drinking ages

[Starling]

just felt the need to share my 2 knuts...

i just turned 21 two months ago, so i am still in the first flush of
legality <g> -- and wondering what all the fuss is about.  drinking really
isn't as much fun when you're doing it legally -- the "thrill of danger", i
suppose, is gone.  (although all of my underage drinking took place in
houses or dorms with alcohol purchased by those of legal age, so i was
hardly at risk of getting caught).  which leads me to believe that if
a. the drinking age is lowered to something more sensible
b.  americans revise their attitude regarding alcohol and their children
from "don't touch it, it's bad" to "learn how to handle this stuff in a
mature manner"
we probably wouldn't have as much of a problem with alcoholism in college
students.  (and believe me, some of my classmates can *really* drink!)

as for our drinking age being 21 -- blame liddy dole.  my understanding of
the situation, as explained by my poli-sci major boyfriend, is that she was
secretary of some-office-or-other (i'm assuming transportation) back in the
late 70s-early 80s and threatened to withold federal highway funds from any
state that did not raise its drinking age to 21.  since no state in its
right mind would give up the ever-so-generous highway funds (ha!) we are now
the laughingstock of the drinking world.  thanks, liddy.  really.  i mean
it. <g>

having spent five months as a student in Austria last fall (and man, am i
homesick for graz these days!)and seen the matter-of-fact way they regard
drinking, i am even more convinced our attitudes regarding alcohol in the
states is the biggest reason we are the way we are.  i suggest all parents
treat alcohol the way  my dad did:  offer your five year old a sip of beer
(aka that funny smelling stuff daddy drinks with pizza).  watch your five
year old wrinkle her face at the funny taste.  rest assured your child will
not drink beer until the europeans introduce her to tastier stuff fifteen
years later.
<g>

cheers!
abbie, who has become a beer snob.  (do not even *think* about suggesting
bud light...)

starling823 at yahoo.com



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