Published: August 23, 2008 11:02 pm            

Laura Wilson 08-24-08

Lowering the drinking age to 18 will not decrease binge drinking, no matter what some college presidents say. I’m happy to learn that OSU President Burns Hargis is not one of those college presidents. According to an e-mail from OSU Director of Communications Services Gary Shutt, Hargis is not in favor of lowering the drinking age.

Eighteen is too late to teach people to use but not abuse alcohol, and 3 is definitely too young to be a legal drinking age.

Before you get the wrong idea, I’m certainly not suggesting that the United States make it legal for children to drink alcohol. What I am saying is that learning about responsible alcohol use and the dangers of binge drinking should begin in childhood — and in the home, not the schools.

Children learn about drinking not just from watching TV and movies, but also from watching the adults in their lives. Adults who drink to excess, who get behind the wheel after having even a few drinks, who can’t do anything without a beer (or glass of wine) teach children that behavior is normal.

I’m also not saying drinking alcohol is wrong (although I believe it is wrong for some people). I’m just saying that kids develop their attitudes about drinking before the age of 18, and I believe all lowering the drinking age will do now is increase the likelihood of meeting a drunk driver on the road.

Laura Wilson can be reached at 372-5000, Ext. 230, or .

        

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