Lower drinking age could generate positive results

by John Stewart, sports editor

 

Recent controversy about the current drinking age law has been brewing, again.

In 1984, the United States enacted a National Drinking Age Act which did not allow anyone under the age of 21 to purchase, possess or consume alcohol.

Drinking has become a problem with adolescents, not because of the law but because of the uneducated use of alcohol.

If we lower the drinking age to 18, or even 19, it could produce good results for the young adults and teenagers who abuse the use of alcohol. For example, a teenager could be taught how to drink responsibly by parents, or even have the parents introduce alcohol to a young adult, instead if peers.

With the drinking age lowered, young college students wouldn’t be forced to attend house parties where there is no supervision. If I was able to enter a bar and drink legally at 18 or 19, there would at least be someone there to keep me in line and supervise.

Then there comes the rebellious personality out of a teenagers wanting to experience these things for themselves. If taught properly how to drink responsibly and be exposed to these situations, it could be helpful to the college students who don’t know how to handle the situation and end up in a driver’s seat thinking they are safe to drive but actually not.

College students who experience a drinking or party atmosphere and are educated about alcohol know to find someone who is sober to drive. I know this. I have been in the exact situation. It just has to be done safely.

The United States has some of the strictest drinking age laws in western civilization, and it’s one of the nations with the most drinking-related problems. The only reason no state has adopted a law saying someone under 21 can drink is blackmail by the government with highway funding for those states.

The decline in drinking and driving incidents since prohibition is not because of the law. It is because people, over time, learn how to adapt to the situations, including technology. Lower speed limits, safer automobiles, taxi services and more education of how to handle intoxication has helped this cause.

If responsible drinking would be taught somehow, whether in schools or at home, cutting classes and lower grades due to hangovers could be reduced, along with abuse of alcohol by students during the week. Most people who regularly attend parties, including myself, have drank on weekdays. Some can handle it, and some can’t.

Maybe in order to help this situation of young lives being ruined by alcohol abuse, we can turn it around to help teenagers learn how to drink responsibly with classes.