Parent to parent: Change proposed for drinking age

By John Corrigan

The draft beer was frosty and refreshing. It probably tasted all the better because I was a college freshman, a few weeks this side of 17, making my first trip to a local hangout where no one ever asked to see identification.

The bar is long gone, but the uneasy association of college and alcohol remains — and has been brought to the forefront in recent months by the Amethyst Initiative. That’s the name of an effort led by some college presidents to have us consider lowering the drinking age to 18.

You’re probably wondering: College presidents? Shouldn’t they be fighting for education funding or asking alumni for donations? Instead, they’re putting their prestige on the line for something that will open Vegas casinos to 18-year-olds and swell the happy-hour crowds down at Hooters. Seems like fraternity presidents, not academic leaders, should be quarterbacking this campaign.

‘Rethinking’ the drinking age

The case for “rethinking” the drinking age (supporters don’t come right out and say they favor lowering it) is the notion that young people will be less likely to engage in binge drinking if they can get their hands on alcohol whenever they want.

Alas, there’s no evidence that easier access will encourage moderation. Without question, however, easier access will lead young people to have more frequent encounters with alcohol — and that means more frequent encounters with telephone poles, jail cells and trauma centers.

The ancient Greeks thought the gemstone amethyst was an antidote to the ill effects of intoxication, hence the initiative’s name. But it’s been suggested that the real reason more than 100 college presidents support the Amethyst Initiative is that it will reduce their institutions’ risk of liability from underage drinking incidents — an antidote to lawsuits, in other words. That’s not part of the official argument, although it seems like a much more rational explanation for their support.

The backers don’t include University of California President Mark G. Yudof or any of UC’s 10 campus chancellors. “Neither I nor my campus colleagues believe there is a compelling reason to change present law,” Yudof said in a statement a few weeks ago. “Nor is there a scholarly consensus that lowering the drinking age to 18 can be expected to yield health and safety benefits for young Americans.”

A good reminder

There is one good thing to be said about the Amethyst Initiative: Its emergence serves as a reminder of the threat posed by alcohol consumption in the college years.

There’s no way to completely keep college students from booze, no matter what the law says. And some will take the first steps down a path of addiction that can sidetrack their education, devastate their relationships and jeopardize their future careers.

As parents, we need to be alert to the warning signs of alcohol and substance abuse, which can include inappropriate behavior, loss of friendships and disinterest in school. We can’t rely on roommates or professors to sound an alarm, although we should certainly pay heed if they do.

What parents can do

Even if alcohol does not appear to be a temptation, it can’t hurt to offer our students a little mental preparation in case they find themselves unintentionally under the influence.

Starting when our children were in high school, my wife has told our kids that if they ever find themselves in a situation — or a condition — that is unsafe, they should never hesitate to call us for a ride home or to call a cab, no questions asked. It’s a policy that we hope has become firmly embedded in the emergency tool kits of their minds. We may not always live close enough to give them a ride home, but we would certainly rather pay cab fare than get a call from a police officer or emergency room nurse.

My own personal experience with underage drinking may make anything I say on the topic seem hypocritical. But then, that’s one of the shortcomings of being young; you don’t always make good decisions. The “21” drinking age isn’t perfect, and it isn’t perfectly enforced, but it does keep a lot of young people out of trouble and from making decisions they will regret later.

Let’s keep it that way.

Editor’s Note: UC Davis offers a variety of programs and services to promote responsible choices regarding alcohol, reduce high-risk drinking and help students with alcohol-related issues.