Welcome to the Alcohol Problems & Solutions website, debunking myths and sharing effective peer-reviewed ways to reduce drinking problems and live healthier for more than 20 years.
This is a staff editorial from the Daily Barometer, Oregon State University’s award-winning student newspaper. It argues that underage drinking is not a problem. Underage drinking is not a problem. The problematic situation is over-consumption. This is a result of our society’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Overconsumption is everywhere in… Read more
Crafting effective college alcohol policies that protect the health and life of students is harder than it might appear. That’s because what first appears to be an easy solution fails. I. Ineffective College Alcohol Policies Scare Students Some colleges use scare tactics. They stress the horrible things that could happen… Read more
Newspaper editor Fil Gravatte explains here how to go about to reducing underage alcohol abuse. Resources on the topic follow his piece. I suppose we can argue that it’s ignorance or just plain human nature. When people are held within boundaries, they always seem to cross the lines. They… Read more
Giving alcohol to a minor can seem harmless, especially when the quantity is small. However the negative consequences to the person who supplies it can be both serious and permanent. Students preparing for some careers may be blocked if they are found guilty of unlawfully dealing with a minor or… Read more
Public policy in the U.S. calls for complete alcohol abstinence by all people under age 21. However, it’s highly unsuccessful. Indeed, the policy has actually been counterproductive. That is, causing more problems than it prevents. We absolutely must replace failed programs with effective alcohol education. Alcohol education programs are virtually… Read more
There will never be enough enforcement agents to prevent underage alcohol purchases. So says an official of the NC Alcohol Law Enforcement agency. The problem can never be solved by hiring ever more agents. But we must have ways of preventing underage alcohol purchases. Fortunately, Alaska has thought creatively and… Read more
As a teenager, writer Courtney Love Gavin suggested the value of a learner’s permit for drinking safely. She argued that we issue learner permits to help people drive safely. Here is her opinion piece. The transformation of going from a child to an adult does not happen overnight. It… Read more
Journalist Jeff Frantz reports that Europeans learn responsible drinking. Thus young Europeans are more responsible about drinking than those in the U.S. Here’s his piece. The 21st-birthday bar tour — it’s a staple of American life. You blow out the candles, go to a bar, drink, vomit, pass out. You… Read more
Compliance checks or stings for underage alcohol sales are very popular. However, to be legal, they must be done without entrapment. Basically, entrapment is inducing people to commit a crime they are not “predisposed” to commit and would not ordinarily commit. The Department of Justice stresses that “Entrapment is a complete… Read more
Alcohol Facts:
- The alcohol content of a regular beer, glass of dinner wine and shot of whiskey or other distilled spirit (80 proof) are all the same. This is alcohol equivalence.
- The U.S. government reports that moderate consumption of alcohol (beer, wine or distilled spirits) improves health and increases longevity.
- Parents have great influence over the choices their children make about alcohol now and in the future.
- Drinking by students in the U.S. continues dropping to historic new lows.
- Distilled spirits (whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila, gin, etc.) contain no carbohydrates, no fats of any kind, and no cholesterol. Get the nutrition facts.
