2008 Woodie Awards
The drinking age should be lowered
Point
Ben Brown-Steiner
Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: Opinion
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The legal drinking age in the US should be reduced to 18 primarily because the socially acceptable drinking age is around 18, and this dichotomy between what is legally acceptable and what is socially acceptable creates unneeded dangers for our nation's youth. To explain why, I have three questions to explore. First, how many people do you know who have gone until their 21st birthday without ever consuming alcohol? Second, how strictly is underage drinking enforced, particularly on college campuses? Finally, for context, how does the legal drinking age compare with the rest of the world?
In looking at the first question, barring religious or medical reasons, it is well accepted that those that reach their 21st birthday without drinking any appreciable amount of alcohol are an exception to the majority. I had my first full beer when I was 20, and even that is an exception when compared with the rest of our country. Most have their first drinks in college, many in high school, and some even sooner than that.
For the second question, drinking alcohol in grade school is unanimously frowned upon and strictly enforced. Drinking in high school is still frowned upon, but to a lesser degree. Enforcing strict drinking rules on high schoolers is more difficult because of their newfound freedom and independence. In colleges, underage drinking is barely frowned upon, and rarely enforced, especially when the drinking is happening in dorms, fraternity or sorority houses, and other private, often wild and crazy, venues.
In addition, many parents expect their children to drink before they turn 21, and many try to talk to them or guide them in how to be responsible drinkers. Indeed, parents who don't try to teach their children responsible drinking before they turn 21 are either naive or simply don't care. So, those of us in the USA find ourselves in this contradiction: it is illegal to drink until you're 21, but many people, parents included, feel that it is socially acceptable, or even socially expected, to drink before you turn 21.
In looking at the first question, barring religious or medical reasons, it is well accepted that those that reach their 21st birthday without drinking any appreciable amount of alcohol are an exception to the majority. I had my first full beer when I was 20, and even that is an exception when compared with the rest of our country. Most have their first drinks in college, many in high school, and some even sooner than that.
For the second question, drinking alcohol in grade school is unanimously frowned upon and strictly enforced. Drinking in high school is still frowned upon, but to a lesser degree. Enforcing strict drinking rules on high schoolers is more difficult because of their newfound freedom and independence. In colleges, underage drinking is barely frowned upon, and rarely enforced, especially when the drinking is happening in dorms, fraternity or sorority houses, and other private, often wild and crazy, venues.
In addition, many parents expect their children to drink before they turn 21, and many try to talk to them or guide them in how to be responsible drinkers. Indeed, parents who don't try to teach their children responsible drinking before they turn 21 are either naive or simply don't care. So, those of us in the USA find ourselves in this contradiction: it is illegal to drink until you're 21, but many people, parents included, feel that it is socially acceptable, or even socially expected, to drink before you turn 21.
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