so if you are not paying attention to that whole election thing. you might have noticed that some college presidents are advocating for a lower drinking age. they have their critics, which is expected. scot mcknight asks a simple question, which gets a large response. so everyone has an idea.. as i do
i cannot say i have a solution for the problem. but when i look at the issue at hand it seems to me that drinking a beer or glass of wine is not the issue, but the blast of binge drinking that i've participated in, in my past, observed for many years, know that teens actively partake in now.
part of my conversion came around when i did some math. i never went to a party or any function and drank (or planned to drink) 8-12 cokes or lemonades. that sounds, and is, rather stupid. so why does that all change when you change your liquid to beer?
it obviously isn't because beer is a better drink for you in mass quantities. coke isn't great for you either in mass quantities, but one cannot claim it hinders you as the others might. so what drives this?
my best guess is the cultural norm that drinking is associated with being social & good times and our want or need for these in our lives pushes us to over consume. our teenagers and young adults (maybe even our older adults) are seeking out who & what they are that this becomes their mechanism for being social and having happy times. have you never heard "i just need to have a couple of beers in me before i... party/get crazy/etc"
i might also say that our culture of excess helps out in this. we have very little clue for moderation. so i don't see the drop in age helping. though it will help with the delinquency of young adults, as they will not have to break the law as much. but if 18 is an age that just reintroduces it to high school in a direct line. 18 yr old seniors will not shy away from buying for the high school party, they do not have that vision of what consequence they are open too with that action.. just as parents are being held responsible for the parent supervised alcohol party an 18 year old has the same responsibility in the eye of the law.
i feel for youth these days. it is the social norm to drink to have the good time, and drink excessively at times. i know many teens who choose not too and they become left out of circles of friends that they should belong too. but i rest in the fact that most of those youth are well on their way to knowing who they are.
so, as youth pastor, what is my solution for this problem? i will focus on my small circle of influence i have. the teenagers and young adults i know. my quest is to help them find their way through this crazy world and identify who they are, without enhancements and labels. my quest is to help them know they are loved, without throwing themselves into behaviors or situations for which have no control. this is what God has called me into.
more discussion on dropping the teenage drinking age at usa today via cpym.
i welcome your thoughts & comments
