Nov 21, 2008 12:38 pm US/Central
Viewer Comments On The Illinois Drinking Age
We asked whether you thought the drinking age should be lowered in Illinois. Here are your responses. Definatly not. It's bad enough as it is at 21 let alone lowering it to 18.If anything it should be raised to 25. --Chris
NO NO NO!!! With 14-20 year olds drinking illegally at the age limit of 21, if we lower the age limit to 18 then we will have to deal with 10-18 year old drinkers. Illegal drinking will NOT STOP by lowering the drinking age. The ONLY exception should be anyone serving in the military PERIOD. WE NEED enforcement not a lower age limit. --Roberta Walker
Yes, I believe the drinking age should be lowered so it can be introduced at an earlier age and hopefully be taught how drink in moderation rather than binge. Alcohol is the forbidden fruit to most people under 21, and when granted access to the forbidden fruit (which is incredibly easy), it is taken advantage of. I grew up in a Polish household and traveled to Poland for the summer many times, and alcohol was introduced to me at a very early age, and I learned that it is a privelage, and should not be taken advantage of, such as binge drinking. I learned many of the customs such as drinking wine or beer at dinner. This allowed me to know how to handle my alcohol whenever I do drink. I am currently 20 years old, and I believe I am very responsible when it comes to drinking due to the fact that it was introduced to me at 17-18 and I was given access to the forbidden fruit under supervision. This process showed me that I can have a fantastic time without endangering myself. I believe if one can fly an airplane, vote, go to war for their country, and buy a gun, then they should certainly be allowed to drink a beer or mixed drink or what have you. 18 does not necessarily have to be the target age to lower it to, but i certainly believe it should be introduced at an earlier age. I think if this was the case, there would be far less binge drinking, which would in turn lead to far less accidents, whether those accidents are motor related, or sickness. Thank you. --Kevin Pociask
YES, If you can join the armed services, go to jail then the drinking age should be lower. --Mary
No, that is only asking for trouble. --Gaspar
Yes...but to 19. I don't think high school age students should be allowed to drink. But, it does not make sense that 1/2 of a college campus can drink and the other half cannot. Lowering the drinking age will take a lot of the curiousity and excitement of drinking for the currently underaged drinkers. --Theresa Frachalla
NO!!! Absolutely NOT!!! --Sandra Bersin
Yes. The statistics are baloney -- proponents of the 21 age cherry-pick examples that support their side; there are others which support lowering it. Most of the examples of alcohol-related tragedies we hear about occurred *since* the drinking age was raised to 21. The 21 age has driven drinking underground, where abuse is most likely to occur. Having a single drink makes a young person into a criminal, and unlike legal drinkers, people who are breaking the law are not likely to worry about doing it 'in moderation.' The drinking age encourages the general perception that it is okay to simply break a law when you think it is stupid or shouldn't apply to you. It encourages disrespect for the law. The drinking age is disrespectful to young adults who work, pay taxes, and serve in the military. It segregates them from their slightly older peers, and infantilizes them. If we trust our young people to 'protect our freedoms' in Afghanistan and Iraq, why do we not trust them even to have a beer at the end of the day? If we allow them to risk their lives in combat zones, why do we feel we must Protect them from themselves, past the legal age of adulthood? --Susan Wishnetsky
No I think they should raise the age to 25. --Diane
Definitely not. The presumption that drinking is rebellious and lowering the age would decrease consumption and lower the risk of alcohol related accidents, is a slippery slope. Drinking, legal or not, is done with a multitude of purposes (i.e. social, coping, etc). The principle of lowering the age would suggest legalizing other activities considered 'rebellious' and illegal, and both would increase, not decrease the dangers that result. --Adam L. Maldonado
Not a simple and straight forward answer. I think the key is parental supervision. At age 21, kids are mostly out of the house and there is nobody around to help them learn how to handle alcohol. Exposure to alcohol at a young age can have health issues and it can be habit forming. I grew up in Germany and was allowed to drink *some* wine or beer as early as age 12, but under the supervision of my parents/legal guardians. By age 16 I was allowed to drink beer and wine withouth them. At age 18 I was finally allowed to have stronger drinks and mixed drinks. Then there is another aspect. We allow our kids to vote, get married, enter into binding contracts, serve in the Armed Forces, and possibly die for their coountry, but they are not old enough to have a beer or a glass of wine. That to me makes no sense at all. In my opinion, the ability to drink needs to be introduced gradually. The kids today away at the universities do not have a clue what alcohol does to them and then they either drink illegally or are the good kids and wait until they turn 21! Someone gives them a glass full of vodka and they are encouraged to down it like it is water. Peer pressure and all, they manage to do it. Next thing, they are passing out (at best). This is not the right environment to learn how to handle alcohol at any age! --Joachim Peters
I think the drinking age should be lowered. I have heard that they said by having the age be 21 saved thousands of lives, but I think lack of education. Europe does not have such high numbers in deaths due to drinking. It might be due to stricter laws or some other factor but it does need to be looked at. Another reason 21 was made an age is because statistics show that an 18 year olds mind is not fully developed and can not make ractional discissions, but yet they let you sign up for the service at 18. Again they say the kids are trained and taught to serve and respect rules, but don't we need to do that with a lower drinking age as well. They key is educate. --Gil Valencia
No it should not be lowered from 21 to 18. This would allow much greater access for High School age students to get alcohol. If college administrators feel strongly enough about it, maybe they should remember that a lot of students are already 18 before they start. If they want to push to lower the age, maybe they should target 19 instead. --Nick Anderson
I do not believe lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 is a good idea. There are already too many teenage deaths in automobile accidents. If they are allowed to drink at 18, this could even increase teenage death. They have the rest of their lives to drink, let them be children. --Karen
NO way! People already don't know how to drive. Could you imagine an 18 year old driving drunk in the snow. I couldn't and hope I don't have to. --Kristina
yes ! like everyone else said kids will drink anyway. just because underage drinkers have crashed there car dosen't mean that it was because they where underage . im 19 and i can hold my alcohol and act more responsible than most adults that i know. i think 19 for the age not 18 this way most likly kids will be out of high school. --Aaron Gust
The drinking age should not be lowered and it's not only because of the inability to drive while intoxicated but it can also lead to serious health problems. If they have ever seen anyone die from psorosis of the liver they might think twice before ever drinking again. drinking does not constitute you as an adult or does it show that you are anymore intellingent in your thinking. --Sylvia
Have we lost our collective minds that we are even examining this issue? How sad and pitiful that we will be mourning the loss of additional lives, both young and old if we lower the legal drinking age. --Richard Green, Dean of Students (retired), Stevenson High School
People need to understand that alcoholic beverages are nothing more than ACT-A-FOOL beverages. Sanctioning act-a-fool at an early age is tantamount to legalizing rape, assault, and other mayhem! --Jon K. Evans
Yes, it should. Minors sneaking around to get a drink is more dangerous than them being able to comfortably, legally have a drink in public. --Jason
yes, maybe no drinking age at all. if you learn to drink at an early age, you don't abuse it, look to europe almost no youth drinking problem --Carl Sharp
I agree with the one student that no matter what underage students can always find a way to drink under 21. I also agree that if the age is reduced to 18, no one can predict what may or may not happen. Having said this I am very against lowering the drinking age to 18. It was raised to 21 for a reason, so leave it. --Jacob
YES! if the drinking age was to be lowered drinking would lose its 'coolness' factor resulting in less acidents on the road. --Sean
YES Making drinking illegal takes away parents ability to parent and schools ability to teach drinking responsibly. The more you know the more you know. I know of situations where kids have been afraid to provide medical assistance to friends you were suffering from alocohol related illness. We need to help our kids to behave responsibly even when they may be doing irresponsible things. --Jaye Lee Passage
YES! College students are drinking already. You might as well lower the drinking age. You can die for your country, but you can't sit at a bar and have a beer. There is something wrong with that picture. --Ann
yes, this will help college law enforcement concentrate on true alcohol related problems instead of wasting law enforcement on just the act of harmless underage drinking. --Matt Kendziorski
No. Why make a bad situation worse, even tho' some kids steal id's of others, many do not and are sharp enough to hold off on the drinks. --Jan Kay
ABSOLUTELY NOT. Lowering the drinking age serves no purpose. As reported, over 4400 lives have been saved since increasing the drinking age. Do we want to kill 8800 kids by lower the drinking age, because it will happen. --Phyllis Chambers
I believe the legal drinking age should be lowered but NOT to 18.You have to think of the fact that there are High School kids who are 18 and would be able to legally drink,probably bringing more threat to lives because of the lack of knowledge about alcohol. If your going to lower it at least have it be the age of 19 or even 20. --Nicole Manderson
NO! As a parent of a college student and a 15 year old that has just gotten in trouble for drinking I cannot see how lowering the drinking age can help anyone. It will hurt more that helping these kids and younger. What they need is better education about the effects of drinking and terrible things that can happen. --Sue
I believe it should at least be lowered for military. Our men and women are old enough to die for our country, be trusted with the lives of fellow soldiers, but not to have a drink? As far as for everyone else, I don't see that it will make a difference, college students will find a way to drink with or without the age limit changing. --Brittany
Absolutely not. --Roberta Walker
LORD NO!!!!!!!!! MY SON IS A POLICEMAN, ASK HIM WHAT HIS OPINION IS. HE'S HAD TO GO TO THEIR ACCIDENTS AND VIEW THE BODIES. TELL THAT TO THE COLLEGE PROFESSORS. SHAME! --Karen Gost
Absolutely not!! --Danielle
YES! @ 18 years old young adults can vote to determine our government, they can freely volunteer to serve in our nations military as well as die to protect the few freedoms we have left. Why do we not treat them as full adults not trainees. Prohibition always makes something more attractive to the rebel want to be types. Make it legal and it takes away part of the enticement. --James Weaver
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Celebrity Watcher: Real Or Fake?
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
