Teach Drinking?

As the blogging day began on a drinking theme, I thought I'd run this interesting article up the flagpole and see if anybody salutes.

From The Atlantic, by John McCardell

High-school seniors tend to hold romantic notions of college life: newfound freedoms, enlightenment, keg-fueled free-for-alls. But the last attraction has lately achieved a new prominence: at one major university, student visits to the emergency room for alcohol-related treatment have increased by 84 percent in the past three years. Between 1993 and 2001, 18-to-20-year-olds showed a 56 percent jump in the rate of heavy-drinking episodes. Underage drinkers now consume more than 90 percent of their alcohol during binges. These alarming rates have life-threatening consequences: each year, underage drinking kills some 5,000 young people and contributes to roughly 600,000 injuries and 100,000 cases of sexual assault among college students.

The way our society addresses this problem has been about as effective as a parachute that opens on the second bounce. Clearly, state laws mandating a minimum drinking age of 21 haven’t eliminated drinking by young adults—they’ve simply driven it underground, where life and health are at greater risk. Merely adjusting the legal age up or down doesn’t work—we’ve tried that already and failed. But federal law has stifled the ability to conceive of more creative solutions in the only place where the Constitution says such debate should happen—in the state house—because any state that sets its drinking age lower than 21 forfeits 10 percent of its federal highway funds. This is called an “incentive.”

So what might states, freed from this federal penalty, do differently? They might license 18-year-olds—adults in the eyes of the law—to drink, provided they’ve completed high school, attended an alcohol-education course (that consists of more than temperance lectures and scare tactics), and kept a clean record. They might even mandate alcohol education at a young age. And they might also adopt zero-tolerance laws for drunk drivers of all ages, and require ignition interlocks on their cars. Such initiatives, modeled on driver’s education, might finally reverse the trend of consumption by young people at ever earlier ages. Binge drinking is as serious a crisis today as drunk driving was two decades ago. It’s time we tackled the problem like adults.

John McCardell is a president emeritus and a professor of history at Middlebury College.

Growing up in New Orleans beer and wine were always in the house, with a fine Bourbon added to the mix during the winter holidays and Mardi Gras. Everything ended with Lent. I was told that if I wanted to try anything to do whatever it was in the house with everyone around. Don't be ashamed. It would come to light sooner or later, anyway so save everyone the embarrassment.A good rule, at least to me.

When there was a Crawfish or Crab Boil I was always given a beer - or two as I got older. Nothing was ever denied. During the holiday season it was not uncommon the my family to enjoy a highball and by age 14, I was enjoying one, as well. Truth be told, nobody in the family had a drinking problem - it was all taken for granted that certain foods and seasons called for certain elements to give more pleasure to the family as a whole. I realize that if this was family tradition in some states today, my parents would be arrested and I'd be a ward of the state. Thank G*d for a Cajun childhood.

As a result of this I suppose, unique upbringing, I didn't feel the need to binge drink. Oh sure, I've had days and nights of excesses - both food and drink - so no, I ain't no angel, cher.

When I moved to NYC the drinking age was 18 and for years there was pressure from the neighboring states of New Jersey, and Connecticut to raise the legal age to 21, as was the law in those states. The argument was that 18 to 20 year olds were flocking to NYC where they could drink legally and those states were losing revenue. To me that didn't hold water. Since they couldn't legally drink in their home state anyway, how did this cause a revenue drop? Never did get a satisfactory answer to that one. The prudes finally won out and the age was bumped up to 21. I forget what the year was, and who cares, anyway?

What I found most infuriating and unfair was that it was OK for an 18 year old teenager to go to Viet Nam and die as 'a man' for his country, but at home he was still 'a child', legally speaking. Just my two-cents, plain.

Well, Cheers!

Note: The image above is a Sazerac cocktail, the official cocktail of New Orleans. If it wasn't so damned hot and humid I would have one this evening. However, I think a G & T would be a better choice.

Maybe more later. Maybe not.

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