Alcohol in the Military?

[Zooey72]

I am 34, so the laws of under age drinking do not apply to me.  However, I have kept my same stance on this ever since I was 16.  If you are trusted with a weapon to go out and kill someone, and in turn be killed at the age of 18… it is utter hypocricy to say that they are not resp. enough to have a beer.

Resp. enough to die for their country, but not resp. to have a drink?

[Guest]

Underage drinking no longer applies to me anymore either, has not for some time.

But it is true… you are an adult in EVERY OTHER WAY in this country at 18… every way except being able to legally drink.

THis is another of those foibles caused by our Puritanical background.  We hyper restrict all of these “sins”, but by doing so we are putting a big red sign on them that says “DO THIS!”.  ANd the result is that we have among the worst alcoholism rates in the world; drug use is again on a dramatic rise, etc.

Drinking when I was under 21 and it was “dangerous and illegal” was a thrill.  Breaking that taboo made it special and daring.  I attended my first “kegger” the summer before 9th grade (David’s mom was way cool, getting a keg for the team…).  I drank heavilly in college, and consumed VAST quantities of Black Velvet and Stolychnya.  When I turned 21, I pretty much quit drinking for more than a decade.

[Jennifer]

@Yanny:

My logic:

I am 19 years old. I am an adult. I have the legal responsibilities of an adult. If I commit a crime, I am held as an adult, not a half-adult. Yet, in regards to alchohol, and law does not regard me as an adult, and that is insulting.

And for the record, I don’t drink.

I drink, I don’t get drunk.  But I do drink, at least I’ve been seen in a bar or two or having a beer at a cookout.

However, let’s extrapolate this arguement a little farther.

At 18 you can die for your country, you can vote for your leaders, you can run for public office; but you cannot drink.  However, at 16 you can be taxed, but you cannot die for your country, you cannot vote for your leaders, you cannot run for public office and you cannot drink.  Taxation without representation?

Personally, I think if you are old enough to pay taxes (and only if you actually PAY taxes) then you should be at least allowed to vote for the politicians that will be spending your tax dollars….

[Guest]

Ah, NOW we are back to that argument I posted a few months ago about the “makers” being the only ones who should be allowed to vote, etc.

[Jennifer]

Not necessarily.  But I think that if you pay taxes the least the government can do is allow you to vote.  After all, you ARE funding the government.

[AgentOrange]

Jennifer, you are right about the military being able to buy alcohol anyway, but that’s technically illegal. (not to sound like a narc)  But if a 19 year-old soldier is pulled over for reckless driving, and it turns out he’s drunk, then he gets nailed for an underage DUI, at least as far as I know.

[Jennifer]

Technically, yes, AO (which, btw, do you know what Agent Orange is?) However, it’s been my experience that most police officers don’t do a dang thing to soldiers as long as what they are doing does not endanger anyone else’s life. (If it does, they call the MPs.)  So caught drunk driving, they’d have the MPs called, getting caught drinking in a bar, they’d be ignored.

But yes, it is illegal.

[Jermofoot]

I was going to say that it should be available to all 18 year olds, not just military personnel (yeah, give the guys with the guns alcohol - smart), but Yanny already elaborated on that.

What’s interesting is that it was basically a federal mandate, and they strong-armed all the states into adopting it by withholding federal funds for interstate creation and improvement.  I believe the republic of Texas (where I’m from) held out for some time until they needed that sweet, sweet cash from their sugardaddy, and, even then, people still got away drinking and driving (still do, I’m sure).

I definitely found alcohol more appealing when it was forbidden, and I’ve definitely chilled out about now I can get it anytime besides Sundays.

[Jennifer]

Personally, I think it would be best to allow drinking at the age of ten, if with your parent or guardian.  At least a glass of watered down wine with dinner, for pete’s sake even the American Medical Association has come to admit that wine is good for you in moderation and how many thousands of years did our forefathers survive on sweet wine with all their meals?

We can limit hard alcohols to age 21.  But let the lighter stuff be available to teach children moderation.

[AgentOrange]

I like your approach Jennifer.  In fact, my mom told me that at age 15, she would sit down and have a drink with me, if only to teach me that alcohol is really no big deal.

Yes, I do know what Agent Orange was.  But it has been my tag of choice ever since I went on cruise in 2004.  I came up with it when we were playing Halo every night for about a month straight. (I know this came up in another topic.)

[Guest]

The only issue there is the effect of alcohol on developing brains (puberty age).

I mean, look at France.  Lots of alcohol from an early age.  Is that REALLY the direction we want to go?  LOL

[Jennifer]

Well, I really wasn’t thinking of getting children drunk.  But I see no harm in a glass of watered down wine with dinner 3 nights a week for children age ten.  And with all the studies comming out showing that wine, in moderation, is good for you, I can see some benefits.

Obviously, hard liquors such as my favorite, Vodka (but only if it comes from Mutha Russia!), Brandy, Scotch, etc would still be prohibited until an appropriate age.

[Guest]

Two issues there Jen…

1.  The studies you cite were done on adults, not on children.

2.  Back to the start of this discussion… what is an “appropriate age”?

[Jennifer]

I’d say appropriate is when the government decides you are mature enough to die for your country.  After all, if you can poison yourself with tobacco at 18, why can’t you help your health until you are 21?