|
I think a lot of the reason why college campuses have so many problems with alcohol is actually because alcohol is illegal to those under the age of 21.
Maybe this statistic has nothing to do with alcohol but I will use it anyway. It has been said that if a person does not start smoking by the time they are 18, they most likely never will. Why is that? I think a lot of that has to do with the legal age of purchasing cigarettes is 18. Once someone is of legal age, the thrill is lost. I believe the same goes for alcohol.
Sure, the first few months of being 21 are fun. You can go to a restaurant and order a drink, you can go to parties and not worry that the cops will bother you, and you can get into all the dance clubs. But, the fun eventually wears off. Now that I'm 21, I find that I drink less than I did back when I was 18-20. And there are many people I've talked who are the same way. My roommate and I were discussing it earlier today and she said, "Wow...I was so dumb when I was a freshman. I went out every night and got drunk. Now, that I'm 21, it's just not as fun anymore." The thrill of doing something illegal and the fear of getting caught heightens the appeal of alcohol. I believe that lowering the drinking age may actually prevent some of the binge drinking occurences on campuses.
|