I grew up with — and, obviously, survived — the 18-year-old drinking age

By Darrell Laurant

Published: September 10, 2008

I grew up with — and, obviously, survived — the 18-year-old drinking age.

Would I recommend lowering that limit again? Uh … no. Not across the board.

The problem with laws is that they tend to be universal. So while the college presidents who are calling for a lowering of the age restriction might be making sense in terms of their own domain, they should realize that this would apply to all 18-year-olds, everywhere.

What makes for an awkward situation in college is that you have gatherings of young people (fraternity and sorority parties, dorm parties, etc.) where some of those in attendance can drink legally, others can’t, and it’s hard to tell the two groups apart.

It’s also true, as college presidents like Betsy Muhlenfeld of Sweet Briar have pointed out, that kids are going to find ways to get alcohol and consume it, regardless of the law. When the drinking age was 18 in New York, many in my peer group started at 16.

The main reason I would be reluctant to fiddle with the age requirement is that I know from experience that people in that 18-21 group tend not to do things in moderation. And when not drinking in moderation crosses paths with not driving in moderation, the results can be scary.

In one sense, I’d like to see a 19-year-old be able to enjoy some of the benefits of a lower drinking age (primarily, being able to attend certain social events). But then again, I’m not sure I’d want to share the highway with him or her.

Yet I can also envision opportunities for compromise. Lowering the age to 20 might be one of them. When I was a college freshman in North Carolina, the drinking age was 18 for beer but 21 for everything else.

Or what if a “drinking license” could be issued that would allow those in that “in-between” demographic to consume alcohol at college functions, at home, or on military bases? It would not allow them to purchase beer, wine or liquor in a grocery store, convenience store, bar or ABC store. It would allow no tolerance for drinking and driving. Moreover, in order to get that license, the applicant would have to undergo an hour or two of alcohol education.

Education? Sure. We often treat drinking the same as sex when it comes to young people — if we don’t tell them anything about it, we think, they won’t do it.

In fact, there are things about alcohol consumption that you may not know if you haven’t done it before. Things like …

- The bell curve effect. There is a temptation to think: “Gee, if I feel this good after three beers, imagine how good I’ll feel after 10.” It doesn’t work that way, and once you crest the curve, you’ll regret every drink thereafter.

- Liquor has a delayed response with many people. When someone wakes up with no recollection of the night before, it’s usually whiskey, vodka or tequila that’s the culprit.

- Just because a drink tastes like fruit juice doesn’t mean it isn’t strong.

- You have the right not to drink, no matter what your friends say. One thing I’ve noticed is that we’re becoming less inclined, as a society, to push alcohol on people who don’t want it.

Once this “license” was issued, any abuse of alcohol would be cause for it to be snatched away.

For we can argue about the negative effects of alcohol until long past closing time, but the fact remains that it’s part of our culture. Perhaps it’s not a bad idea to introduce young people to it gradually — with limits.