Crystal Williams said at 9:17am Aug 20, 2008

Great topic, Whit! I think part of the allure of underage drinking is the fact that it is 'taboo'. This leads to some dangerous behavior. My problem with what the educators are proposing is that they are for lowering the drinking age as it pertains to 'controlled' environments. Isn't this what leads to the dangerous behavior in the first place? Imposing restrictions? Most people want to drink at parties, which are far from controlled. I see some flaws in the educators' logic, but I also see very little difference between the average 18-year-old and someone 21. Maturity levels are relatively similar... the same social factors are present... (although all people are different). A 21-year-old has three more years of driving experience... I'm torn on this one and look forward to hearing what others have to say.

Jeremy Rothschild said at 11:58am Oct 21, 2008

I totally agree with Crystal about the 'taboo' aspect...I turned 21 recently and I think that I've drank significantly less since. It may be due to the fact that now that I can go out to all the bars in NYC and don't want to spend 6-8 dollars on a drink, so I drink less. It was cheaper when i would just have someone buy me alcohol and I'd drink it at my place with friends. But me and my friends always say how we used to 'drink for the sake of drinking', and how immature that seems now. If it was lowered to 18 I definitely think that that type of drinking, which is definitely the most dangerous kind, would be reduced, and it would just become more commonly acceptable.