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Honestly, that’s one thing I’ve never had time to read up on: how much of an effect does starting to drink at 16 rather than 21 have on development, and is imposing a law restricting it to 21 even effective? I think I’ve found my next research topic.
I started drinking at 13 and all I have is depression, suicidal ideation, a short stature, paranoia and a poor relationship with alcohol.
The more important metric is how many teenagers have already made enough mistakes those 2 years of legally drinking to not consider drinking behind the wheel when they can legally start driving a car.
Yeah, I’ve always said this:
Europeans: learn how to drink before learning how to drive.
Americans: learn how to drive before learning how to drink.
I think it’s generally safer if the people just learning how to drink responsibly don’t already have licenses to operate heavy machinery…
But are they waiting til 21?
BTW there are no physical benefits from alcohol (old studies saying there were some benefits have been debunked) only social lubricant etc.
Quite frankly I think like with most things it’s how you’re exposed to it. Your parents letting you have a little table wine or something at sixteen probably helps to not think of it as a big thing whereas trying to get your hands on it illegally and hiding it and it having this kind of “naughty” air to it might not have the best effect.
But that’s just a general theory. Obviously not a maxim.
Most are 18.
I thought many European countries let kids as young as 15 drink in the presence of their parents.
Not all! In Germany, the legal drinking age is 18 for hard alcohol, 16 for beer, and 14 for the lil bit of foam on your dad’s beer at the family gathering.
most
adjective
ˈmōst
1: greatest in quantity, extent, or degree
2: the majority of
Its not going to be effective. Alcohole is too wide spread. Also france and germany alone would block it. Especially germany. The alcohole lobby is huge!
Currently they trie to sue soda companies because young ppl no longer drink alcohole. They also blame a “demonisation of alcohole in politics and media” wanting to get rid of alcohole add restrictions
Well for the second part I think the amount of american kids who arrive hungover to high school is proof enough it’s not very effective.
Americans do not wait until 21 to drink lol
It’s plummeted though. I think 50% or less of high schoolers have drank alcohol these days. It was 70% and above 20-30 years ago.
Some of us do. Granted it seems to be a minority.
Alcohol is overrated. I don’t blame people for giving it up, or only drinking on special occasions.
Not responsibe enough for alcohol but you can have a gun
Because the 2A is a Constitutional right and alcohol is not. Neither is driving. Doesn’t matter if anyone likes it, it’s a fact. Some states do restrict pistols to 21, which is sane as those are the weapons doing nearly all the killing.
Lol. No American waits until they are 21.
We’re all taught to break laws like this at a very early age, because there are a lot of really fucking stupid laws.
To be fair it’s not like we wait till 18 here either. When I was a teenager, 15-16 was a pretty common age to get started in my country (and I don’t count your parents letting you sip on a beer or wine, I mean being at a party where you get drunk). Middle school graduation afterparty, everyone got wasted (most would’ve been 16 I reckon, maybe some 15).
Good news is, the younger folks are apparently drinking less these days.
Used to get watered down wine during dinner when I was under 10. Probably had some bearing on why I drank a full bottle of red and several large whiskys last night and feel like shit today…
Growing up in Brazil, coffee was my poison from a young age, full of milk and sugar. Now that I know I had adhd the entire time, the coffee was more like medication.
American 21 year olds almost never touch alcohol these days, THC drinks are all the rage
I’m an American that lived in Europe 18-22 and can confirm
I think that driving and drinking should be flipped around in the US. First a significant number of people aren’t waiting till 21 anyway, but I’ve always thought it would be better if people understood how alcohol would affect them before they learn to drive.
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