A BBC article on Americans and Alcohol

[confused04 14]

Originally posted by: Mikemat5150 I think the biggest thing about Alcohol is the differance in lifestyle between Europe and the US. I woul say as a whole Europe is a much more responible society than the United States, there is much more emphasis on learning to drive that would make American kids crazy. I mean I have to do 50 hours and I get to drive. Also I Europe people don't drive as much. The US needs cars to get arund which increases accidents and such.quote>

I'd really have to disagree with saying that the US is a "less responsible" society. Most, if not all states requires young drivers to submit to classroom time which is about 35 hours I believe, then 9 hours behind the wheel with an instructor and 40 hours on the road with a parent or guardian with "adverse weather and night driving included".  On top of that we have three tiered permit system that varies in age by state but the jist goes...

Permit: instructional permit to learn to drive from one guardian; illegal to drive with 3rd passenger (technically) and definitely illegal to drive without a guardian.

Provisional License: Depending on the state, you are able to drive alone or with a guardian.  Other passengers are allowed only if an experienced driver is in the car (again, this is depending on state and is rarely heavily enforced).

Full License: No restrictions

Moving Violations in the first two tiers resets the duration in which you must retain that permit or license before advancing to the next. Alcohol prior to the 21st birthday in ANY stage is grounds for license suspension in most (if not all) states. We take driving and drinking seriously.

Its not like we just put kids and cars and thats that. We are also stricter on drug and alcohol education that European countries that result in a much lower alcoholism rate (as I cited earlier). Lets not label other countries as "less responsible". If anything, I find Americans can be far more responsible since most get jobs at younger ages then their European counterparts (The US has amongst the highest teenage employment rates in the developed world). I found it particularly weird when I lived in England how immature students were at 18 and 19 not having done much on their own before, I had seen this with students on the mainland as well. I saw many students drinking four or more nights a week with an average intake of 15-25 units per night. Something MOST American students avoid or limit to the weekend only. I remember my first week at the University of York where students told me that Monday night is a certain bar, Tuesday night a certain club and so forth and so on because the deals were that great. I never thought people would be doing more than one of these per week but boy was I proven wrong.

[belfastuniguy 18]

@confused. I think the point about more American teenagers having jobs is the fact most have to pay for university and the related costs. While in the UK many students will get grants, loans etc etc and for some there really isn't the need to get a job early in life. Many then get their first job while at university to help with normal living costs.

I was somewhat surprised to hear the woman who supplied the beer to the teenagers will be going to jail. I understand why but think it's somewhat hardline. She did ensure their car keys have been removed and all had arrangements to get home. I do find it somewhat strange that in the majority of US states the drinking age is still 21.

I personally believe that allowing teenagers to experience drinking at home under supervision is a good thing and ensures they appreciate it and understand what they should and should not do. Of course not all those that had liberal thinking parents have ended up good drinkers, but that's just a fact of life. Some people can drink and not have any problems while for others it can prove a major issue.

In regards to drink driving, I think the penatly for it should be alot stricter, personally I would like to see anyone caught banned. It's a total disgrace and drink drivers not only put themselves at harm but other road users, they should ashamed of themselves. In Northern Ireland drink driving is falling, although we do have very strong anf graphic anti drink driving tv ads, some are very very strong and to honest I think they have started to do the job. The problem will not be solved until the in-car technology has progressed that shuts a cars engine down the mouthpiece picks up alcohol on the drivers breath.

These are some links to the road safety ads shown in Northern Ireland, not sure what kinda ads are shown elsewhere, but I think these are some of the best.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpr5P9yL4l8 - Speeding

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JSK5BOTHNLE

This ad won an international award and was broadcast in the run-up to Christmas to deter drink driving and it worked, powerful video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AeHTRwqQf4k

[Easy Bakes 253]

They should show those ads here.

[confused04 14]

Originally posted by: belfastuniguy @confused. I think the point about more American teenagers having jobs is the fact most have to pay for university and the related costs. While in the UK many students will get grants, loans etc etc and for some there really isn't the need to get a job early in life. Many then get their first job while at university to help with normal living costs.

I was somewhat surprised to hear the woman who supplied the beer to the teenagers will be going to jail. I understand why but think it's somewhat hardline. She did ensure their car keys have been removed and all had arrangements to get home. I do find it somewhat strange that in the majority of US states the drinking age is still 21.

I personally believe that allowing teenagers to experience drinking at home under supervision is a good thing and ensures they appreciate it and understand what they should and should not do. Of course not all those that had liberal thinking parents have ended up good drinkers, but that's just a fact of life. Some people can drink and not have any problems while for others it can prove a major issue.

In regards to drink driving, I think the penatly for it should be alot stricter, personally I would like to see anyone caught banned. It's a total disgrace and drink drivers not only put themselves at harm but other road users, they should ashamed of themselves. In Northern Ireland drink driving is falling, although we do have very strong anf graphic anti drink driving tv ads, some are very very strong and to honest I think they have started to do the job. The problem will not be solved until the in-car technology has progressed that shuts a cars engine down the mouthpiece picks up alcohol on the drivers breath.

These are some links to the road safety ads shown in Northern Ireland, not sure what kinda ads are shown elsewhere, but I think these are some of the best.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpr5P9yL4l8 - Speeding

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JSK5BOTHNLE

This ad won an international award and was broadcast in the run-up to Christmas to deter drink driving and it worked, powerful video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AeHTRwqQf4k

quote>

In terms of teenage employment, there has not been a link to higher education and working in highschool.  Regardless of future plans, students in the US are more likely to work even if college is not in their future. Its a societal expectation to get a job as a teenager. This could be a result of a "money runs everything" attitude or "If you want it, get it yourself" mentality ingrained in our youth.

And although our education system isn't "free" by European standards, of which the UK no longer fits that description either, American students can also get loans, grants, and scholarships. Very rarely will students be asked to pay out of pocket despite what people claim. If you are asked to pay out of pocket, that is because you do not qualify for financial aid (i.e. your parents make too much).  The only problem is AFTER you graduate will you then have to pay your bills (which I admit, are astronomically higher than European higher education systems).  Most students in highschool do get a job and a few will save for college, but the vast majority are short sighted and pay for the All-American CAR! I would probably attribute the desire for a car as the number one reason why kids have jobs, closely followed by "having spending money" with "paying for college" ranking very low on the Why I Work scale. This is particularly true on the pre-18 scale.

[Alakazam 3]

Viva el Canada!

Man, I so love this country. Can buy beer at 18 and drink it legally at 16.

[patriots_1228 51]

Originally posted by: Alakazam Viva el Canada!

Man, I so love this country. Can buy beer at 18 and drink it legally at 16.quote>

 

and die at 37. underage drinking can cause brain damage, proven stuff.

[patfirefghtr 160]

LoL some wierdness going on here about drinking, sex, and prono... Plain and simple it happens no matter where you are at... Or to that fact any well almost any age...

[JFman00 1]

Strict U.S. Alcohol Laws Reduce Teen Drinking, Study Suggests ... 

http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/36/17/10

Now this is coming from a guy who just finished his 6 month supervisory period and 25 hours of community service for a Minor in Consumption/Posession offense (14 shots in 20 minutes. I'm 5'6" 135). I'm also NROTC switching out of Marine Corps option, going to school in New Orleans.

The results of this survey (also availible http://www.michigandaily.com/news/2001/02/22/News/American.Teens.Tops.In.Illegal.Drug.Use-1410111.shtml http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2005/youth-drinking-worse-in-than.html) come as a surprise to me. And the results provide a factual basis for US law. What I don't understand is why so many people are hung up on this issue. You don't need alcohol to live, and you shouldn't need alcohol to have a good time (a lesson I found out the hard way). If you're mature enough to drink alcohol responsibly, then you should also be mature enough to wait until its legal for you to drink. And if you're against the law that essentialy bans drinking in the US under 21, keep in mind that a more liberal policy does not mean more responsible use.

[Alakazam 3]

Originally posted by: patriots_1228

Originally posted by: Alakazam Viva el Canada!

Man, I so love this country. Can buy beer at 18 and drink it legally at 16.quote>

 

and die at 37. underage drinking can cause brain damage, proven stuff.

quote>

You know, It's not like I'm drinking every day. At least I don't go to the hosp- oh wait I did

[hamsterTK 93]

and die at 37. underage drinking can cause brain damage, proven stuff.quote>

so if you are 21 and you binge drink, you don't get brain damage?

hey jfman, edit that link. I have a widescreen monitor and its ruining the page formatting

[SpartanBadger 4]

I'd like to weigh-in on this; I did a debate on this topic for my debate class junior year. I actually support the drinking age being 21 and oppose lowering it. While it may suck that I can't purchase or consume alcohol legally, it's best to keep the age up. When the age was lowered, the number of alcohol-related traffic accident fatalities rose. As Patriots said, consuming alcohol before 21 can cause brain damage as the teenage brain is still developing and alcohol messes with that. It also damages other organs like the liver. No matter how old you are, alcohol is still damaging to your body, just more so when you're a developing teenager. I think if we lower the age, younger kids are going to have access to alcohol, especially because I know plenty of 18 year-olds who would buy alcohol for much younger kids. Most of the people I went to school with started drinking alcohol their freshman year(of high school), so I can imagine kids as young as middle-schoolers getting alcohol with a lowered drinking age. Buuuut that's just my somewhat-paranoid view. On a different note, the alcohol industry is always targeting the underage population in their advertisements...just like tobacco, so it's no wonder that underage drinking is so huge in the US.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: XSpiderman 

I'd like to weigh-in on this; I did a debate on this topic for my debate class junior year. I actually support the drinking age being 21 and oppose lowering it. While it may suck that I can't purchase or consume alcohol legally, it's best to keep the age up. When the age was lowered, the number of alcohol-related traffic accident fatalities rose. As Patriots said, consuming alcohol before 21 can cause brain damage as the teenage brain is still developing and alcohol messes with that. It also damages other organs like the liver. No matter how old you are, alcohol is still damaging to your body, just more so when you're a developing teenager. I think if we lower the age, younger kids are going to have access to alcohol, especially because I know plenty of 18 year-olds who would buy alcohol for much younger kids. Most of the people I went to school with started drinking alcohol their freshman year(of high school), so I can imagine kids as young as middle-schoolers getting alcohol with a lowered drinking age. Buuuut that's just my somewhat-paranoid view.quote>

 

Not paranoid at all.  That's what happened back when the drinking age was 18.

[patfirefghtr 160]

One thing that i think is sad though about it all that it happens... and this
is the result of drinking and driving at such a young age...  Whats sad is 
that in this vid the students are acutely in the bags and the ones that are
showed crying really are!!!!!!

There are many of these in the related part please watch them, all 
are very good and makes you think...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbeZtE-9dg0

Pat
PL-648

[patriots_1228 51]

hamster-exactly (jk)

but the younger you are the more dangerous it is to your health.