I am very interested in what people think of this. The illegality of drinking under 21 is a deterrant to few, and a good excuse to others who really don't want to go out drinking since they can say "no thanks" a lot more easily if drinking is illegal. I wonder what kind of message it sends to college students (who are bombarded with drinking education of some sort as a freshman; whether it be online courses they must pass, info sessions they must attend, statements they must sign, whatever) when the law says "no drinking" yet drinking is still a major issue on college campuses. A major topic of conversation between parents who had freshman at college last fall was how many freshman at the various colleges had to be sent to the hospital because of alcohol poisoning. Sad that this was yet another factor for parents and students to consider in choosing a college!

I don't know how I feel. I know some VERY mature for their age 18 yr olds, and know some 21 yr olds (and older) who still have some growing up to do.

Having grown up in, yes in, a bar environment, alcohol never really seemed that big of a deal to me. There was an open, unlocked, readily accessible liquor cabinet a few feet from my bedroom door, in which I never touched!

I know this is not the case for everyone, I know, I went to school with many of the extreme opposite from me lol.

I guess if they do lower it, and see that it just does not work, they can raise it again...they have done it before.

I do think that those that are 18 in the military should be able to enjoy a good drink now and then! They deserve it!

Becka+Chris= Nick 8 Michele 5 Wyatt 17 months
www.learnandgrowtogether.com

Just saw this interesting story in The Washington Post. There's lots of criticism of the proposal.

Survey data from ECU showed that the impact of phasing in the 21-drinking age between 1986 and 1989 was a dramatic increase in drinking, 50% more per occasion--a typical teen-aged response to being told not to do something that everyone else had done. NC responded by making underage drinking a criminal misdemeanor. The DA will not prosecute first-time offenders because it leaves them with a permanent criminal record. The Core Institute Student Survey of college students (http://www.siu.edu/departments/coreinst/public_html/) shows risky drinking has held steady for over 10 years, but increased last year. Like ECU, over 50% of underage college students engaged in at least one risky drinking event during the previous two weeks. The Nt'l Highway Traffic Safety Administration bienneial report, Traffic Safety Facts 2005 Figure 10 (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/TSF2005.PDF) shows that there is no difference in the change in the percentage of fatal accidents that are alcohol-associated across different age groups. The good news is that during the 80's and 90's there was a dramatic decrease in the percentages across all of these groups. But, one has to explain why the rate for 16 - 20 year olds went down while drinking went up. An estimate 1,700 college students will die with the cause of death listed as associated with alcohol--accidents, suicides, homicides, poisonings (see the NIAAA web site http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/). In sum, the 21-drinking age is another example of a catastrophic failure in social engineering that needs to be reversed.

I was born at a time when the drinking age was 18. My spouse comes from a culture where there is no drinking age at home, and in the pubs it is 16, but not really enforced.

In Europe where they don't make alcohol such a big deal and a specific grown up activity, they are not having the problems with underage drinking that we have here.

I would like to see us treating our young adults like young adults and not so much of the take control of every aspect of their life.

It becomes painfully obvious when you look at how hard it is to be coming into adulthood and everything in your life is still controlled why so many lose control.

We should try to have more faith in our children and trust them as they trust us. They are deserving of as many rights as older citizens have.

I agree with EcoMaMa.

I grew up in France and went to college there. Never was it a binge drinking party. Alcohol wasn't taboo and inaccessible. I heard about the parties from DH. I think that when you can't have something, it makes it more appealing.

its an interesting topic.. The amount of teens under 21 drinking is huge. I'm a bit two-sided on this topic, but I can see great benefits if they can drink in front of ppl as suggested in the article. If they're allowed to drink in front of others, I could see it decreasing the binge drinking as they would be less inclined to scull the hip flasks of spirits in order to get drunk b4 they go somewhere!

Amanda

I am in total agreement with funmom! Of course, as I said, I was raised in a bar...and I never became an alcoholic!

Becka+Chris= Nick 8 Michele 5 Wyatt 18 months
www.learnandgrowtogether.com

Teens using alcohol before attaining legal age, is a matter that is not getting attention as it deserves. Besides, health effects either of short term or long term, there are other issues that need attentions of parents. Like Drinking & Driving: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among youth ages 15 to 20. The rate of fatal crashes among alcohol-involved drivers between 16 and 20 years old is more than twice the rate for alcohol-involved drivers 21 and older.
Suicide: Alcohol use interacts with conditions such as depression and stress to contribute to suicide, the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25. In one study, 37 percent of eighth grade females who drank heavily reported attempting suicide, compared with 11 percent who did not drink.
Sexual Assault: Sexual assault, including rape, occurs most commonly among women in late adolescence and early adulthood, usually within the context of a date. In one survey, approximately 10 percent of female high school students reported having been raped. Research suggests that alcohol use by the offender, the victim or both, increase the likelihood of sexual assault by a male acquaintance.
High Risk Sex: Research has associated adolescent alcohol use with high-risk sex, for instance, multiple partners or unprotected sex. The consequences of high-risk sex also are common in this age group, particularly unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. According to a recent study, the link between high-risk sex and drinking is affected by the quantity of alcohol consumed. The probability of sexual intercourse is increased by drinking amounts of alcohol sufficient to impair judgment, but decreased by drinking heavier amounts that result in feelings of nausea, passing out, or mental confusion.
Source: http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensandalcohol.html