2008 Woodie Awards
Free to choose, free to booze?
18 year olds can vote, leave home and join the army, why not drink?
Shabnam Mahmoudkhan
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: Another Voice
Hypocrisy surrounds the legal age limit of alcohol consumption in the U.S. In most states we can drive at 16, vote at 18 and serve in the military even earlier, yet we can't legally consume alcohol until the age of 21. It doesn't make sense.
If we are seen as adults by the age of 18, responsible and wise enough to sit behind the wheels of a car and help make decisions for our country, why do we have to wait three extra years to be allowed to drink?
The United States has one of the highest legal drinking ages in the world. Only India has a higher minimum age; in Delhi, you have to be 25 to purchase alcohol. The majority of countries in Europe have 18 as their minimum drinking age, and this is also the case in most other countries.
In Sweden, for example, the legal drinking age is 18. The legal age of voting, driving and clubbing are all 18, as well. But the minimum age of purchasing alcohol outside of clubs is 20.
Once again, we have hypocrisy. You can drink in bars, but you can't actually buy liquor from a store. Therefore there is an illegal market for making, selling, buying and consuming alcohol.
A lot of times, there are dangerous substances in homemade liquor, which can make underage drinkers sick and even have fatal consequences.
According to an article by Jennifer Pifer of CNN.com, there are nearly 11 million underage drinkers in the U.S., and 7.2 per cent of those 11 million are considered to be binge drinkers. So even though we aren't allowed to drink before turning 21 years old, a lot of us still do.
There are definitely risks involved with lowering the drinking age, but many believe that these risks can be minimized if the transition is handled correctly.
If we were taught by our families and in our schools to have a more relaxed attitude to alcohol, binge drinking could be avoided.
As young, curious and rebellious teenagers, we want to try forbidden things and be "cool." But if kids are taught at a young age how to drink in moderation, they will carry that lesson with them as they get older.
If we approach things realistically, we will see that our kids are drinking. Isn't it better to be there, to know exactly what they are consuming, and to teach them how to drink and do so responsibly?
If we are seen as adults by the age of 18, responsible and wise enough to sit behind the wheels of a car and help make decisions for our country, why do we have to wait three extra years to be allowed to drink?
The United States has one of the highest legal drinking ages in the world. Only India has a higher minimum age; in Delhi, you have to be 25 to purchase alcohol. The majority of countries in Europe have 18 as their minimum drinking age, and this is also the case in most other countries.
In Sweden, for example, the legal drinking age is 18. The legal age of voting, driving and clubbing are all 18, as well. But the minimum age of purchasing alcohol outside of clubs is 20.
Once again, we have hypocrisy. You can drink in bars, but you can't actually buy liquor from a store. Therefore there is an illegal market for making, selling, buying and consuming alcohol.
A lot of times, there are dangerous substances in homemade liquor, which can make underage drinkers sick and even have fatal consequences.
According to an article by Jennifer Pifer of CNN.com, there are nearly 11 million underage drinkers in the U.S., and 7.2 per cent of those 11 million are considered to be binge drinkers. So even though we aren't allowed to drink before turning 21 years old, a lot of us still do.
There are definitely risks involved with lowering the drinking age, but many believe that these risks can be minimized if the transition is handled correctly.
If we were taught by our families and in our schools to have a more relaxed attitude to alcohol, binge drinking could be avoided.
As young, curious and rebellious teenagers, we want to try forbidden things and be "cool." But if kids are taught at a young age how to drink in moderation, they will carry that lesson with them as they get older.
If we approach things realistically, we will see that our kids are drinking. Isn't it better to be there, to know exactly what they are consuming, and to teach them how to drink and do so responsibly?
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