Since it is the beginning of the school year, I have seen a number of news stories about life on college campuses. With a college freshman this year I have some interest in these stories. One I saw this week was about binge drinking and the legal age for drinking. Needless to say, thinking about my 18 year old drinking is a bit nerve-racking. She is very level-headed and may choose to have a drink or two with friends but I can't see her getting totally ripped (maybe I am in denial, I know). I have told her if she ever finds herself in a situation she wants out of, she can call me, anytime. It helps that she is going to school close by and will be living at home for now.
Now, the story I saw was proposing that a lower drinking age will cause less binge drinking. Personally, I don't think binge drinking has as much to do with the legal age but more to do with poor role models and the demonization of drinking. Think about it, when you were younger and some authority figure told you not to do something didn't it make you want to try it? If drinking were allowed at a younger age (like many other countries) it would not have such allure and parents would have the chance to "teach" teens how to drink responsibly. Would there still be people with drinking problems? Sure. But I bet it would be less than we have now.
I have tried to set a good example for my children. Even when I only have a glass of wine with dinner, I don't drive home. I only drink in moderation and I don't get stupid. I didn't let my oldest sample drinks at home during high school because it was against the rules of her school. But recently I have let her have sips of my drinks and so far she hasn't found anything she even likes to drink.
I know some of you will think my position ignorant but trust me, I am well aware of the negative effects alcohol abuse can have on a family. I just think it is better to be realistic. Kids are going to drink. At some time they will reach legal age. Don't we have a responsibility to demonstrate moderation and encourage safe behaviors?
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Coming of Age-Drinking
at 6:37 PM
Labels: college, coming of age, underage drinking
2 comments:
I'm not sure about lowering the drinking age. When I was in high school the legal age was 19 and the 17 & 18 year olds were sneaking the drinks.
I heard a radio d.j. say that she thought kids who drink themselves into a stupor are just extremely depressed and hopeless about their lives. Not sure I agree with that either.
I do think that the best thing we can do for our kids is model responsible behavior, like you have.
I have issues with this one too, having a college sophomore. When I was in college the legal drinking age was 18 (it was raised to 21 later). We still had drunken pub crawls on campus, regardless of the legal age. I need to ponder this one some more before I decide whether I like the idea of lower the range.
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