Farm kids still need to be able to drive during their high school years.

Studies have shown that the incidence of habitual drunkenness is highest among the parents of drunks and the parents of teetotalers. Children who grow up with parents who treat wine as dessert rather than as a drug, tend to view it as a food item. Those who grow up with parents who view it as a drug will view it -that- way, and are more likely to use it that way.

Bror, don’t you mean “choose to get drunk” rather than “abuse alcohol”? Abusing alcohol is serving champagne with a steak.

The short version is that I’m with Bryan (@2). Lower the drinking age to some teenage level so that parents can teach kids proper social behaviors regarding alcohol, rather than keep it illegal and therefore illicit and therefore appealing to 18-year olds.

The thing that strikes me about the discussion of this issue is that the notion that parents ought to be teaching kids normative social behaviors, and not colleges or fraternities, is nowhere to be found. I think the college presidents’ tackling of this issue is geared towards paving the way for colleges and universities to include training on proper social behavior re: alcohol just like they train on other kinds of social behaviors. And that’s a mixed bag.

When I went to college, there were two types of parties: those thrown in an official capacity, and private parties. The official ones had wristbands and ID checks and were, all told, pretty sedate. Student servers would cut you off if you were obviously drunk, and campus security would be called if things got out of hand. I think they were even required to notify campus police that the party was taking place.

But, of course, those under 21 could not drink at such parties, so if they wanted to drink, they would go to the private parties, where there were no limitations on serving and things might well get out of hand.

I could see how lowering the drinking age to 18 might change the tendency of a person from drinking in unregulated, irresponsible, underground parties towards drinking in regulated, responsible, official parties. But there are a lot of factors at play.

And, of course, lowering the drinking age will in no way eliminate private parties or binge drinking. Some people will always want to drink to excess, and no law will change that.

To me, the more interesting question is the effect it would have on drunk driving. Again, my university, where most of the students lived on campus, allowed on-campus private parties and drinking in order (as I understand it) to discourage drinking and driving. They turned a blind eye to underage drinking, but then, I don’t recall any reported incidents of drunk driving, much less fatal ones.

I, too, am in support of changing the drinking age to 18 or 19. I think by the age of 21, many “children” are long gone from the family home and parents aren’t as able to be aware of alcohol abuse. In our home, our kids have seen their parents enjoy small amounts of alcohol at meals or in the evenings. We even let them have a small taste now and then.

I don’t allow my 16 year old to drink yet, but I do allow my 19 year old to have a beer or glass of wine with us in our house if she will not be doing any driving the rest of the night. I hadn’t planned on doing this with either of my kids, but I changed my plans in preparation for my daughter’s trip to Europe last spring. There she was allowed to drink, with parental permission given to the tour guides (good Lutheran people I knew and trusted as her teachers for 4 years). She has handled it well, both in Europe and at home. I really expect little problem from her even as she heads off to the infamous town of Mankato (where there have been way too many deaths due to extreme consumption of alcohol by 21 year olds at the state university there.

My son’s situation will be different because he is an athlete and is prohibited to consume alcohol in season by the state’s high school athletics governing board. He will be allowed to have a beer or wine off-season, but I haven’t started this practice with him yet.

Don’t assume we take alcohol abuse lightly. One side of our family has severe alcoholic tendencies, so I have consciously chosen my strategies of learning to communicate rather than stuff your emotions, exploring other outlets for frustrations and learning how and when to use alcohol. This all happens in the home! It absolutely won’t happen by chance at college (or wherever a person is a full three years after graduating from high school).

I assume similar feelings toward alcohol in the South would greatly inhibit the use of reason in these matters.

By the way, Joe, I would also be for removing drinking age laws altogether, but I figure you gotta start somewhere.

I think good drinking habits and even the temptation of overconsumption could be dealt with at a much younger age, before we begin asking people to make adult decisions and take responsibility for them. Binge drinking, alcoholism, and irresponsible prolonged adolescence are all encouraged and promoted by current law and many lives are needlessly ruined.

I would like to hear someone from MADD work to reasonably debate here on current drinking laws. They would be a powerful ally in these matters.