Cheers to that

Once upon a time, the U.S. government banned alcohol. This enforced dry spell, called Prohibition, did not decrease alcohol consumption as much as push it underground; most people saw it as a violation of their personal freedom and instead bought bootleg alcohol. Eventually, the 21st Amendment made consuming alcohol legal once again.

However, history repeats itself. The current drinking age of 21 in the United States has resulted in an underground drinking culture of underage teenagers. Germany, on the other hand, allows 16-year-olds to drink beer and wine. Is Germany’s drinking age too low, or is America’s too high? Which age is right? Could the answer be that they both are?

Many argue earlier introduction to alcohol is beneficial. Teenagers can learn about alcohol and determine their limits while in a comfortable environment. If they surpass their limits, trustworthy friends and family are present, as opposed to dozens of acquaintances at a college party. If mistakes are going to be made, it is at a time when the consequences can still be controlled.

Teenagers in the KMC are put in a unique situation; while friends back home cannot drink, they legally can do so on the economy. This gives them an interesting perspective on the drinking age. Cristina McElvaney, a Ramstein High School 2009 graduate who now attends college in Florida, observed a large difference between her peers who could legally drink in Germany and those who could not in the United States.

“When one is given the option to drink at a younger age, they are more likely not to make it such a big deal and become more responsible with alcohol over time because they learn to adapt to it,” she said.

The illegality of alcohol seems to make it more appealing to teenagers; they tend to glorify it. As a result, when given the opportunity to drink illegally, teenagers go overboard. Consuming large quantities in a small amount of time, teenagers binge instead of learning to drink responsibly. Matt Mol, another RHS 2009 graduate, has noticed this trend among his age group in the states.

“Having lived in Germany and now America, I’ve noticed that the lower drinking age in Germany does seem to discourage binge drinking,” Matt said. “Since it’s illegal over here, people try to down as much alcohol as they can, as quickly as they can, so that they aren’t caught with it.”

Marisol Lopez, who is part of the German and American community at Ramstein, notes that her German peers tend to come into contact with alcohol at a relatively early age, drink only small amounts of alcohol and then lose interest in it quickly.
However, organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving have valid reasons for supporting the current drinking age in the United States. When the drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984, the percent of traffic fatalities for 18- to 20-year-olds fell by 13 percent. A high drinking age, MADD argues, means fewer deaths.

According to the National Highway Traffic Association, a drinking age of 21 saves on average 900 young people per year. With statistics such as these staring us in the face, to lower the drinking age seems irresponsible.

The effects alcohol can have even on adults are frightening; they range from brain damage to cancer to depression. The bodies of adolescents, however, are still developing. They are not only more susceptible to the short-term effects of alcohol, such as intoxication, but will have different long-term effects.

For example, heavy exposure to alcohol will impair the brain development of a teenager as well as impair their brain’s ability to learn and retain memories.     
“We used to think that the brain stopped developing at 15,” said Maureen Husum, RHS’s school nurse. “However, new research in neurology has revealed that the brain does not stop developing until the age of 22. The effect of alcohol on a teenager’s brain is devastating, as it is more sensitive in that stage.”

According to a study by Prevention Alert, “short-term memory skills were evaluated in alcohol-dependent and non-dependent adolescents ages 15 and 16. The alcohol-dependent youth had greater difficulty remembering words and simple geometric designs after a 10 minute interval.”

Clearly, the younger people are when they drink, the more potential there is for damage. Research has also shown that if drinking begins later on in life, the chance of becoming alcohol dependent as an adult is cut by 14 percent. When the evidence is paralleled, it is hard to determine which drinking age works the best. For example, indisputable facts show that a higher drinking age means less traffic accidents in the states, but teenagers also begin driving earlier in the United States.

On the other hand, even European teenagers who could get their license frequently use public transportation instead of driving. Perhaps the answer is that there is no blanket drinking age that works for every country. Because of the difference between European and American culture, there is an appropriate difference in their drinking age. Lowering it in the United STates would most likely have devastating results, whereas there doesn’t seem to be a reason to increase the drinking age in Europe. It seems that indeed things will remain the same in the United States for a while. President Barack Obama is sticking by his decision on the drinking age.

“I know it drives you nuts,” he told veterans last year, “but I’m not going to lower the drinking age.”