The Story
Getting Smart About Alcohol
At age 16 I learned whether to choose a chianti, chablis or pinot gris for a sit-down dinner. My host family in Argentina, as was custom, drank wine at every meal and the kids were taught how to distinguish a merlot from a malbec. We visited my host father’s vineyards and participated in the wine-making festival.
So, you could say I became used to drinking alcohol in a social setting early. But I am much more hesitant to drink here in the United States (besides the fact, of course, that I am underage) because even people who can legally drink do it stupidly.
In Argentina the drinking age is practically non-existent, but adults who choose to drink are more responsible. Before the night begins, a group can call a shuttle-van service to pick them up at home, drive them to the club, stay in the parking lot until they are finished, then take them home. Teens and parents know it is reliable, and each only has to pay $5. I think this is a small price to pay to know that you would be home safe and sleeping in your bed at the end of the night.
To solve the problem of drunk driving, US protocol has been to restrict both drinking and driving. Recently Virginia raised the eligibility of getting a learner’s permit to 15 years and six months, and that of getting a driver’s license to 16 years and three months.
Friends of mine argue that the drinking age should not be lowered because young drivers should not have the temptation of alcohol to impair their already uncertain driving skills. However, a gap of six years in which to become a confident driver is a little excessive, isn’t it? Also, they argue that in the United States everything is very geographically broad and teenagers need cars to get to school and everywhere else. I don’t dispute this. But public transportation could be reinforced if a need was expressed.
I don’t feel like a higher-than-world-average drinking age is the answer to drunk driving.
The alcohol itself is not what is bad. Taking the mystery and inaccessibility out of alcohol and making it more accessible in more “everyday” circumstances is the only way to regulate college-age drinking. Most Argentines, by the time they hit college, are so sick of the club-drink routine that they rarely drink to excess anymore. Gulping wine is viewed in poor taste because wine is to be savored.
Why doesn’t the government “mainstream” alcohol? Lower the drinking age to 16, or at least to 18 years of age. By drinking a glass of wine with each meal as a family, wine becomes ordinary. However, this should be combined with a stronger van or bus transport system. This not only keeps teens safe because they aren’t getting behind the wheel while intoxicated, but it keeps everyone else out on the road safe as well.
The alcohol does not will us to drink it, therefore taking it away does not solve anything. We need to stop placing the blame on the drinks and take responsibility for the decision to consume alcohol.
Hadyn Ricket is a staff columnist for the DSJ. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the entire staff.