License to Drink Could Save Lives
I've been a bartender for
slightly over 4 years and have seen a lot of drunk people. I've noticed
something about them, too -- the most irresponsible, dumb drunks are not
necessarily the youngest."
"I live in a country where people start drinking openly at an early age, and most of the teenagers there are amazed at the stupidity of visiting teenage Americans."
Etoile Pinder, Dartmouth College
Why do American teenagers appear so stupid to their European counterparts?
The reason is simple. Europeans are generally more educated in the drinking culture. Most have gone to bars or consumed alcohol with their families from the age of 13 or 14. They have observed and experienced the effects of alcohol for three or four years before turning 18. Therefore, they tend to laugh or shake their heads in pity at the ridiculous antics of their same-age American friends.
Yet they laugh or pity not only at the Americans. Europeans admit that when they first started to drink, they were fools as well. This is the point. The less one knows about alcohol consumption, the more dangerously they will do it.
People in the U.S. seem to think that by the time a person reaches the age of 21 that person drinks more responsibly than does an 18 year old. They believe that young adults have reached the magical age when everyone turns into a mature member of the community. No, they're generally more responsible, but it's because they've been drinking illegally for at least three years and know some things about alcohol's repercussions, such as drinking until you can't stand up is bad; and losing your ability to make rational decisions can have devastating consequences.
Age is useful as a general indicator of experience level, i.e., a person in their 50's has had more experiences to learn from than a teenager, but within the small gap between 16 and 21, it's not useful for anything.
The whole concept of basing a person's ability to be a responsible drinker on a pre-selected age is silly. Lowering the age limit is not the solution because a wide variety of age limits exist worldwide -- as do problems with young drinkers -- therefore, we suggest the following solution:
To consume alcohol legally, a person must earn a license to drink
Consider the following: A 16 year old who has studied the theoretical aspects of driving an automobile and who has been trained how to drive by a more knowledgeable person will drive better than a 21 year old who has never operated a car. We know that car accidents occur all the time. Imagine how great the problem would be if all a person had to do was present their birth certificate when they turned, say, 18 and they were granted the right to drive. SMASH!!!!!
The same thing applies to drinking. A person initially should study the effects of alcohol (physical, emotional, mental, social, etc.) and only be allowed to drink in a controlled, restricted environment. To be allowed to go to a bar, or buy liquor from a store, a person must first obtain their "liquor license." The test would not be designed to measure practical performance such as the individual's ability to "chug" beer, rather it would be a written test to demonstrate that the person has sufficient knowledge of alcohol and its consequences. Licensees would pay to take the test -- similar to motor vehicle operator's protocol.
The original concept for this legislation was authored by Etoile Pinder, a student at Dartmouth College. Pinder admits that there may be a number of limitations in this "rough" draft version of his plan.
Nevertheless, we forward his thoughts because they represent, in general, a sound and practical alternative to our current social situation. We ask readers to consider this proposal and pass it in turn to your local, state, and national leaders.
Remember -- an American dies on our highways every 30 minutes due to alcohol-related accidents. Irresponsible use of alcohol is a serious threat to the social stability within our country. We must work to develop more sophisticated means of educating our brothers and sisters.
The reason is simple. Europeans are generally more educated in the drinking culture. Most have gone to bars or consumed alcohol with their families from the age of 13 or 14. They have observed and experienced the effects of alcohol for three or four years before turning 18. Therefore, they tend to laugh or shake their heads in pity at the ridiculous antics of their same-age American friends.
Yet they laugh or pity not only at the Americans. Europeans admit that when they first started to drink, they were fools as well. This is the point. The less one knows about alcohol consumption, the more dangerously they will do it.
People in the U.S. seem to think that by the time a person reaches the age of 21 that person drinks more responsibly than does an 18 year old. They believe that young adults have reached the magical age when everyone turns into a mature member of the community. No, they're generally more responsible, but it's because they've been drinking illegally for at least three years and know some things about alcohol's repercussions, such as drinking until you can't stand up is bad; and losing your ability to make rational decisions can have devastating consequences.
Age is useful as a general indicator of experience level, i.e., a person in their 50's has had more experiences to learn from than a teenager, but within the small gap between 16 and 21, it's not useful for anything.
The whole concept of basing a person's ability to be a responsible drinker on a pre-selected age is silly. Lowering the age limit is not the solution because a wide variety of age limits exist worldwide -- as do problems with young drinkers -- therefore, we suggest the following solution:
To consume alcohol legally, a person must earn a license to drink
Consider the following: A 16 year old who has studied the theoretical aspects of driving an automobile and who has been trained how to drive by a more knowledgeable person will drive better than a 21 year old who has never operated a car. We know that car accidents occur all the time. Imagine how great the problem would be if all a person had to do was present their birth certificate when they turned, say, 18 and they were granted the right to drive. SMASH!!!!!
The same thing applies to drinking. A person initially should study the effects of alcohol (physical, emotional, mental, social, etc.) and only be allowed to drink in a controlled, restricted environment. To be allowed to go to a bar, or buy liquor from a store, a person must first obtain their "liquor license." The test would not be designed to measure practical performance such as the individual's ability to "chug" beer, rather it would be a written test to demonstrate that the person has sufficient knowledge of alcohol and its consequences. Licensees would pay to take the test -- similar to motor vehicle operator's protocol.
The original concept for this legislation was authored by Etoile Pinder, a student at Dartmouth College. Pinder admits that there may be a number of limitations in this "rough" draft version of his plan.
Nevertheless, we forward his thoughts because they represent, in general, a sound and practical alternative to our current social situation. We ask readers to consider this proposal and pass it in turn to your local, state, and national leaders.
Remember -- an American dies on our highways every 30 minutes due to alcohol-related accidents. Irresponsible use of alcohol is a serious threat to the social stability within our country. We must work to develop more sophisticated means of educating our brothers and sisters.
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