Calls to lift legal drinking age to 19 (1 Viewer)

[Enigmanation]

Alcohol and mental health campaigners have called for the legal drinking age to be lifted to 19 in the lead up to the annual Schoolies celebrations.

The wild school-leavers parties have been branded as "ludicrous" and "dangerous" by Sydney University's Brain and Mind Research Institute chief executive Ian Hickie, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

Professor Hickie has recommended that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's first step to tackling binge drinking should be to raise the legal age to 19 — with an ultimate target of extending the law to 21 years.

The Australian National Council on Drugs agreed that having teenagers reach the legal drinking age while finishing school was not ideal.
''I think Ian's suggestion of breaking the nexus between drinking and school leaving is a very valid one,'' ANCD chairman John Herron said.
Both representatives highlighted the damage that alcohol can cause to developing brains.

Mr Rudd has not publicly discussed changing the law but has placed youth binge drinking on the agenda for his meeting with premiers next month.
Police in NSW and Victoria have warned school leavers to behave themselves during the partying ritual, which begins on Saturday.
The Queensland Government hosted education sessions in the state's southeast regarding alcohol and drug abuse earlier this month.

Calls to lift legal drinking age to 19

Discuss.

Hardly doubt it will fix much, it's not so much the legal drinking age thats the problem but rather the culture and media were exposed to.
Ultimately changing the legal age to 21 really isn't too bright, if people want to drink, they will drink.
I mean that whole system sure seems to have worked in the good ol' US of Aye.

 

[hectic_lowie]

what isnt "ludicrous" and "dangerous" these days for fuck sake

 

[yer8899]

whut cunt

 

[S.H.O.D.A.N.]

The Federal government has quite definitely ruled out raising the drinking age, so I wouldn't worry.

 

[Uncle]

Similar thread:

http://community.boredofstudies.org/495/light-offbeat-news/225313/drinking-age-raised-21-a.html

once upon a time the government decided alcohol was a real problem and decided to ban it.
but the complacent general public would submit to their cravings and then manufacture their own homemade alcohol.
some lucky people made strong enough brew it knocks them out for at about 36 hours, the less fortunate made methanol instead and they couldnt see the light of day anymore which they dont deserve to because instead of saying no to alcohol they actually said no to eyesight.

and now they decide to raise the drinking age to 21 do they?

alcoholic drinks will always prevail against the weak minds of people.



simple solution: just dont drink that fermented toxic compound. save yourself like i did and just say no to alcohol.

.

 

[Planck]

Fuck these nanny state bastards

 

[Lentern]

I wouldn't be surprised if that made matters worse. Underage drinking in a garage or when mum and dad are visiting pop in Queensland is what really concerns me with the kids terrified of seeking help when someone is clearly not well.

 

[will-anal]

what a load of shit
when i was 17/18 and my brother was 15, we'd sit at the kitchen table and do shots of all sorts of things
and mum would be like, oh u guys
and we both have a healthy attitude towards alcohol consumption now, i.e. the more you can drink the better you are as a person

 

[hectic_lowie]

are you serious
im actually an alcoholic, i was out until 3 last night drinking goon

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

i support this idea
mental health problems will explode in the next decade or so

 

[pman]

what a load of shit
when i was 17/18 and my brother was 15, we'd sit at the kitchen table and do shots of all sorts of things
and mum would be like, oh u guys
and we both have a healthy attitude towards alcohol consumption now, i.e. the more you can drink the better you are as a person

Not true, It's important to drink responsibly, no matter your age. Interestingly though, Places like Italy that have no legal drinking age are better of when it comes to drinking culture, It's the taboo and the fact it makes you and adult that makes everyone binge drink, drop the legal drinking age and see what happens!

 

[will-anal]

are you serious
im actually an alcoholic, i was out until 3 last night drinking goon

and we both have a healthy attitude towards alcohol consumption now, i.e. the more you can drink the better you are as a person

dipshit, i'm implying that we're both alcoholics

 

[hectic_lowie]

its true though

how good you are as a person directly correlates with how many cans of piss u can sink

 

[hectic_lowie]

yeah i didnt read past we have healthy attitudes to alcohol

 

[madsam]

all raising the drinking age will do is increase the number of underage drinkers...

 

[jennyfromdabloc]

Fuck these technocrats. If drinking is so bad (which it is) and banning things solves problems, why not ban it for everyone.

Or if it's because young people are "irresponsible" why not have government issued drinking licences to stop older people who don't know what's best for them from drinking?

 

[morning storm]

not true, it's important to drink responsibly, no matter your age. Interestingly though, places like italy that have no legal drinking age are better of when it comes to drinking culture, it's the taboo and the fact it makes you and adult that makes everyone binge drink, drop the legal drinking age and see what happens!

+1

 

[Tofuu]

i don't really mind as i don't see my self drinking myself crazy at 18

 

[lala2]

all raising the drinking age will do is increase the number of underage drinkers...

+1. Look what's happened to the US. They probably have much worse approaches to drinking because it's such a forbidden fruit.

We just need to change the cultural attitude that alcohol = fun, no alcohol = no fun, which is much easier said than done. It's very possible to have fun without alcohol. Even just simple things like why chill at the beach with a beer when you can just chill with [insert soft drink of choice]. Parties--drinking is just an excuse for a boring party. Get so drunk you can't remember how boring it is. And don't say you can't be as in a good mood sober as when drunk, unless you're a very depressed person (in which case alcohol could make you swing either way--elation or crying).

 

[magickmidget]

i support this idea
mental health problems will explode in the next decade or so

So the government should take responsibility because other people are fuckwits and drink too much too often even though they know it's bad for them? Yeah. That makes total sense. If people want to kill what few brain cells, let them.

all raising the drinking age will do is increase the number of underage drinkers...

Exactly. What's the average starting age for drinking now? Four? Five?


Like I said -- I think it's a persons own responsibility but I agree with lala2 -- we need a complete change of attitude to drinking. I drink, but I don't go and get smashed every weekend and I don't see the appeal. If you can't enjoy yourself without blacking out, maybe you need to be doing something else.