 "Photo: Time De Groot/Staff Photo")
Most teenagers have their first major exposure to alcohol in their college years. It would be naïve to assume that under aged students don't experiment with drinking. Although total abstinence for people under the legal drinking age has been the message for years now, it seems like a movement is taking place.
It's nearly impossible to prevent teenagers from experimenting with alcohol. Does a lack of alcohol education in combination with an out-loud ‘NO' provoke irresponsible drinking behavior? What would be the best way to prepare teenagers to make sure they're drinking within their boundaries?
Some think that lowering the legal drinking age to 18 would be helpful in decreasing irresponsible drinking behavior. Over 135 college presidents signed the Amethyst Initiative, a proposal to legislators to reconsider the drinking age. They have experienced through the years that prohibition isn't working and see current students' drinking behavior as being dangerous.
The Amethyst Initiative especially focuses on so-called binged-drinking. Binge-drinking is defined as having five or more drinks within two hours for males and four or more drinks for females. Although most college students haven't reached the legal drinking age, binge-drinking is very popular among them.
Julie French, working at Health Services at the college, doesn't think drinking itself is the problem. She worries about students drinking continually out of habit. To give students the opportunity to get an idea of their drinking patterns, French invited two counselors on May 6th.
This fitted in with both the yearly National Alcohol Screening Day and the Health Fair at GRCC. The two counselors of mental health, Liz McKinney and Linh Ngo, offered students information about alcohol use and self-assessment forms to test their drinking behavior. The main goal of National Alcohol Screening Day is informing students rather than inspecting them.
That's why the self-assessment tests are done anonymous, keeping in mind that underage students also drink. Counselor McKinney however thinks that people under 21 shouldn't drink alcohol at all. She believes that the legal age of drinking should remain at 21, because compared to the age of 18 people have "a deeper level of understanding of responsibilities."
20-year-old Tyler Gordon, majoring in Business, agrees with McKinney. "21 is the best age, because when you're 18 you're still developing your mind," he says. He thinks the best way to learn about responsible alcohol use is through influence and seeing how people control themselves.
McKinney also likes the idea of an educational experience rather than a physical one. Through talking with others who have experienced what kinds of consequences drinking can have, people will learn to make cognitive decisions. If it was up to her she would educate students as early as possible, starting in junior high school.
Raymond Lader, Assistant Director of Judicial Programs, oversees the student code of conduct at Green River. He estimates that there are about 50 cases each year of students caught drinking at the campus. Some of them are directly handed over to the police, while others face their disciplinary actions by getting into an education based process.
Although Lader thinks people should obey the law, his biggest concern is not the fact that underage students sometimes drink. He thinks that even at the legal age of drinking people should moderate consuming alcoholic beverages. "I consider it to be a pretty impactful drug," he says.
"It can cause addiction and also fear in life and goals."
Many agree that alcohol doesn't have to be bad as long as it is within the boundaries. To prevent alcohol addiction it's important that people know their personal limits. But what's the best way to reach this? French thinks "people should learn to drink responsibly and have ‘a' glass of something with food."
America enforces 21 as the minimum drinking age, but most countries allow people to drink when they're 18. Jessica Blair, 19 years old and majoring in pre-nursing, would like America to lower the drinking age and be more like Europe concerning alcohol. "In Europe they don't make alcohol seem like a big deal," says Blair.
Lader thinks this wouldn't work here, because people in America don't know how to be responsible. He thinks other countries look at alcohol use in a different way. ‘‘In America we don't have respect and understanding for alcohol yet,'' he explains, "there needs to be better education."
Educational programs about alcohol on high schools would be a good start. Lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 could also work out positive. 18 year-olds are considered to be old enough to vote, marry, drive or sign contracts. Why wouldn't they be old enough to get a chance to make educated choices on drinking?
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