Distinct signs of early-onset dementia in your recent columns, Jeff. This one is a doozy - I suggest you pop over to the US where the legal drinking age is 21 and check out the scope of their "underage" drinking problem - ours is peanuts by comparison. Of course we don't have a Mexico that all the schoolies and Uni kids can flee to during breaks to booze up, but I suppose thanks to JetStar Bali is almost as good. For every deadbeat bogan or spoiled brat you can find that can't handle their drink, I can find you a responsible 18yo who can manage a night out without having their stomach pumped. Teenagers in World War II flew fighter planes, for God's sake - and we wet our pants at the thought of them driving a car at night with two passengers? No wonder the West is headed down the tubes. Maybe we should just wrap everyone under 21 in a rubber safety suit and have done with it?

After spending time on US university campuses, you will quickly see that reducing the drinking age to 21 does two things 1) drug abuse is far more common and its often easier to get than alcohol, and 2) rather than go into pubs and clubs etc young people simply have parties at home or in the streets, leading to Corey Worthington scenarios where police are called to deal with large groups in the streets. My other half is a primary school teacher. She is regularly told to F*** off by ten year olds, and worse! There is no disciplinray measures she can use other than a stern voice (she was recently told NOT to raise her voice to children in front of their peers, and not to exclude children from activities because of their bad behaviour, children who HIT and KICK other children are not dealt with, rather they are REWARDED on the days they don't kick and hit). So, 10 yr olds can do whatever they want, with no consequences, what do you think will happen when these kids turn 18 and have had a decade of no discipline, no harsh words, no condemantion of their bad behaviour. Show me an 18 year old that KNOWS he can do whatever he likes and just add alcohol!

There is no way the minimum drinking age should be lifted. Yes there are a few bad cases (or drunks) that spoil the party for everyone else, however that is true of most things. Getting drunk with your friends, and acting like an idiot is a rite of passage. It's all part of growing up. Those stiff upper lip characters preaching that the minimum drinking age should be lifted have either forgotten what it's like to be young, or never had the chance to let go and get plastered. Sure you don't need alcohol to have fun but embarrassing yourself, or puking on the side walk is just part of the teenage experience. It might not be glamorous but let’s face it - You’ve done it, and I've done it. Seriously ease up on kids a bit, their not as bad as today tonight makes out! They will not rob you, vandalise your car, knock you down in the street or spit at you. Doesn’t everyone deserve a little down time? Get over yourself. That mightier than thou approach to this just makes you look like a stuck up, old whinger! (Not aimed at you Jeff, just aimed at the general opinion) The only people I ever see making trouble at pubs are middle aged men with beer guts.

"darwin awards" compulsary training is something that our education system from preschool up seems to need for everybody. For those that are unaware the "darwin awards" are special recognition for behaviour that can only be described as being so unique it is reserved by those that are intent in ensuring that their gene pool is totally eradicated from the gene pool of human beings. Now the real problem may be that they are not really aware or capable of being aware of consequences to their own brand (sometimes alcohol encouraged by commerce) of behaviour. (its just business says the industry). If they are incapable of being aware then a pragmatist would say its genetics that we all can do without? If they are capable of being aware then its not a danger to expose them to an education subject called "how not to be eligable for a darwin award" Of course there is a danger of some doing what one has done and looking down the barrel of his missfired gun - to then be the victem of a "delayed fire". Some will say -ahh but I am quicker than a bullet. How do we learn lifes hard lessons in time to realise what we can and cant do? nothing new there -but thats no excuse

I was asked by Police to leave a hotel in Auckland NZ when I was 19 for being under-age, despite being well behaved and drinking a lemon-squash. When I stated that I was over 18, they replied you have to be 21. You can join the Army and serve overseas at 18. You can be trusted with a gun, but not a beer. Years ago it was 10 O'Clock closing and pub-behaviour was; well, sought of self regulating; that is, if you stepped out-of-line, someone in the bar would thump you. I think the trading hours are a far more pressing issue. Why do you need to drink at 4 or 5 in the morning ? My mother would say to me, "A good night out, finishes at midnight, otherwise your in for a bad morning". I read the other day that, liquor law amendments are currently before Qld parliament to allow, business's such as hairdressers, florists, limousine drivers and retirement homes to serve alcohol.

The law is a blunt instrument, Jeff, especially when we use it to try to prevent people hurting themselves or others. Whilst I totally support the idea of on the spot fines for people that smoke in cars carrying kids.....I still see it happen every day. The hanging sword isn't scary enough. The biggest threat to many young people is their idiot parents, who so often fail to provide a suitable example, or adequate education on how to live a happy, responsible life, usually because they themselves are utterly incapable of doing just that. Look at the recent reports on brawling at junior football - it beggars belief. So many young people are allowed to run amok, behave badly ~ and think it's ok. It's not ok. This is not limited to the use of alcohol, drugs or tobacco, it is a much broader issue. We owe our younger people much more than poorly policed rules about drinking. To me, that smacks of collective avoidance of our responsibility for nurturing young people from childhood to adulthood. The police, or nightclub bouncers, or the Department of Juvenile Justice can't be allowed to take on that role. It's up to us ~ parents, carers, responsible citizens.

hastheworldgonemad?, yo say its a right of passage, puking in the streets is part of growing up. Well let me tell you that you have a mile of growing up to do then. It is against the law to be intoxicated in public, it is against the law to puke in the gutter, it is anti social behaviour. The council and businesses spend millions a year to clean up your drunken mess. Grow up and get responsible.

Since when has it been illegal to be intoxicated in public and puke in the gutter?

One of the main differences today compared to 20 - 30 years ago, is that young males drink spirits when out. Not alot of beer drinking 18 yo getting around. Hence they throw down 8 -10 spirits in under one hour and are smashed. After talking with countless young people they say that alot of their peers go out to get smashed quickly and cheaply. This is the aim of going out. I can remember getting intoxicated when young, but it really was not our intention, we just drank alittle too much. The other thing which interests me is that they believe this behaviour is normal. Now in saying that i attended an Elton John concert at the vineyards and the 40 yo men and woman who were smashed was staggering. So i believe that alcohol abuse by all age groups has increased over the last 20 years. Raising the minimum age will not solve anything.

Kids today are expected to grow up quicker but don't have the responsibility to go with it. They are exposed to an "adult world" much earlier than before - just look at the media, movies, websites etc they are exposed to - and the pressures now to work, study and achieve. Most of the teenagers I see (I have a teenage daughter who's recently left school) are probably more focussed on work, study etc than I ever was; but their perception of life doesn't meet the reality . I think the 18 year old limit for alcohol is probably about right - but what about lowering the age for voting? There's been some discussion about The Loft Kid's protest - but what power do they have as they're too young to vote. We can match teenager's life with responsibility by giving them a voice by lowering the voting age to 16.