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Over here it works, dunno why it couldn't work the same in the US.

MTV.

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I never drank until I turned 21. It really bothers me to see underage kids drinking. They don't do it responsibly most of the time, not saying that all legal people do, but they exploit themselves and their booze when they do drink.

Well that's funny. You see, I live in europe, I've been able to purchase low graduation licor(beer and wine) since I was 16, and harder stuff since I was 18. Now I'm 20, which happens to make me an underage drinker according to your standards.

The irresponsible conduct you see in america derive's form one thing, cultural repression.
With alcohol being a taboo teens feel repressed and when they manage to get their hands on licor they are much more likely to behave irresponsibly. Instead of demonizing booze it should tolerated and integrated better into youth culture. If a teen get's to drink a glass of wine ocasionally with a family meal, or have a beer with his dad watching a game he's much less likely to see the substance as something worth OD'ing on, simply because it's not a novely to him and it's not prohibited.
Over here it works, dunno why it couldn't work the same in the US.

I've never had a drink in my life. I didn't when I was underage and I haven't now that I'm actually legal. I've personally never been curious of how alcohol tastes or how it makes you feel.

I think it's sad that many teens don't realize the dangers of underage drinking. Sure, there's people who can hold their liquor and who have done it and nothing bad happens. But there are also those teens who become alcoholics. There are those teens that get behind the wheel after having more than their share of alcohol and those who made poor decisions because the alcohol had impaired their decision making skills. I've known many teenage girls who had sex and ended up pregnant while they were drunk and far too many who have had automobile accidents because of it. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that not only is drinking excessively bad for your health but it also leads to bigger mistakes along the road because of it.

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How so?

from a young age we're bombarded with propaganda essentially about how drinking and sex are bad

Meanwhile in europe (which has roads with no freakin speed limit!) autocrashes are massively lower and if you can see over the bar and pay for it you can get booze ranging from beer (actual good beer, which is a forgein concept to americans) to hard alcohol. American logic suggests that more teens would be dying in horrendus accidents but the rates even when adjusted for population are far lower.

The whole sexuality thing is another rant that I shall touch on later

Thanks for your responses guys.

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Originally posted by ampmaster:
really this country needs to deal with two things, 1. booze and 2. our own sexuality. Neither of these things are handled well by America

How so?

booze is good

I have no issue with underage drinking because I do it myself and to say anything different would be hypocritical

really this country needs to deal with two things, 1. booze and 2. our own sexuality. Neither of these things are handled well by America

Eh. I only drink on New Years, at weddings, and sometimes at memorial parties (parties we have when people die). But I don't get drunk or anything; it's usually no more than one glass (unless it's New Years, of course :P). When people don't know when to stop, that's when it becomes a problem. Like Khary said, people just need to drink responsibly.

I began drinking when I was 18 and I'm still underage. I started because getting drunk, ordering pizza, and watching bad movies is a good time. Stupid drinking games are a good time. Getting pleasantly buzzed and leaving it at that is a good time. Alcohol in general is a good time, as long as you know when it's time to stop. The key to safe consumption is self-awareness, not abstinence, and that's all that really needs to be stressed to underage drinkers. Just drink responsibly.

I never drank until I turned 21. It really bothers me to see underage kids drinking. They don't do it responsibly most of the time, not saying that all legal people do, but they exploit themselves and their booze when they do drink. I watch in embarrassment as all these college freshman have their keg parties with cheap beer and they drink 10 beers and walk around going, "Wow I'm so drunk guys...look at me!" and the dance on the table top for a few minutes and then run to the bathroom to throw up. It's like, "Wow you're lame."