It was only two months ago when a girl that lives on my hall was found passed out in front of the elevator by one of my friends. My friend tried to help her back to her room to get her cleaned up and put to bed, but it was evident that she was not okay, so the paramedic was called. She's okay now, but she remembers nothing from that night. Situations like these happen way too often and it is clear that there is an issue. It's hard to determine if the issue is alcohol itself or the lack of alcohol education. In a country where 22.7% of people ages 12-20 have reported consuming an alcoholic beverage in the past month, it is ridiculous that only barely any of those young adults have ever had proper alcohol education. Alcohol education in American public school systems tends to take the abstinence approach that leaves the impression of "if you drink alcohol you will get addicted, and die." It sends these students off into the world misinformed and even more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol. So it is hard to pinpoint exactly where that girl on my hall went wrong. Was her fate of passing out in front of the elevator exclusively due to her decision to drink or was it due to her lack of effective alcohol education? I believe it was the latter, because if she were properly educated, she would have ended up safely in her bed, not a hospital bed. 

It was the 1980's when Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) rose in anger and spoke out about the dangers of drinking and driving. At the time the percentage of alcohol related driving accidents was at 56%. MADD sought to have the minimum legal drinking age changed from 18 to a higher, more conservative 21 years of age. Thus, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed by Congress in 1984. Since 1984 the percentage of drinking related driving accidents declined to 31%. However, this can not be completely attributed to this change in legislation. However, this decline can be attributed to the rise of technology and awareness. This was a time when things like computers and cell phones were first entering the world. As they spread, a new flow of information spread as well. Soon any piece of information you may want or need was at the click of a button. With this, information regarding the risks of driving under the influence was more widespread and more horror stories of alcohol related accidents were available online. Fast forward to present day, now we have the power to use an application on our phone to call and pay for a car service at any hour of the day, something my parents didn't have when they were my age. None of these things were truly available at the time of the change in drinking age, so it's understandable that it seemed like a plausible solution, but it is no longer a plausible solution in present day. In 2016, the drinking age needs to be returned to 18 and to address the dangers of drinking, more effective alcohol education needs to be required in every school system as part of the general curriculum. 

In my 13 years of public school, alcohol was only ever really discussed in the state required health class I took in the 7th grade. I recall my teacher telling us that alcohol is addictive and causes liver disease but that is really all that was discussed. 

12 year old me left that class with a lot of unanswered questions that I have had to answer for myself by using my resources. This is the case for most young adults. The majority of young adults exit high school without proper alcohol education. This is outrageous because for most adults, alcohol is part of the typical adult culture. Drinking is in celebrations, universities, reunions, business, casual dinners, and many other aspects of life. It's normal to order a cocktail while relaxing by the pool on vacation or to have a beer from a cooler at a tailgate. It's normal to go out to after work drinks or have a glass of champagne in response to good news. Because it is so normal to have a drink once in a while, it should be normal to talk to kids about how to handle this aspect responsibly. I was never taught about what a tolerance is, what a standard drink looks like, how much is too much, and so on. If required alcohol education was thorough and the subject of drinking was a more open discussion then we would see the rate of alcohol related accidents drop even more. As part of alcohol education, students should be informed of services such as Uber and Lyft. Sometimes underaged teenagers would be more willing to get in the car with someone who had been drinking than call their parent's to pick them up from the party, because they don't want to get in trouble at home. Uber and Lyft provide safe transportation that teenagers would be more inclined to use as opposed to calling a relative when the original designated driver plan fell short. 

Another issue that comes up in this debate is whether or not 18 year olds are responsible enough for the ability to drink. Personally I find it insulting that at 18 I am able to go to war, vote, go to prison, and be completely responsible for myself in almost every way, but I am not allowed to put a substance in my own body. A counterargument is that 18 year olds are not old enough to understand the consequences of binge drinking and engaging in risky activities while under the influence, but with proper education, they can be. Believe it or not, young adults are thoughtful individuals who can weigh and understand consequences of various situations who also take others into consideration when making choices. When you turn 18 you are considered completely independent but 18 year olds are still seen as incapable of drinking responsibly. Because of this high drinking age, a lot of the drinking activity is pushed underground. A big part of the American drinking culture is the sneaking around. People I know from high school would get drunk at a local park because their own homes were off limits. Dorm parties have to be kept lowkey because if a hall monitor walks by, you can not afford to get busted, literally. Getting caught with alcohol on campus if you are underaged can include a massive fine and required alcohol education classes. Students can potentially get kicked out of school on college campuses for alcohol infractions. These punishments are too astronomical for something that should not be illegal in the first place. Having a drink does not make someone a felon so the higher education systems should not treat their students like they are felons when they are caught drinking. Heightening the potential consequences only drives these students to hide their drinking habits a little bit better than they did before. 

Hiding the fact that one is drinking can lead to engaging in risky behavior or unsafe activities. This concept dates back to the Prohibition Era. Instead of following the law and obeying the government, the black market flourished and people drank anyway. Underaged drinkers are more inclined to binge drink because they do not know when the next opportunity to drink or go to a party will occur. Also we have learned growing up that because drinking is bad it should only be done at these house parties. This is because we have not experienced situations where we can meet up with a few friends and have a few drinks in moderation in a safe environment. It is not considered to be normal, but that is the way it should be. Drinking should be used in a social sense, not in a "let's drink until we get sick" way. With a different perspective on drinking as a whole, young adults will be more inclined to drink in moderation instead of getting drunk. That different perspective begins at home. If parents show their kids that they respect them as adults and their decision making, then those kids will be more open and will talk about their drinking activities. It completely alters the way we treat drinking as a subject for conversation. Less secrecy will mean more responsible drinking and more communication within families. Also in the young teen mind, if the parents approve, it is not as cool as they once thought it was. It might even make drinking less appealing to those younger teenagers. 

In Europe, the standard drinking age is 18, but in certain countries it is even lower than that. Even with the drinking age, some bars, restaurants and stores do not even check ID's because the consequences for selling to underaged people are not enforced. When I was 14 with braces in Spain, I was served Sangria at lunch with my mom. That's how relaxed some cultures are about drinking. Part of the reason why this is accepted in those societies is because most of those areas have major ways of public transportation that run late at night and early mornings, which helps people get home safely tremendously. Where as here in the United States, modes of public transportation like that are not as common, so we drive. Statistically, more Europeans use modes of public transportation in their daily commute as compared to those who drive. Having less cars in circuit would significantly decrease the probability of an alcohol related accident. Our government needs to help reform public transportation to make it more accessible, safe, and affordable all over the country. 

In conclusion, the best solution to reduce the amount of alcohol related accidents is not to squander the drinking culture in the world of young adults. That has clearly not made any progress thus far and will not make any progress in the future. The drinking culture does not need to be squandered as much as it needs to be changed. First the alcohol education needs to be reformed in our public school systems to promote healthy choices and drinking in moderation as opposed to the current system of the prohibition approach. Second, families need to start talking. Kids are used to being threatened with punishments instead of having open discussions about the choices they make and how that will effect them in the long run. If families had more open dialogue about what the kids are doing and how the parents feel about it, then that level of trust will translate into actions. There would be less disobedience, less unsafe drinking, more trust and confidence, and a healthier home life. Third, forms of safe public transportation needs to be made more accessible in more places across the country. This would provide a safe way home for many party goers and would decrease the amount of alcohol related car accidents. Lastly, the drinking age needs to be lowered to 18. 18 year olds are expected to act like an adult and have every responsibility of an adult because that is what an 18 year old is; an adult. They should also assume the responsibility to drink as they wish when they become a legal adult. The 21 and over regulation is degrading and unnecessary. With all of these changes and with a long adjustment period, we would see change in our culture and society for the better. There is no better time to start working towards this, than now. 
