

Yep, almost all do around here. We use our school ID as a second form which also has our birthday on it.

I have a feeling fake IDs dont work as well as they used to. In Virginia, liquor stores are controlled by the state and your drivers license is swiped every time you buy, which wont work with a fake. They dont even look at your birthday, only the picture.