<p>My kids tell me that the problem with the drinking age of 18 is that, until kids can drink legally, they feel obliged to drink everything that is “scored.” In other words, once someone goes to the effort of obtaining alcohol, the kids do not want to throw it out, and they cannot keep it around because it is not legal, so they have to finish it up. I thought this was interesting. This is one possible reason for binge-drinking on weekends.</p>
<p>Once my son’s friends turned 21, everything got more civilized, and they often would just have a drink at a bar or at a restaurant, because it was then legal to do so.</p>