TODAY'S society sends teenagers increasingly mixed messages about alcohol consumption, such that it is not surprising how many teenagers end up hurting themselves through alcohol abuse. Although they witness adults drinking openly and responsibly, those under 21 are not allowed to do so. This becomes problematic when schools and law enforcement are strict about drinking laws, making the subject taboo. When teenagers aren't able to discuss alcohol with parents or teachers, they rely on peers and take drinking underground; this is when drinking alcohol is the most dangerous. Schools and law enforcement officials should only police underage drinking when it is blatant or causing problems. This will limit the glamour alcohol has for teenagers.
Teen drinking has been a common subject in the news recently. A March 30 article in The New York Times reported on a school that requires students to take a Breathalyzer test to gain admission to school dances. A new YouTube video surfaced showing police busting a high school party, testing approximately 90 students for alcohol before determining that no one was intoxicated at all -- they were drinking from a root beer keg. Several articles have been printed telling the plight of high school athletes suspended from their teams for consuming alcohol outside of school. These are just some of many instances in which schools and law enforcement go out of their way to try to parent teenagers and prevent them from consuming alcohol.
If a teenager is obviously drunk and causing a problem, there is no reason why a school or law official should not take action. This is an illegal action officials have every right to pursue. However, there is no reason to assume that every student entering a dance has been drinking and should be tested. As a student who never had a drink in high school, I would have been extremely irritated if I was dressed up and eager to see my friends only to be forced to stand in a line to take a Breathalyzer test. This seems like an unnecessary invasion of privacy and signals to students that they are not trusted. At the same time, it shows them that alcohol is the public enemy.
The more our society stigmatizes drinking alcohol and the more it is hunted down and punished, the more curiosity these students will have. Teenagers do not stop drinking because it is illegal, just like during Prohibition the entire population did not stop drinking. In the school dance incident, the article quotes students and faculty alike who note that attendance has noticeably dropped, especially among seniors. No doubt these students are going to private parties where they can continue to drink as irresponsibly as they like. It is common for teenagers to want to "be cool" or "rebel." When we make drinking seem like such a deviant behavior, it is no wonder that according to the Center for Disease Control's survey in 2005, 43.3 percent of youths report having had at least one drink in the past 30 days. In the same survey, over 25 percent of youths reported heavy episodic drinking, having five or more drinks in a row, in the 30 days preceding the survey.
Stigmatizing and punishing alcohol use is clearly not an effective way of dealing with youth alcohol consumption. Instead, we should be concerned with teaching teenagers about drinking more safely and responsibly. We will never eradicate teen drinking, but we can limit its dangers by being honest with today's teenagers. If they are able to be honest with their parents about drinking, then their parents can answer their questions and warn them about the risks. They can feel comfortable calling home for a ride instead of driving home intoxicated. If schools only take actions in situations where a student is clearly intoxicated or otherwise causing a problem, it will still be acceptable for a student to drink some wine at dinner before proceeding to the dance. Otherwise, the student will likely go to a private party where far more alcohol will be consumed.
In a country where a person could have been married for up to five years, had over two years of voting experience, and fight and die to defend his country before the age of 21, perhaps he should have full drinking rights too. That is a topic for another column. Until then, we should stop glamorizing alcohol by unnecessarily pursuing its young users.
Arin Smith's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at asmith@cavalierdaily.com.
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