Eighteen is the age where our dreams can now become realities. Finally, by law, we are considered ‘adults.’ Legally, we can buy ‘cigs,’ purchase spray paint, go to topless bars, and get charged with adult crimes. It seems as if all the freedom that we could ever want is within our reach; everything but the substance sometimes called “liquid courage.”
The ripe age of eighteen comes with many positives: being able to vote, the opportunity to move out, and of course the beautiful idea of college. With so many positives and rites of passage, why is it that the lingering idea of drinking is still taboo? If at eighteen we can choose to poison our bodies with the disgusting chemicals that lie within cigarettes and we can choose the leader of our country, then why not let us have the responsibility to choose which beverage we wish to consume.
Arguably, there are the scientific facts and studies that prove that our brains are not fully developed until early to mid-twenties. Alcohol can and does have an effect on the brain whether one may think so or not. Usually those that don’t believe these studies are those who are too far under the influence. To sit here and promote binge drinking is out of the question and completely irresponsible, especially with a high school publication. However, the fact that we as a society look away and ignore the topic when it comes up is shameful. We live in a society that has the oldest legal drinking age in the world, and yet the majority of teens have either witnessed, participated, or heard of teens who drink. The horror stories range from dialing drunk to even more horrible: driving drunk.
Perhaps this is why the drinking age is not lower: our irresponsibility proves them right. Then again, maybe this irresponsibility that our age group has is due to the fact that we were never taught to drink responsibly. The idea that we have to be taught how to consume a substance that is not even legal is ridiculous. I mean, what parents would ever teach their child how to be responsible in what is deemed an act of rebellion? But then, some parents see the topic as taboo. If the conversation about alcohol between a parent and a child has never been brought up, then there could very well be something wrong. Seeing as though our brains aren’t completely developed, we tend to not think of the consequences our actions could possibly have. Therefore, we don’t see the ending result prior to the mistake.
In other countries, such as Mexico, Great Britain, and other European countries, the drinking age is eighteen (in some parts). They grow up in a society that considers drinking a glass of wine or a mug of beer is acceptable. First, this type of drinking is in moderation. Second, it is in a controlled environment. Third, these teens are not using alcohol consumption as a rebellious statement. When many American teens have alcohol for the first time it is usually stolen from their house or a friend’s house. The idea is rebellious considering they’re defying the law and, even more significantly, their parents. The situation is nowhere near under-control, despite what the Party Patrol will tell you. Young drinkers more than likely don’t know what moderation is. Now, to the European teens, the first time they set out into the world and have a ‘cocktail’ without their parents, they will understand moderation and that one doesn’t have to take it to ‘that point’ every time one consumes alcohol.
Eighteen: so free, so legal. Teen drinking is battle waged from many different perspectives and age groups, for it affects all of society. When it comes down to it, ‘no’ is sometimes easier than ‘yes’. Teen drinking is an ethics battle that engages not just teens, but the whole community at large.