Education key to drinking responsibly

In Vermont, John McCardell, the president emeritus of Middlebury College, is stumping for a… In Vermont, John McCardell, the president emeritus of Middlebury College, is stumping for a cause that is neither new nor incredibly achievable – even though it might just be a good idea.

According to ABC News, McCardell recently founded “Choose Responsibility,” a non-profit organization dedicated to rolling back the drinking age from 21 to 18 after granting “drinking licenses” to those who complete an extensive alcohol education program.

Let’s face it, rolling back the drinking age from 21 to 18 in the United States might be as achievable as getting the entire population to drive vegetable oil-powered cars. That’s to say, it’s not happening any time soon.

But, while most scientists agree that alternative fuels are the key to protecting the sanctity of our planet, the school is still out on whether lowering the American drinking age is a good idea.

McCardell’s primary interest in the issue comes from his role as a university administrator, claiming that he was tired of facing what he calls “two impossible choices,” between policing underage drinking and turning a blind eye toward the activity that takes place on nearly every American college campus.

McCardell points to two recent studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control ‘ Prevention that suggest underage binge drinkers are turning to hard liquor as their main alcohol source. McCardell believes that these statistics can be attributed to the fact that liquor is easy to smuggle in water bottles – which can be convenient for underage drinkers hoping to conceal the illegal activity – and makes it easier to get drunk.

McCardell’s case makes a lot of sense. If college students are going to be drinking at age 18, regardless of the law, it is safer to put them in an environment where they are experimenting with alcohol for the first time under the supervision of their parents, rather than in a college environment, where inexperienced drinkers can feel pressured to binge drink.

It is a fact that there have been less instances of alcoholism and deaths stemming from binge drinking in European countries, which have much more lax (if any) drinking restrictions upon their citizens.

But it is also a fact that the United States, as a country, is known for, well, over-indulging in unhealthy activities. We are the country, remember, that invented the term “Supersize me.”

So, it is impossible to predict that allowing citizens to drink at a younger age would have a significant effect on the levels of binge drinking in our country.

In the end, special interest groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the nearly unanimous views of our Congress – the majority of whom, curiously enough, came of age long before the 21 drinking age was imposed – will prevent legislation like McCardell’s proposal from ever being implemented.

But, just as the restrictions on drinking may be inevitable, so is the fact that students on college campuses will continue to drink underage, which is why we need to teach teenagers about responsible drinking and proper action to take if they find themselves in a dangerous situation.