The Drinking Age Quandary: 21 or 18?

Some college administrators and MADD extremists believe that lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 will cause massive amounts of drunken staggering and property damage. I beg to differ.

I am a traveling junkie. I love to visit different cultures and different cities in the United States. I have travelled through the Northeast, the Southeast, the Southwest, California, and more recently, the Northwest. What is consistent about these places is a love for going out. People love to get together with friends, go out to the bars, the clubs, music venues, etc., have a few drinks, trade a few stories, and relax. Similarly in foreign cultures, people also enjoy the interaction at places other than home. In Spain, kids and adults alike head out at night to walk through the cities, have late dinners, people-watch, and drink in cafes. In Greece, the clubs are filled to the walls with party-goers. In France, the streets are often packed with people during the day with street markets, fairs, and cafes. A natural human experience is wining and dining.

The difference that I've noticed between European cultures and American cultures is stress over drinking. In the United States, when you go to a bar you will inevitably find at least one person who is drinking as fast as possible, is concerned with the line for drinks, and is closely monitoring the clock for the doom of last-call. This is rare in Europe. Mainly the only concern is whether or not someone from the group is going to make it. In the US, the taboo of bar-drinking and getting drunk has been perpetuated in the pockets of adults, and released to the younger generation sometimes as early as high school, and tragically as late as college or beyond.

The culture of drinking in the US has been romanticized. Television shows offer specials on teen drinking and its pitfalls. Universities give lecture after orientation lecture on the dangers of drinking too much, pressures to drink, and situational disasters caused by drinking. Some parents refuse to even speak about it while their child is in high school, and are shocked to find out it may be an issue. Not surprisingly, kids are very attracted to drinking from a young age--the threat of punishment, the appeal of danger, and the hope to shock their superiors all keep the lustful zeal toward alcohol alive in US communities. Kids see that which isn't allowed, and they dive right in.

What would happen if the parents took this issue under their control? What if, as in Europe, parents started allowing their children to drink wine and beer moderately at an earlier age? Even further, what if the parents were the first to get their kids tipsy? A home is a controlled environment. You can monitor the alcohol intake. If a child has his or her first hangover in the comfort of their own home with the full support of their parents, what is the likely outcome? Sure, in some cases it may result in more drinking away from the parents. However, I believe that in most cases the child will learn from wise parents about the dangers. Kids can learn what is too much, what is acceptable, and when to stop drinking. Kids will learn eventually. Parents can develop their child's attitude toward drinking by exposing them and guiding them into a responsible consumer.

Will binge drinking get eliminated by lowering the drinking age? Will drunk driving be reduced significantly? WIll kids be less apt to form circles of 'drinking friends' as opposed to real friends? Probably not in the short-term. But, this problem is generational. The culture of drinking is fairly entrenched. By lowering the drinking age, we will be giving the opportunity to parents to educate and castigate about alcohol as necessary. And, after a generation or so, these problems will start to fade into history. By taking away the appeal and the mystery of the drug, you eliminate its emotional and rebel-draw.