Teens and alcohol: Stop sending mixed messages

Nation needs consensus on drinking age, for youth's sake.

Special to The Capital-Journal

HAYS -- A ban on alcohol at a spring festival caused a riot at Iowa State University recently. Students roamed the campus, knocking over signs and damaging property. The angry mob then headed to the president's house to voice its displeasure over the alcohol ban. Since the drinking age was raised more than a decade ago, college campuses have had increasing problems. Student drinking -- once obnoxiously visible -- has become an increasingly clandestine affair. For illegal drinkers under 21, friends' off-campus apartments have become the 1990s equivalent of the speakeasy, and fake IDs have become a right of passage. Many college students thumb their noses at the drinking age laws. The problem is we lack a national consensus on what the drinking age should be. There are only three other countries in the world that follow a strict 21 drinking age: Malaysia, South Korea and Ukraine. States changed their drinking age in 1986 not because they believed 21 is the ideal age but because they faced losing federal highway funds if they didn't. Congress was unwilling to alienate voters age 18 to 21, so it used fiscal leverage on state legislators to impose legislation on that vocal and active portion of the electorate. As a result, each state has some law in effect that talks about 21 as a minimum age for purchase and possession but not consumption. Some states have exceptions for special circumstances, such as drinking in private clubs, drinking when accompanied by a parent, and so forth. In fact, only 31 states have passed strict laws prohibiting drinking at age 21. On top of that, there is a lack of desire to enforce the 21 drinking age in many communities and in many homes. History tells us the only time legislative intervention works is when a majority of the citizens believes a law is just. But many college students over and under 21 do not respect the law. This creates a challenge for colleges and universities, which inherit students who upon their 18th birthdays become fully functioning citizens, capable of voting, entering into contracts, marrying without parental consent and serving in the armed forces. These same individuals are told they can't purchase or possess alcoholic beverages until age 21. The campus drinking culture continues to be viewed through the wrong end of the telescope. The percentage of college freshmen who say they drink beer frequently or occasionally is at its lowest level since record-keeping began in 1966. The record low in 1998 is 11 percent lower than in 1990 and down 39 percent since 1982, according to UCLA and the American Council on Education. The evidence shows that most college students are responsible and legal drinkers and that only a minority persistently abuses alcohol. But the challenge to keep students safe remains a concern for parents and university administrators, and requires a new approach. We must build a national consensus and emphasize the importance of respecting the law. Parents can influence their college-age sons' and daughters' drinking decisions by communicating that alcohol abuse can sabotage academic goals. How we talk about the college drinking problem is also part of the problem. Peer pressure works in interesting ways. If the student consensus belief is that one's peers all drink 10 drinks in one sitting, students aspire to that "average." But when alcohol abuse is seen as "uncool," students gravitate toward that behavioral standard. Aggressive social marketing campaigns, instead of scare tactics, are being used to get this positive message out on many college campuses. Northern Illinois University is one of many schools that embraced this approach, and over a seven-year period, binge drinking declined 35 percent and alcohol-related injuries declined 31 percent. During the past two years, aggressive social marketing at the University of Arizona has decreased binge drinking by 12 percent and the alcohol use rate declined 10 percent. But more important, the Arizona students reported 34.5 percent reduced alcohol intake. These students used alcohol in a more responsible manner. Without a national public consensus regarding the 21 drinking age, young people will continue to be sent mixed messages about alcohol consumption long before they reach our college campuses. Colleges and universities have no choice; they must enforce the law of the land. Yet these institutions are in no better position than any part of society to enforce a law that is not supported by a majority of our citizens. One thing we can do, though, is work for a national consensus regarding this issue and lead the discussion that will produce it. Dr. Edward H. Hammond is president of Fort Hays State University in Kansas. He is also chairman of the National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. Readers may write him at the university at 600 Park, Hays, Kan., 67601.

Copyright 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.