New Drinking age proposal

[AN E30 Fan 1]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article....jectid=10666902

Just wanted to get everyones opinion on it,

I personally disagree with it, it won't stop under 18's getting their hands on alcohol. If it went through, you would be able to buy a pack of cigarettes, die for your country, vote and drive but at the end of the day you can't go into a liquor store and buy a beer.

Opinions?

[E36ShoppingTrolley 7]

well im 17 and no it wont stop me or anyone else, it would be impossible to stop underage teens accesing alcohol. but i agree with some of the governments ideas to reduce the harm. i think the best think they could do to reduce harm from alchohol would be to illegalize rtds.

[*Glenn* 854]

I think the best think they could do to reduce harm from alchohol would be to illegalize retards.

I agree with you there

[cliffdunedin 8]

I think more could have been done, but it is a definite first step!

When the drinking age was 20 you were still having 17/18 year olds accessing alcohol but the 12-15 range was very very low as opposed to now when that range are able too access it more readily.

Being a 17 year old you are obviously not going to be happy with any law changes surrounding alcohol.

imo the biggest mistake was lowering the drinking age in the first place

[Grant 4]

Stop your whinging, the minimum alcohol purchasing age is 21 here and very strictly enforced. I still get ID'ed nearly everytime I buy beer and I am significantly older than 21.

I think that the blanket mimimum age of 18 is too young. I quite like the split drinking age that is being proposed, and the reasoning behind it. It makes sense to me and seems to be a fair compromise.

I have no issue with people drinking when under the supervision of their parents (or the like). Way back when I was a teenager we would often have a few beers when at functions that were supervised. My experience also shows that there is normally a massive maturity difference between an 18 year old and a 20 year old.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Grant

[E36ShoppingTrolley 7]

I think more could have been done, but it is a definite first step!

When the drinking age was 20 you were still having 17/18 year olds accessing alcohol but the 12-15 range was very very low as opposed to now when that range are able too access it more readily.

Being a 17 year old you are obviously not going to be happy with any law changes surrounding alcohol.

imo the biggest mistake was lowering the drinking age in the first place

I agree the law change doesnt benefit me, but i dont binge drink or cause harm. i pose less risk than somebody overage who does drink to excess and cause damage. the law change may not benefit me but i can comment on my opinion on whether it will work or not and its only a small step, and will not change alot. the government has to walk the fine line of preventing alcohol harm, and preserving people's rights to enjoy alcohol sensibly.

[AN E30 Fan 1]

I agree with you there

LOL

I reakon harder laws and more policing on under 18 drinkers, I too am 17, living in Spain atm and the drinking rules are 18 here but as we all know its not even close to being as strict as laws in NZ. In the whole time I have been here, I haven't heard of or seen on the TV about under 18 drinking problems.

I think its because they grow up with a glass of wine at dinner so therefore alcohol just becomes like another drink.

[Grant 4]

LOL

I reakon harder laws and more policing on under 18 drinkers, I too am 17, living in Spain atm and the drinking rules are 18 here but as we all know its not even close to being as strict as laws in NZ. In the whole time I have been here, I haven't heard of or seen on the TV about under 18 drinking problems.

I think its because they grow up with a glass of wine at dinner so therefore alcohol just becomes like another drink.

I think you have hit the nail on the head.

New Zealand and its binge drinking mentality makes it a bigger issue there than most other places.

[Apex 693]

It’s not going to change anything, the Indian fellow at one of the 10 liquor shops in Papakura will still more than happily supply alcohol to any under aged persons uncle/aunty mother or father just as they did when I was 14 or 15 and the age was 20 or 21.

Going to make it way harder for me to stalk out 18 year old drunk chicks at the pub though

[AN E30 Fan 1]

Going to make it way harder for me to stalk out 18 year old drunk chicks at the pub though

Nope you will still be able to do that Graham,

Purchase age is 20 at a liquor shop but 18 at pubs, bars and clubs

Edited August 24, 2010 by AJ_D

[dubman 39]

The new drinking laws are pretty BS, wont stop anybody getting booze in their hands. Only effective way of stopping underage drinking is raising alcohol prices, and eliminating RTD's, as this will make alchohol less affordable and not as nice to drink. However, raising the alcohol prices is BS as well, due to it being unfair to all the legal people, the Voters.

NZ's binge drinking culture is pretty bad, when i go to Asian parties, most people are fine to walk, and the only ones who get hammered are the depressed and light weight But, when i go to a party who are mostly European NZ, everyone's screaming and wasted. Young NZer's (the general NZ youth population) view alcohol differently compared to other culture.

My experience and opinion anyways

[AN E30 Fan 1]

I think if more people viewed it as acceptable so give their teenagers a glass of wine or a beer at dinner then it wouldn't be so appealing to drink so heavily at weekends. If they got more use to the idea of a beer as a drink that they enjoy instead of a way to get drunk then the situation would be very different.

Or make beer and wine buying age 18 and harder stuff including RTDs 20. Similar to what Germany have.

Puts flaming suit on

Edited August 24, 2010 by AJ_D

[Lucan 196]

Eliminating RTDs will just force youth onto the hard stuff.

Now im 22 I say raise the limit to 21, nevermind this split business

[Nu-Del 0]

Stuff article

Research found that 92 per cent of New Zealand's heavy drinkers were 20 years and over, and 70 per cent were 25 and over.

Thats the bit that gets me, yes i know they are trying to fix the problem when they are younger so there are less flow on effects as they get older... But it seems they might be aiming at the wrong people a little?

[Grant 4]

Stuff article

Thats the bit that gets me, yes i know they are trying to fix the problem when they are younger so there are less flow on effects as they get older... But it seems they might be aiming at the wrong people a little?

I didn't read the article, but I suspect you are confusing heavy drinking with binge drinking. They are two different animals.

I don't doubt that most heavy drinkers for over 20, with the majority of them being over 25.

I also think that most binge drinkers would fall into the under 25 year old, and a high proportion of these being under 20.

I suspect that the logic is that by reducing the binge drinking in the under 20 year olds, the flow on effect will be that there will be less heavy drinkers in the future (as the binge drinkers become heavy drinkers).

Edited August 24, 2010 by Grant

[Linden 0]

I work at a liquor store and half our sales are RTDS, eliminating these will send young people straight onto spirits and not beers which is far worse in my opinion.

[Grant 4]

I work at a liquor store and half our sales are RTDS, eliminating these will send young people straight onto spirits and not beers which is far worse in my opinion.

Out of interest, what would you say the demographic is for the average RTD buyer compared with say 1) spirit buyer or 2)beer buyer?

[dubman 39]

4 bottle's of RTD's vs. 4 Shots. Which tastes better and which is easier to drink down without being conscious that you already had 4 standard drinks? Not everybody likes drinking hard liqour, i.e females. (plus the hangover's worse if you drink hard liqours). Getting rid of RTD's isnt a magical solution to eliminate binge drinking, but it does help.

[E36ShoppingTrolley 7]

for example. cody's colts(bourban and cola) are a popular drink. one 250ml can(equivalent to a small can of v) contains two standard drinks. drink 6 of those small cans and it is the equivalent to 12 standard drinks, and teenagers drink its like it is the sweet cola it tastes like. that amount of alcohol, coupled with the small space of time that they are consumed in, leads to problems.

[Apex 693]

I must be very ignorant and naive because, yes I am, because I really fail to see how drinking is a problem, it looks to e the straight and boring people who have the problems.

I may be alone but I did and still do really enjoy catching up with mates, drinking way too much and having fun.

Banning RTD’s won’t do sh*t, the guys will drink beer or buy a bottle of cheap whisky (and pass out) and the girls will just down some cheap bubbly crap.

[$toffz 0]

After a couple of years of nailing back 2-3 dozen a week plus the money I was spending on bar drinks(Good ol Uni years), I calculated that i could have paid for a M50 trandsplant and all the other bits pieces i wanted.

I drink maybe 6 beers a month now if that and the bank account is far healthier.

The amount you pay for a drink should be based on your age, so if you're 1 years old and you want a beer fine buts a $ 1 Million dollars, if you're 18 its $35, once you hit 65 you get paid to drink.

[Tristan 338]

I'm 18 so naturally, purely for personal reasons oppose the change

Of law; but if I take the view of the majority who is say, over 30 - then of course the change of law is necessary, IMO not

So much to stop 17-20 year olds accessing Alcohol but more to prevent 14-15 year olds from drinking, which is necessary to change the youth drinking culture of New Zealand.

[*Glenn* 854]

IMO...it's all about education, which must start at home, and in alot of cases it doesn't unfortunatley. There is little discipline in the homes these days and much less elsewhere as well. If there is no discipline taught, how can people self discipline themselves and control what they do ? I personally don't think the law changes will have any effect on the ones causing the problems and the ones who are responsible get penalised for it.

[Apex 693]

Fully agree, growing up were given a beer on special occasions and were purchased alcohol at an earlier age and drank at home with parents.

There are far greater evils out there that these self righteous straight people should be worried about, I know of a few mates who have lost everything and had start over again and again because of them, a binge drink every now and then is not a grave concern IMHO.

[cliffdunedin 8]

I think its because they grow up with a glass of wine at dinner so therefore alcohol just becomes like another drink.

Fully agree, it's our culture of binge drinking which is the main problem and what is learn't from a young age.

Education would help but it appears we are too far along for it too be really effective.

when i go to Asian parties, most people are fine to walk, and the only ones who get hammered are the depressed and light weight

From my experience in hospo, Asians binge just as much as any other culture, but generally speaking...get crunk than go home earlier on!

Eliminating RTDs will just force youth onto the hard stuff.

Hard stuff is more expensive than rtd's...meaning more $$ = less availability to the really young.