Drink: Allen Wrench

[Warrior Princess]

Oh yeah. NEVER and I do mean NEVER just add tang powder to vodka and think that'll be about the same. It's disgusting.

[magic_moose]

Originally Posted by bigdawg2121

Next you know you'll tell me that Natty and Beast are acceptable for consumption.

Fear not. I'm actually a classic cocktail kind of guy.

[KD5MDK]

Originally Posted by bigdawg2121

Next you know you'll tell me that Natty and Beast are acceptable for consumption.

I remember there being a story about a fraternity at OU that sent some pledges (ie, 18, 19 at the latest) to buy the beer for their upcoming party. The boys took off in a pickup truck and trailer, obtained the desired liquids in a moderately distant and rural location, loaded up the trailer and drove home. The State Policy stopped them on the highway because one of the gentlemen was standing on the back of the trailer hanging on.

The really amusing part was the report that they had 1500 cans of beer, with a retail value of $683 or something like that. We calculated it was impossible for that to be anything other than Beast.

Originally Posted by Capt. Slo-mo

I'm cancelling my child's plans to go off to college.

Immediately.

This is why it's critical to go to a school with taste and refinement, where they learn to stick to port and elegant cocktails. Wait, that's having the appropriate company at NACs...

[rcmatthews]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

This is why it's critical to go to a school with taste and refinement, where they learn to stick to port and elegant cocktails. Wait, that's having the appropriate company at NACs...

Aren't you a little young to be drinking port?

[Capt. Slo-mo]

I had some port on the plane to Korea last year. It was so sweet I wanted to throw it to starboard.

Brrump-ching!

But seriously, folks...new college kids and binge drinking is one of things that keeps parents up at night.

[bigdawg2121]

Not drinking until it's actually legal helps to allay some of those fears though...

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by pokey

It's ok! There were some of us who were actually dry throughout the vast majority of college.

Lies.


.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

Lies.


.

I haven't had a drink yet.

I'm special though, I'm planning to keep being one of the very few of those of us in my generation of my family to not end up in rehab....

[rcmatthews]

Originally Posted by bigdawg2121

Not drinking until it's actually legal helps to allay some of those fears though...

I disagree. I was allowed to drink a little at home with my parents before I was legal, and it made it less 'cool' in a certain sense.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by MyrddinsPrecint

I haven't had a drink yet.

I'm special though, I'm planning to keep being one of the very few of those of us in my generation of my family to not end up in rehab....

I was being facetious.


Just so everyone knows.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

I was being facetious.


Just so everyone knows.

No, really?????

[bigdawg2121]

Originally Posted by rcmatthews

I disagree. I was allowed to drink a little at home with my parents before I was legal, and it made it less 'cool' in a certain sense.

That may very well be but as to whether having a lower drinking age actually lowers the overall incidence of binge drinking is pretty hotly debated. I think my suggestion is probably the best way to Cap's specific fears of having a first year student away at school binge drinking. I doubt his kid will be over 21 freshman year.

[Warrior Princess]

I kind of got a C on this paper, but the facts are good...

5 October, 2007
Legal Drinking Age
Underage drinking is one of the most talked about issues in America today. Many people say that that age should be lowered from twenty one to eighteen, but quite a few people still oppose lowering the legal drinking age. Those people who believe that the drinking age should be lowered believe so because adolescents that are taught responsible drinking are more likely to drink responsibly later on it would also underline ‘eighteen as a legal adult’, laws that stress driving rather than drinking are more likely to lower impaired driving related deaths, and drinking can be better controlled in open environments.
Opponents of the lowering of the legal drinking age state that one is more mature at twenty one than at eighteen. While this is true, someone that was taught to drink responsibly at eighteen is much less likely to ‘binge’ drink (binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks in one sitting) (Engs 1). No matter what we do, teenagers are going to drink. In many European countries, like France, people are not forbidden to drink under the age of eighteen. This allows teenagers to get used to the idea of drinking responsibly and makes it less of a mystery for when they get older (Richburg). In the United States of America, the age where one is considered legally an adult is eighteen. Many people believe that if an eighteen year old is old enough to go fight and die for our country, they should at least be able to have a farewell drink in their home town (Hanson). Hanson, a college professor, also believes that college faculty should not need to enforce rules about underage drinking that they do not believe in. Many professors want to be able to treat their college students like the adults that they are expecting them to be. If an eighteen year old is expected to be an adult in every other way, why are they not able to drink as well? That is the question that many professors and other people are asking their legislatures.
Those who believe that the drinking age should remain the same believe so because since the 1980’s law upping the drinking age, there have been less alcohol related crashes (WiseTo). This is true, but laws focusing more on the driving than the drinking can be just as, if not more, effective as those restricting drinking ages (Richburg 1). In Europe, teenagers are legally able to drink as low as sixteen, but are not able to drive until the age eighteen (Richburg). Despite the fact that the drinking age is lower in Europe, the have comparatively less alcohol related traffic deaths (only about one quarter) than the United States (1). This could be because of the higher amount of public transportation, but it is more likely that this is because of stricter laws pertaining to driving. As a matter of a fact, the German Center of Alcohol and Addiction problems found the people eighteen to twenty one are involved in slightly less fatal alcohol related crashes than those in their mid to late twenties.
Many people who oppose lowering the drinking age seem to believe that if it is forbidden, teenagers won’t drink (AMA). This is completely inaccurate. Teenagers are going to drink no matter what is done about it (AMA), but if drinking is legal, it is easier to monitor (Engs 1). It is impossible to monitor how many drinks a kid has at a ‘kegger’ or an underground party, but it is quite easy to do in a bar (Engs). Teenagers are also much less likely to seek help when they or their friends have had dangerous amounts to drink if they are going to get arrested for seeking that medical help (WiseTo). In the monitored environment in Europe, some bars do not allow teenagers more than a certain amount of drinks, that way, it is up to an adult that knows much more about drinking to decide when the teenager has had enough.
In conclusion, the legal drinking age should be lowered from twenty one to eighteen because responsible drinking can be taught to legal adults, drunk driving is better solved with laws that emphasize driving more than the drinking, and drinking can be better monitored if it is done openly. As a rational teenager, I see the lowering of the drinking age to be one of the important steps in making the United States of America’s legal system more comprehensible.

Engs, Ruth C. Why the Drinking Age Should be Lowered: An Opinion Based on
Research. 20 Mar, 1998
<http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/cqoped.html

Hanson, David J. PhD. What About the Drinking Age?. “We Would all be Better off if
the Drinking Age were 18”. <http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/YouthIssues/1099068588.html>

WiseTo Social Issues Digest “Drinking Age Should Be Lowered to 18”. The Gale Group.
<http://socialissues.wiseto.com/Articles/FO3020630032/>

Richburg, Keith B. Washington Post Foreign Service “European Laws Place Emphasis
on the Driving, Not the Drinking”. 30 Dec. 2007. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35079-2004Dec29.html>

AMA “Brief History of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age”. Dec 2004.
<http://ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13246.html>

[KD5MDK]

In my somewhat limited but personsal experience in New Zealand and Germany, the lower drinking age did not reduce the quantity of alcohol consumed, or even particularly the style. In fact, the New Zealand college students drank a lot more than American ones, in my experience.

Originally Posted by rcmatthews

Aren't you a little young to be drinking port?

Good taste is never too early.

[bigdawg2121]

Originally Posted by Warrior Princess

<snip> An Essay </snip>

Hmmm....well you didn't really have a working thesis for most of the paper and you leave out a lot of relevant facts. What is the incidence of binge drinking (as defined by the 5 drinks per sitting rule) in European populations where the drinking age is lower? I've heard it's comparable or higher. If indeed the issue is the availability of public transport or stricter driving laws (as far as it pertains to traffic accidents/deaths) what are said laws and what is the difference percentage wise in citizens using transit (it's pretty big if I recall correctly)? Also, are there statistics on the tendencies of binge drinking between college-aged people that started drinking underage and those that did not in this particular country or some other where the drinking age is at least higher than 18 or, preferably, close to ours?...I'm not sure whetehr the facts have helped out the conversation much just yet...

[DE_Strip_Tease]

Originally Posted by rcmatthews

I disagree. I was allowed to drink a little at home with my parents before I was legal, and it made it less 'cool' in a certain sense.

I agree with rcm. My parents have always made it an open option so I wouldn't be so tempted to go out and get wasted at a party where I didn't know anyone. It's one of those things that new college kids get into because they know they can get away with something their parents have held them off from for so long.

[Warrior Princess]

I told you it got a C. The informations is good though.

[wahrman]

I came up with this drink one night in Grad school, the Schwartzjäger.

Two parts Black Death Vodka and one part Jägermeister.

The first one tastes a bit, um, strong. The second and third are brilliant.