The question of parents, children, and drinking alcohol at home is one with which parents often wrestle. Other cultures can suggest an answer, but ultimately parents must decide what’s best for their children. Many parents intuitively recognize what has long been understood by some groups. They include Italians, Greeks, French, Spaniards, Portuguese, Jews and many …
The Maryland Underage Drinking Prevention Coalition summarizes the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. It does so as follows. “The legal age for alcohol in the USA is 21 years old. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 required all states to raise their minimum purchase and public possession of alcohol age to …
Iain Murray argues here that alcohol abuse “guesstimates” aren’t statistics. Therefore, we shouldn’t treat such guestimates as if they were. If every night is party night on college campuses, a new study warns of serious problems for students. Researchers at Boston University charge that their alcohol use kills over 1,400 students annually. Their report …
How can we reduce alcohol-related problems. One important way is to teach safe alcohol drinking to young people. I. Goal: Fewer Alcohol Problems Many societies and groups have successfully prevented alcohol problems. That is, they widely and daily drink. Yet they have few alcohol problems. We can use their techniques both in our families and …
What’s the surprising drinking exception for adults? A federal law commonly known as the Buckley Amendment protects the privacy rights of college students age 18 through 20. Without a student’s permission, it is illegal even for parents to obtain copies of academic grades. The same is true for attendance records, medical records, or other educational …
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 today’s America. Drinking is but …
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 explore the forbidden and break …
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 similar charge. Such a conviction …
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 mandated by law to present …
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 is a metamorphosis that happens …
