Category: Youth

I. Background. You’ll find here a summary of each state’s laws about the minimum age to sell alcohol in off-premises venues. That is, in places where customers must take the alcohol elsewhere to consume it. Some states have higher minimum ages for selling spirits. (Spirits are vodka, gin, brandy, tequila, whiskey, rum, etc.) The laws […]

You might might be concerned about an important question: “Will my child become an alcoholic?” Parents can never know for certain, but there are ways to reduce the risk. There are clearly things to do and things not to do. I. Things to Do A. Be a good role model. Never abuse alcohol. Use teachable […]

The popular belief is that there is a drinking epidemic among young people. In reality, alcohol drinking by youth continues to drop. Research in more prosperous parts of the world shows “solid evidence” of less drinking by young people since 2005. In fact, surveys in the U.S. and some other countries demonstrate drops in drinking […]

The Issue. Young people get their alcohol from many sources. Rarely is it from stores. Most often it’s from their parents and other adults, friends, or siblings. Parents giving alcohol is very common. Many believe that parents giving alcohol to their own children reduces alcohol abuse. They think it’s important to teach moderation by being […]

Background. Most people know that abusing alcohol is bad for the body. It can damage the liver, increase risk of breast cancer, and cause accidents. But what are the effects of moderate drinking on the body? Does it do anything else of benefit? The short answer is “yes.” Drinking alcohol (beer, wine, and distilled spirits) […]

What is Choose Responsibility? Choose Responsibility is a nonprofit organization. It promotes public awareness of the dangers of  reckless alcohol consumption by adults age 18-20. It does this through a program of research, publication, education, and related activities. The organization seeks to stimulate informed public discussion about alcohol in American culture.  It promotes policies that […]

Harm Reduction is often misunderstood. It reduces the harmful effects of any targeted behavior. This discussion focuses on harm reduction for drinking alcohol by young people. However, the general principles also apply to other behaviors by people of any age. These behaviors might be driving, gambling, engaging in sex, losing weight, and so on. For […]

I. Drinking by Students Drinking by students and other young people continues to hit new lows. In fact, it has been for dropping for decades. Yet most columnists, commentators, and journalists repeatedly suggest the problem is rising. And rising fast. Consequently, most people believe that student drinking is increasing. Not only that, but they think […]

Drinking learner permits? The proposal to issue drinking learner permits to adults under the age of 21 in an innovative one. It uses the same logic as issuing driving learner permits. I. Drinking Learner Permits to Promote Responsible Behavior Adults age 18, 19 and 20 should be able to drink alcoholic beverages if they have […]

Alcohol pre-loading is also called Pre-drinking Pre-gaming Prefunking Home drinking Prinking It’s also sometimes spelled predrinking, pregaming, and pre-funking. Take your choice. Alcohol pre-loading is drinking at a private residence before going out at night. The destination is a place to socialize, party, or attend a sports event (hence the term pre-gaming). Or it might be to […]