do you think that if there was no age...

[Kyrstin]

...limit on alcohol that it would solve our problem of alcoholism? do you think that if kids could drink they're whoel lives that there would be so much drinking and driving and stupid things that happen because of alcohol? i'm sure there wuld still be drunkards and things but do you think there would be so much? so many kids think its like the 'cool' thing to do... and so many kids do it... because of the thrill that there not aloud. where i am from the age is 21 and when kids by the time kids turn 21 they are bored with drinking and they dont really do it anymore. what if you could always drink? do you think your partying years would come earlier? whats your views?

[davidmi711]

No. While Europe has fewer alcohol issues and lower ages (or no age limit) they also have a completely different view of alcohol that I believe helps to limit the attraction that kids have. Simply removing the age limits without a change in how alcohol is viewed would be like handing a loaded pistol to a 4 year old.Kids that grow up in homes where they are allowed to consume alcohol in moderation and their parents do the same seldom have the issues we see. It loses it's mystery because it is not the forbidden fruit.

[jack spicer]

i don't think it would change anything. it's more cultural here, then an age thing.

[stung4ever]

No, there will always be people who are alcoholics.But the 21 age limit isn't helping things. We have the highest drinking age in the world, and we have major problems.

[ADad]

no to alleviate drink problem is a very complex issue.the single best thing that could be done would be to nationalise alcohol retail , restrict hours of purchase.

[N. Cognito]

Age limits on alcohol consumption have no relevance when it comes to alcoholism or other forms of problem drinking. But they don't improve anything, either. Such laws reduce us all to the lowest common denominator and assume that because one person may have a problem, everyone's rights must be removed.

[kty_weber]

I think alcoholism is something that a lot of people develop based on their upbringing and surroundings. I was friends with a foreign exchange student a few years ago (I was maybe 15 or 16) and she was from Spain. She claimed that you could drink alcohol when you were 12 (I could have my age a bit off) in Spain. She claimed that over there drinking wasnt a big deal. She didnt understand why being able to drink was such a big issue for us. I think kids drink because it is a way to rebel. If you tell them no, they just want to do it even more. My parents let me drink at home with friends (whos parents also allowed it) when we were in highschool. We were NOT allowed to leave. By the time we were all in college we knew how to handle alcohol responsibly. I think the kids who felt they had to hide drinking from their parents or did not drink at all were the ones who "hurt" themselves the most when they turned 21. On the same note, there are plenty of 40 year olds who arent nearly as responsible as some 17 year olds. I think that if a 16 year old wants to drink they should be able to. It is up to the parents and family to teach the child responsibility.