Home› Politics & Debate
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options

Drinking Age Going Up to 21 ?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Politics & Debate
Does anyone know if the drinking age in England is going up to 21?

I've heard loads of rumours about it and I will actually be gutted if it's true - I've only just turned 18 !

If so, when is it going to happen and WHY ?!

Thanks

Comments

  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Apparently the smoking age has gone up too?!?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Delia_rocks wrote: »
    Apparently the smoking age has gone up too?!?

    Yeah the smoking age is 18 now

    It drives me mad, considering I used to get ID'd when it was still 16 anyway. I used to just jingle my car keys at them and they'd let it slide but that doesn't work anymore obviously!

    I'm 19 for gods sake :( though I do keep forgetting and sound really suspicious when they ask my age ... "I'm eightee... no NINETEEN!"


    EDIT; On topic, I've heard the rumours too and I'd probably cry, no idea if its true or not. :(
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah it went up to 18 in october
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I really hope not. Bang goes my social life :(
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ciggies have gone up to 18 years of age. Very much drinking age limit will be going up, alcohol lobby are far to powerful.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There was talk of age for sales of alcohol in shops to be restricted to 21, and pubs to continue serving to 18-21 year olds, so they can keep a closer eye on how drunk people are getting. Quit panicking, I'd love to be underage again :p
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thats a silly idea. They should take a look at the US and underage alcohol problems and how treating it as an evil and that little kiddies (such as legal adults for 3 years) need to be protected from it and the problems that it causes. Instead of treating it as something bad it should be seen as something that just is, have people learn to use it responsibly at a younger age instead of having it seen as something that you can use illegaly and be all sneaky and rebelous about.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think I will actually cry if it goes up .. I've waited ages to be 18 ! And it's a bit cheeky if you have to pay taxes and adult fares for everything when you're not even allowed a drink ..
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    God I hope it doesn't go up anytime soon! It'll mean I'll have to wait till August before I'm 21 :no:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Calvin wrote: »
    Ciggies have gone up to 18 years of age. Very much drinking age limit will be going up, alcohol lobby are far to powerful.

    Buying ciggies has gone up to 18 but you can still smoke them under that.

    I dont really care if the drinking age goes up or seeing as I'm over 21 now so it wouldnt affect me.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    LMAO

    No smokers in the pub, soon no Chavs. Sounds like time for a night out :p
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I wouldn't want my children growing up in a country where the drinking age is 21 - i am perfectly happy with the current legal limit for drinking alchol (which is over 5 with adult supervision), which makes farrrr more sense if you ask me. If you ban something it only makes it more attractive to teenagers and doesn't teach you how to respect it.

    I'd so got over going out and getting completely drunk by the age of 18 when i could legally drink which is surely no bad thing - hum who knows.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's probably a load of bullshit, but seriously if they do then I'm leaving this hole of a country asap.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well it wouldn't affect me :razz:

    But...what will 18-20 year olds do at the weekend if they can't get into pubs or clubs? It would be really sad for them! I think by that age you are old enough to go out like adults - you certainly want to!
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote: »
    Well it wouldn't affect me :razz:

    Or me!

    Seriously tho, they wont do it.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    As far as i'm aware this has come up again as a result of the following story -

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6953031.stm

    Which was due to comments by Chief Constable of Cheshire Peter Fahy during the investigation in the murder of Garry Newlove.

    However, my understanding is there are no plans to actually increase the drinking age from the government.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    its not the drinking age; you go past most corner shops and theres prominent displays '6 for £5 on Lynx Super' or whatever.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Even if you're over 21, it would still affect you. Clubs would be fucking dead compared to now D:

    I remember reading the arguments of one of the main people in support of this with one of the reasons being; "There is too much drinking in the 13 - 15 age group." How the FUCK is raising the age going to stop that? It's not like 13 year olds were walking into shops and passing for 18.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I usually go to over 21 places, or places where the majority of people are over 21 anyway, so it wouldn't affect me.

    Think it's daft though. It's 21 in America, and I saw people over there of 22 and 23, getting as paralytic as I used to when I first started drinking, that's just a bit embarrassing!
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There are controls on alcohol which should be brought in, this isnt one of them.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I hope they raise the age to 25; i've been wanting to buy moonshine for a while now. :D
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    CptCoatHanger wrote: »
    I hope they raise the age to 25; i've been wanting to buy moonshine for a while now. :D

    you could cook your own....:yum:



    Also, what would be the point of raising it up to 21? Lord knows we've got that in the states and it hasn't seemed to do us any good. It doesn't stop folks from drinking, all it does is force minors to find someone who is of age and get them to buy massive amounts of booze.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Very true about the clubs would be empty!
    In my usual thursday and saturday night out venues theyd be lookinjg at a loss of what 80-90% of people.

    And I'd cry too since I just turned 18 in October making what I've been doing since 16 legal :yippe:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    As far as I know, the government has no plans to increase the age at which you can buy alcohol to 21. I don't think they'd seriously want to pass such a law either. Given how much under-age drinking already takes place, a law like this would be completely unenforceable - it would be up to the retail sector to police it, and they're already concerned enough at the increase in the age you can buy tobacco. The last thing they need is yet more changes.

    Another group which would be more than likely to protest about such changes would be university students, of course... :p
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    Given how much under-age drinking already takes place, a law like this would be completely unenforceable

    The drug laws are totally unenforceable but they are still there - But then drug dealers dont really have the lobbying power of the alcohol companies.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    budda wrote: »
    The drug laws are totally unenforceable but they are still there - But then drug dealers dont really have the lobbying power of the alcohol companies.
    My initial response was to say that's a different issue, but after a few seconds thought, I decided - it isn't, frankly. The drug laws as they stand could only be enforced if absolutely huge resources and money was put into doing so, and that really wouldn't be realistic or sustainable. I think drugs laws need to be changed, although I remain to be convinced that a total legalisation is the solution.
Sign In or Register to comment.