Drink Age Limit Could Be Raised

Reluctant Hero · Drink Age Limit Could Be Raised

According to The Herald, the SNP Govt are looking at increasing the age at which you can buy alcohol. The reason behind it is to cut binge drinking.

Think this has been discussed here plenty of times in the past, but I fail to see how this will tackle the issue of binge drinking. Underage drinkers will continue to get access to alcohol, while people who over induldge will continue to drink more. This will hardly make any difference.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/n...could_be_raised_to_cut_binges.php

Cymro

It's unfortunatly simplistic poltics at it's worst. It's the same mentality as comments we here linking hoodies to crime as though something in the material of a hoody makes a person terrorise old people collecting their pensions.

Is it just under 18s that binge drink? Do older people drink less? Do they hell. They are as bad if not worse if anything. It's because drinking is still taboo that people do it. It's seen as grown up to get pissed and act accordingly. If they say we have to be 21 to drink they'll feel they're even more grown up. Does the US have no problem with underage drinking? Nope, it's comparable from my experineces out in the States at 17.

If they do want to make things harder for under age drinkers then make the 'Think 21' or whatever the echeme is called where people under 21 must be ID-ed law and not optional. Make sure if we want a drink we're able to prove our age. Though that will merely move the drinking to a less controlled place like local parks. I'd rather they where able to drink in a controlled environment where if anything went wrong someone could step in.

Rinty

All this means is that we will have more underage drinkers.

Scott2006

The Scottish government are being impractical if they think they will solve any part of the under-age excessive drinking problem by raising the age at which a potential voter say 18 can expect to wait until 21 before being able to buy alcohol. It is political idiocy. It is a partial form of prohibition. It is anti-liberty. Most importantly it is like using a nuclear bomb to crack a nut. Totally out of proportion to what actually needs to be achieved.

Experiments in the laboratory, using rats and a maze also rats in a pool with a ledge below water level to test the memory functions concerning the N1 receptor used in laying down memories to the longer term memory have found that low to moderate alcohol in its system allowed the subject to complete its task quicker when tested at a later date.

It seems low alcohol intake in relation to the mammalian brains which contain these types of cells might work better in accessing information stored in it as although the alcohol blocks the easiest route to memory formation the brain fires other synapses to compensate leading to an overall increase in brain activity resulting in stronger memories as the brain had to work harder to process the information access request.

I believe this was mentioned in New Scientist about a month ago.

If these results were able to be replicated in humans - we might actually see a few sips of an alcoholic drink recommended as an aid to study!

Raising the drinking age or buying age of alcohol is misguided - alcohol is not the problem - it is merely its image... find a way to make it cool to drink in low or moderate amounts is the way to solve the problem, not a ban that would be potentially devisive and scientifically illogical.

Aventinian

Ah, the SNP - just as totalitarian (if not more so) than Labour.

Red Justice

Aventinian

chicmac

How to alienate most of the undergraduate body in one fell swoop and when they had done so much to get that vote up to now.

No student pubs/unions? - unthinkable.

Aventinian

Holebender

I oppose this idea on the grounds it's illiberal. (Happy Aventinian?) However, I acknowledge that it is just an idea being explored and debated, it is not policy.

It seems daft that a political party which supports lowering the voting age to 16 would consider raising the drinking age to 21. Which is more important, voting or buying a drink? Which activity requires more maturity?

Reluctant Hero

It seems now that MacAskill is looking at imposing minimum prices on alcohol. The SNP as far as I can see, have got their policy on alcohol totally wrong.

Increasing the price is going to have as much effect as raising the age limit - none. It just means people will get into deeper debt.

The reasons people drink loads of alcohol are numerous and complex and a couple of simplistic policies is going to do nothing to tackle it.

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman....ermarkets-with-minimum.3906446.jp

Morph

why cant MPs ever look at the opposite? In France and Germany the drinking age is lower than 18 andthe culture is different. People have a better outlook to alcohol. Better education and removing the social problems in a lotof urban areas will bring down drinking not upping the limit.

As a teacher i work with children everyday. When discussing alcohol in PSE the biggest answer for drinking is: We have nothing else to do!!!

will live from Glasgow

there are so many reasons for opposing this,but as im not yet 21 i'll stick with the obvious i want to get drunk one.

though imagine the upsurge in business english border pubs would get.

Aventinian

kevin04

Rinty sums it up perfectly for me, This idea is wrong in my opinion and will only lead to more under-age drinkers. The price plan is wrong as well I feel by the Justice Minister too.
In Iceland, alcohol prices are very expensive with the only place they can buy hard alcohol from is licensed alcohol shops but they get severely drunk on the weekends and Reykjavík downtown is filled with very drunk young folk staggering around even worse than I've seen in Scotland's towns and cities.

azzuri

jimtrot

I think that the age limit for alcohol should be raised to 85 and free cannabis made available to all over 16 yrs old. If that had happened in my youth, I'd have saved a fortune on malt and hash and we'd have lived in a happier, healthier and safer society. Cool

Cymro

RadgeJougal

If they're already getting it underage, how will raising the age help that?

Holebender

Well it seems self-evident to me; people get drink underaged by passing themselves off as being of legal age. I'm sure we all did it once upon a time. If the legal age is raised (something I do not support) a young person would have to appear to be at least the new legal age to get served. A 16-year-old might pass for 18 but would probably have to wait until he's 18 or 19 to pass for 21.

Abieuan

When i was 18 i went into an off-sales, my 17 yr old pal waited outside. I was refused service, so i went out and gave the money to my pal - who was served, no questions asked.

I've been drinking since i was 14, we just got adults to buy it for us.

Holebender

That (adults buying drink for children) is the culture which needs to be addressed and changed, not the legal drinking age.

Cymro

Holebender

I don't disagree with you, I was simply telling you my interpretation of the thinking behind raising the legal age.

RadgeJougal

McAskill has a guilt complex - after all, he's been caught on camera sloshed before more than once.