If you’re a regular Bulletin reader, you know I believe that the drinking age in the U.S. is too high, that the age a person can vote and fight and/or die for one’s country should also be the age he or she can drink, as well. I lived through this ridiculous hypocritical double-standard when I was in the military thirty years ago, and I still hold a grudge. It was absurd then, and it’s absurd now.
I think most of us believe that America is a progressive country where freedom is something we take for granted, that it’s the lynchpin of our society with free speech, free assembly, freedom of religion, and on and on. But not when it comes to our puritanical view of alcohol, there we are nearly the most backward country in the world. When you take out the handful of countries that allow no alcohol consumption — which are all in the Middle East — only India has a drinking age higher than ours, and even that’s not nationwide, but on a state by state basis. I could talk about this ’till I’m blue in the face, but nothing shows this inequity better than a visual representation of drinking ages by country. Happily, Drinking Map went to the trouble of creating a world map showing the drinking age by country, where known. To see it larger, click through the image, then click on “all sizes.”
As you can see, the vast majority of the world is at a sensible 18, with only a few other nations (all in the Middle East, too) that are 21 like us. Japan and most of Scandinavia set the age at 20 and South Korea along with parts of Canada are at 19.
But perhaps more interesting is the map below, also by the folks at Drinking Map, called Where “Adults” Can’t Drink. This map shows the relationship between a country’s age of majority (when a person is considered an “adult”) and the age at which they are permitted to drink alcohol. Notice that for a majority of nations (in green) that age is the same, as I believe it should be. A few more (in pink), like India and most of Scandinavia, allow some drinking but with certain restrictions. Then we, along with parts of Canada and a handful of other nations (in red), stand out as having a drinking age that’s higher than the age of majority. To see it larger, click through the image, then click on “all sizes.”
Would it not be perhaps a reasonable compromise to allow 18-year olds to drink beer, or wine and beer, but not spirits until they’re 21? Anyway, just some food for thought.
I agree with you, it’s much less exciting to drink when you are allowed to do so. I partied the hardest in college when I was 18-19-20. I drank far less after I turned 21 than before it.
As most of us have read or heard the story, even an apple can become the most desired object once banned. In the state of Maine, our company’s sodas, Fentimans Botancially Brewed Lemonade and other sodas, with less than 1/2% alcohol (about as much as some breads or a fresh glass of orange juice), have been banned for sale by minors. Imagine having to be 21 to buy a bottle of lemonade (not even Mike’s Hard)! It seems that we, as a country, are still living in puritanical times, when we should be recognizing the power of and need for responsibility by our population. At the age of 18, one is recognized as an adult and, I believe, should be given all of the responsibility that the name implies – including the right to purchase and responsibly consume alcoholic beverages. Once the forbidden fruit is no longer, we just might see more apples left on the tree… and more alcohol more responsibily consumed once the barrier is removed. My wife is Dutch and I have certainly seen that to be the case in The Netherlands and other European countries we’ve visited, and there’ s no reason to believe that we wouldn’t see the same here. The fact is that we have made the right decision following prohibition to recognize alcohol as a legal, but controlled substance. Messages of moderation, or even abstinance for those with addictions, should never cease. But we either need to change the age of adulthood to 21 or lower the drinking age to 18 and end the hypocrisy that has existed for way too long.
Here in the State of WA parents can serve alcohol to their children as long as it is consumed in the presence of the parent (and it can’t be in a licensed establishment). My kids will be allowed to drink a little beer w/ dinner when I decide they are old enough, if they so choose. Actually, they’d be allowed to whether it was legal or not but in this case the law is on my side. Assuming it isn’t changed in the next 8 years or so.
The law: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=66.44.270
Yeah, we are a dumb country. This is something that’s bothered me for a long time–mostly since I’ve been over 21 (29 now).
When I was stationed in Germany–a few years ago now–service members were aloud to drink if they were 18 on base. I know a lot of people that said they didn’t want to leave the country until they were 21. As for the legal age in Germany–at least when I was there again (and I do keep up on German news too)–it’s 16 for beer and wine, and 18 for hard liquor (I often wondered if it had a little to do with keeping people hooked on the local produced favorites (beer and wine) since no one really makes liquor in that country–I never saw anyone buy or drink it either). Also as best as I can recall, that those ages were to buy it, not consume it. Maybe that’s just an unenforced relaxed tradition though–alcohol IS just another drink for the majority of people in Europe…and around the would. Many Europeans think soda is MUCH more bad for you than alcohol (which it is–another reason many Europeans don’t take us very seriously in some regards). I’ve sure voiced my opinion on this matter to a lot of people, to include my elected officials–I suggest others do the same…
Quite right, well said. To limit alcohol to people above the age of majority patronises 18-21 year olds and adds to the view that alcohol is somehow charged with a special quality of badness. Conversely, when people are introduced to alcohol as part of a normal, healthy upbringing they don’t have this awed view of booze and so treat it with more respect, more as a normal part of life, than those denied it. I love the US in many ways, but the puritanical attitude to drink is does not reflect well on a freedom-loving country; seems like the neo-prohibitionists are even further ahead in their unsavoury game over there. Bad luck, boys and girls.
I have a fabulously healthy relationship with drink; I love it and it loves me. My first taste of fine wine was at the age of eight ( http://is.gd/7dOfK ), and ever since then I have respected it as much as I’ve enjoyed it.
Great website, by the way.