It's 18 here and i think that's the perfect age. If i'm mature enough to work, pay taxes and fight for my government then i'm perfectly mature enough to enjoy a drink with friends.
I don't think it should be any younger than that though as even if you can get alcohol underage, most teenagers aren't responsible enough.

Can't you already do that? Over here at 16 we can legally drink at a meal with our parents (used to be 14 but they moved it up) and we can drink in the house with them from even younger, that one used to be something stupid like 5 but not sure what it is now.

You have a very wrong impression of europe there love. We're just as big on partying, the only difference is that we're introduced to alcohol at a much earlier age.

When you're 16 in England you can drink with a meal in restaurants and pubs around the country. I know some American brand restaurants here refuse people under the age of 18 to drink which I'm assuming is just them deciding to stick with the American approach, but I think we can appeal against it if we get annoyed, however as they're a private business i think it's within their rights.

To be honest I like the fact that I can drink. I couldn't see myself at university and not getting slaughtered most nights; that's pretty much what being a student is! Being able to go out and have a laugh. I'm 21 in a months time anyway so it wouldn't exactly bother me if they did raise the age, although I wouldn't see much point in it.

Here Children from the age of 5 are allowed to drink in their own homes with their parent's permission however I'm sure the government doesn't encourage things like that and even if that was outlawed, they can hardly keep tap on the situation.

Don't worry, my teachers say all sorts of stuff about americans you just need to not take it seriously, even if you visit europe on holiday chances are you won't get an insight into the life of a typical teenager there, i know i didn't in america.

exactly my thoughts!!!! like the drinking age around the majority of the world is 18, even lower, once acccompanied by an adult, very few countries have the drinking age any higher!!! in ireland its 18, but i, along with friends my age were able to get their hands on alcohol and drink illigally!!! i started quite late at 16, where some of my friends were drinking since 13-14!! like its all down to the person really, some people can hold their drink, where others cannot!!! why shouldnt it be 18 everywhere!!! it just means that those who start drinking at 21, means that they will be unexperienced and could be dangerous, thats not to say that everyone who drinks is not dangerous, but those who drink underage will most likely stay in one place, for fear of being caught!!!!

21 in America always seems such a high, high age. They need to lower the limit so you can start earlier and build up a good tolerance :p

18 is a good solid age for a drink.

18 I'm tried of America's stupid 21 crap. I want to move to Europe.

EXACTLY my thoughts.
+ Rep*

I just don't believe that most eighteen year olds are old enough to handle that responsibility. PLUS, that will make it easier for teenagers such as myself to get it, and that is not such a good thing. But then again I don't drink, so it really wouldn't make a difference to me.

But hey, if you want to start developing your beer gut three years earlier, who am I to argue?

Lol just look at Europe to see how successful lower drinking ages can work.

TS's argument is very flawed.
People kill other people, so lets just allow murder anyway.

The UK has got to be binge drinking capital of the world, or close to it, 18 is the right age for it, but no one is responsible with it, as irresponsible as teens are with alcohol, its only because theyre copying their alcoholic siblings and parents.

You get 40 year old women in england pulling each others hair out in the streets outside a pub because one of them looked funnily at the other one and more importantly because theyve both had a bottle of wine and half a bottle of vodka each. Great example.


The problem is booze is so cheap and easy to get, you just go down to tesco's at 12 o clock at night and buy a crate of beer reduced for about 1 quid a pint. No one goes to the pub to have a quiet drink anymore, because its 2.20 for a pint of fosters, even more for anything else, why pay that when you can get pissed for a few quid at home THEN go out.

In the US it was never "legal" to drink at 18. You could drink and buy 3.2 beer but that's about it, you still had to wait until you were 21 to legally drink anything else. Although I agree with the fact that if you are old enough to fight and possibly die for your country you should be able to drink, but you have to look at more than that to make a complete argument. You have to include how drinking effects your body at 18 apposed to 21. I.e. does the body still need to develop from 18 to 21 where drinking alcohol would have any adverse reactions?