Morality of Underage Drinking

[Sir Winston Churchill]

What do you think? Do you think it goes case by case, or is it completely immoral for anyone under the legal age to drink?

Personally, I think it's wrong for say someone to drink beer after beer and get smashed, as it's irresponsible and damaging. However if someone even underage drinks say just a beer or glass of wine here and there without going too overboard, I don't see a problem with it.

Your opinions?

[Manco]

Binge drinking is dumb regardless of morality, it mentally debilitates you and has pretty serious long term effects.

As for underage drinking in general, what laws are we using? I could drink legally from my 16, and even earlier under parental supervision.

[removeduser_487563287433]

I can't see how it's possibly immoral to drink at any point in your life, I think you need to search for a better word.

[Arch-hereticK]

It's a good education (as long as you don't die) to get really drunk, it won't happen twice.

[Tankbuster]

I've been drinking a beer every now and then since I was something like 13 (here in Belgium the legal age for beer is 16, and for stronger booze it's 18). I generally know where my boundaries are, and I rarely have more than a few drinks. I've never become agressive or harmed anyone in any way. And I've only gotten drunk once or twice.

Personally I think the concept of 'underage drinking' is based on false premises: (i) that wisdom and responsibility come with age and (ii) that there's a certain age at which most people will be able to drink responsibly.
The fact of the matter is that I know plenty of 13-year-olds that I'd much rather have drinking than many 19-year-olds. Hell, we all know 40-year-olds that we'd rather not see drinking (the kind that beat their wives and shout at their children).

You're either able to responsibly deal with dangerous substances or you're not. I don't see much evidence that this can be learned. Sure, some start off as very irresponsible children and grow to more mature people, but then there are many shy and responsible kids who actually become more irresponsible.
Then there are those who have always had the ability to control themselves (I'd put myself in that category), and those who will never be able to do that at all.
So what on Earth is the point of setting some artificial line and pretending that we're solving any problems?

I have to laugh at all the Americans who are only allowed to drink at age 21, yet the first thing they do when they come on vacation to Europe is go crazy on the alcohol here. American girls in particular are famous for their ability to underestimate the potential of vodka cocktails. I could tell you stories
Abstinence is such a great way to instill responsibility...

[Sir Winston Churchill]

As for underage drinking in general, what laws are we using? I could drink legally from my 16, and even earlier under parental supervision.

I was going on the laws here in the US where you have to be 21.

I can't see how it's possibly immoral to drink at any point in your life, I think you need to search for a better word.

Well how? I'm asking if, in particular, underage drinking is wrong or right, thus whether it's moral or immoral. Your opinion is noted however, that you don't see it wrong to drink at any point in life.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Well how? I'm asking if, in particular, underage drinking is wrong or right, thus whether it's moral or immoral. Your opinion is noted however, that you don't see it wrong to drink at any point in life.

It's illegal. But morality doesn't come into it.

[Phier]

Morality doesn't come into the picture, its stupidity.

Kids are stupid, and do stupid things naturally, being stupid. They can't help it, its part of learning, and young stupid hormones.

Mixing the stupid you get from being drunk with the stupid you are for being a kid = colossally bad stupid things happen.

Been there seen it far to many times. Claims that lowering the drinking age will make it better are also stupid. I happened to have been lucky, being that I was in an area with an effective drinking age of 19, but no one drove anywhere and it was only 19-23 year olds in the area. Even with that we did incredibly stupid things, luckily there was no reason to drive and being everyone was in college, conflicts were more limited.

I can't imagine the Chicago downtown bars being open to 18 year olds, ugh.

[Lupu]

Stupid stupid stupid stupid STUPID

In a bad mood today?

@Thread: I have a cousin in Germany who had to go to hospital after his first night in a disco Drinking is not a very smart thing to overdo.

[empr guy]

yea i think america should lower the drinking age too (to like 18 or something near there), even though its working so well

[Arbitrary Crusader]

What do you think? Do you think it goes case by case, or is it completely immoral for anyone under the legal age to drink?

Personally, I think it's wrong for say someone to drink beer after beer and get smashed, as it's irresponsible and damaging. However if someone even underage drinks say just a beer or glass of wine here and there without going too overboard, I don't see a problem with it.

Your opinions?

No I don't think it immoral.

[Azog 150]

If we are going by the US drinking age, then its ridiculous. In the US you can vote, join the army, pay taxes, live by yourself, join the police force, get married and any number of other things by the time you are 18 (Or in some of those incidences 16)- but apparently, although you are responsible enough to do all of those things, you aren't responsible enough to drink?!

I don't think underage drinking is immoral (I don't see why it would be). Back in the days when I was a 14-15 year old spending my time drinking cheap cider in the park (Not the proudest days of my life....) I never caused any real trouble and learned a few lessons about drinking and how much it takes me to over-do it. Nowadays I don't really get drunk too often, nor do have I had any really bad expieriences or incidents.

And from what I understand, the places in Europe that have even lower drinking ages then here in the UK, have less instances of teenage binge drinking.

[chilon]

If we are going by the US drinking age, then its ridiculous. In the US you can vote, join the army, pay taxes, live by yourself, join the police force, get married and any number of other things by the time you are 18 (Or in some of those incidences 16)- but apparently, although you are responsible enough to do all of those things, you aren't responsible enough to drink?!

Nope.

I hear this argument all the time, mostly from those aged 18-20. Ironically not many over 21 ever feel the need to make this argument.

Voting, imo, hardly carries the individual responsibility that drinking alcohol does. Irresponsible teenage drinking and driving can lead to all sorts of tragedy. Sorry voting not remotely similar (snide political jokes aside).

Most police forces require age 21 to be full peace officers at least that was what it was in my state.

And for the military, well that is simple. Every military knows that it is far, far, far easier to train 18-21 olds to go to war, kill and possibly be killed than it is to train a 30 year old Father to do the same thing. And although the legal age to drink is 21 not many 19 yr new soldiers have a hard time getting drunk when they want , for better or worse.


None of the things you mention carries the individual responsibility as drinking alcohol on your own. It really doesn't take any degree of responsibility whatsoever to sign up for the military. And while a long, loving, successful marriage might take a lot of work and responsibility the act of getting married itself is hardly an indication of responsibility (as many rotten marriages attest to).

[Gaidin]

There's no morality about drinking and age. It's pure legality. There might be something moral about a parent knowing if his child's a binge drinker and not trying to take control of the situation. But just drinking and underage? Nothing to discuss.

[Dr. Croccer]

There's no real problem with underage drinking as long as you learn how to keep it under control.

[chilon]

There's no real problem with underage drinking as long as you learn how to keep it under control.

And therein lies the problem. The majority of underage drinkers do not learn moderation (and are cognitively more challenged to do so than fully developed adults), at least in the USA that is the truth.

[Dr. Croccer]

And therein lies the problem. The majority of underage drinkers do not learn moderation (and are cognitively more challenged to do so than fully developed adults), at least in the USA that is the truth.

Ah, but is that not due to the point Tankbuster raised, that many American youths have little experience with alcohol and ergo aren't responsible with it? We've got relatively little problems with underage alcohol abuse here. Me and my friends have been drinking alcohol since I was 14 or 13 or so. I rarely drink too much and a few of my friends that get drunk are aware of it and try to avoid it, trying to get tipsy but not really drunk.

[chilon]

Ah, but is that not due to the point Tankbuster raised, that many American youths have little experience with alcohol and ergo aren't responsible with it?

Not at all.

I don't buy any of Tankbuster's claims at all. MANY American youth have TONS of experience with alcohol and still act irresponsible with it. Just looking at my own high school years ago proves Tankbuster quite wrong as the kids with MOST experience drinking alcohol at the youngest ages were by far the most abusive, irresponsible and idiotic.

Tankbuster's post made an amusing read but I wouldnt take it seriously.

Its not a logically sound or an empirically valid argument to argue that "experience with alcohol necessarily leads to more responsible use" but I think that is more your interpretation not Tankbuster's.

We've got relatively little problems with underage alcohol abuse here.

I hear statements like this (usually from Italians or French) and I am a bit dubious about such claims. From my experience the people making the claims come from more tight knit, familial communities usually not in the largest cities (Rome, Paris).

Although I do believe Italy does have less problems with underage drinking I don't believe it has anything to do with individual experience.

I'd say its more cultural norm related than individual experience related. In places like Italy the culture is to have a glass of wine with dinner but not get drunk. American pop culture has been saturated with glorification of drunkeness for many, many decades now starting with the post WWII American Film Noir (which heavily glorified drinking alcohol to excess irrespective of negative consequences).

The normative expectations are very, very different in the two cultures.

[Ciabhán]

Not at all.

I don't buy any of Tankbuster's claims at all. MANY American youth have TONS of experience with alcohol and still act irresponsible with it. Just looking at my own high school years ago proves Tankbuster quite wrong as the kids with MOST experience drinking alcohol at the youngest ages were by far the most abusive, irresponsible and idiotic.

This is probably more a result of the fact that the most abusive, irresponsible, and idiotic teenagers are the ones who do most of the stuff that is against the rules.

I could be considered a relatively heavy drinker yet rarely get drunk(as I am well aware of the fact that I swing from cheerful to violent and back again quite easily and spectacularly when drunk)and I've been drinking since I was old enough to sneak into a snug at the pub and order.

[Nimthill]

Just looking at my own high school years ago proves Tankbuster quite wrong as the kids with MOST experience drinking alcohol at the youngest ages were by far the most abusive, irresponsible and idiotic.

That doesn't mean anything. Underage drinking is illegal in your country, so the more irresponsible and (arguably) idiotic kids would be the ones who would more readily drink alcohol despite legistlation. It's not the alcohol that makes people irresponsible, only irresponsible people drink alcohol. Which doesn't mean that making children come into contact with alcohol is a bad thing. Based on personal (and therefore anecdotal) experience, I believe that early exposure is good for kids on almost anything, be it drugs, alcohol, sex or crime.