# Woke up this morning a legal adult **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869 "2005-07-17T12:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/1 "2005-07-17T12:15:50Z")
Yep. Evidently after all these years the government thinks I’m finally old enough to be responsible for my own actions :rolleyes: Can’t say as I feel any different today than any other day. A bit tired maybe–I haven’t been getting up this early over the summer. I registered for selective service yesterday. I tried to register to vote online, but it seems you have to do it in person or by mail. Hmmm. Aside from that, I can start working on a good credit score, and drive a car between midnight and 6 A.M. Exciting, right? What did you all do for/on your 18th birthday? ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/2 "2005-07-17T12:17:38Z")
… and my first action as a legal adult? Posting MPSIMS in IMHO 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/3 "2005-07-17T12:37:54Z")
Mine wasn’t really all that fun. I developed a migraine about halfway though a read-through of the script of the show I was directing. When I got home, I was feeling really awful, and apparently didn’t show enough enthusiasm for my presents (apparently my not feeling well and extremely tired state didn’t excuse me from faking extreme excitment), my parents got mad at me. I think it ended with me storming out of the room to go sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/4 "2005-07-17T12:41:02Z")
Buy a lottery ticket Buy discreet adult entertainment Go drinking in… well almost anywhere except the US ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/5 "2005-07-17T13:26:13Z")
MIne probably went something like this: Got up. Went to school. Came home. Went to bed. (With a few other things in between) You don’t really get to do anything new at 18 in here. Not that I did anything on my 19th either (though I probably had the day off work). ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/6 "2005-07-17T14:58:47Z")
Conrats. Back in my day you could buy Beer and Wine at 18. On the day I Pretty much danced around like a kid needing to go to the bathroom until the Liquor Stores opened. I did not behave responsibly in drinking anymore than I did in any other part of my 18 yo life – but there were few consequences for me personally. I was that significant part of the crowd that was way, way too immature to be drinking at 18 and screwed it up for you and those in your cohort who would have drank responsibly at 18. Sorry ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/7 "2005-07-17T15:05:02Z")
Well… You can buy tobacco products now. Time to start working on a case of lung cancer? Could always go buy a cigar. One won’t kill you, and there’s a good chance you’ll get carded and have to show your ID. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/8 "2005-07-17T16:23:32Z")
Congratulations! I turned 18 last year. I registered to vote and spent most of the evening and night finishing a paper that was due the next day. Whee. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/9 "2005-07-17T16:32:45Z")
This Thread would have been _even more_ interesting if it had been entitled: “Woke Up This Morning _With_ A Legal Adult”. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/10 "2005-07-17T17:30:07Z")
Among my group of friends in high school the tradition was to immediately go buy a pack of smokes. If you didn’t smoke you found someone who did (easy enough for us, at least a dozen of us smoked by age 16), got their money and bought them their choice. However, the funny part about our tradition was that NOT ONE OF US GOT CARDED. After years of waiting and embarrassing moments trying to buy underage when we turned 18 and went to buy our first legal pack, no one would card us. This happened to about fifteen of us. No exceptions. Even my friend Lacey, who did not smoke and wouldn’t normally pass for 16 didn’t get carded. Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/11 "2005-07-17T17:57:22Z")
I went to school. It was a Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Typically\_Sunday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Typically\_Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typically_Sunday)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/12 "2005-07-17T19:10:45Z")
It was a snow day, so I stayed inside and watched TV. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/13 "2005-07-17T19:41:00Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > This Thread would have been _even more_ interesting if it had been entitled: “Woke Up This Morning _With_ A Legal Adult”. Still working on that one there. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/14 "2005-07-17T20:34:49Z")
I bought a lottery ticket. I didn’t get carded because everybody knows everybody here. The clerk was like, “I can’t believe you’re 18, **Purl**! I remember when your _dad_ was 18.” (I don’t even know how my peers go in trouble without their parents finding out.) Anyway, I won a dollar, but lost the ticket before I could cash it in. A few months later, I voted in my first local election. Twenty-one looms in a month. I’ve no idea what I’m going to do, since it’s probably going to be too hot to think. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/15 "2005-07-18T01:11:52Z")
A friend took me out to lunch at Friendly’s. We walked over to a card store and I bought a scratch-off ticket (didn’t get carded). I won $2. I bought another ticket, and lost. Woo! ---
**Author:** ![gfloyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d2c977/32.png) [@gfloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gfloyd)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/16 "2005-07-18T01:21:54Z")
I went to the movies and to the beach with my best friend. My parents took us out to dinner. It was one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had. I’ll be 20 on Tuesday and I still haven’t bought cigarettes, lottery tickets or porn. I’ve only been carded going clubbing. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woke-up-this-morning-a-legal-adult/312869/17 "2005-07-18T01:32:48Z")
> [@gfloyd](#): > > It was one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had. I’ll be 20 on Tuesday and I still haven’t bought cigarettes, lottery tickets or porn. Uh… You’re in Davis, you’re not old enough to buy booze, and you haven’t bought cigarettes, lottery tickets, or porn. I thought that’s all there was to do in Davis? 😕