<p>^^ I guess I’d be surprised that alcohol would be considered ‘difficult to get’ or ‘not readily available’ to the students and therefore when they do have access to it they hurry up and consume as much as they want. From what I’ve heard anecdotally, from what I’ve read, and just common sense I think access to alcohol for a college student interested in it isn’t a problem. It’s readily available because colleges are filled with students who ‘are’ over 21 and can legally buy it anytime they want and then make it available to others who aren’t 21 yet.</p>
<p>I’m just looking at it from a logical and practical perspective and don’t think access is any factor but rather, social aspects.</p>
<p>18 versus 21 for legal drinking ages. From Wisconsin and went from 18 for beer only, 21 other alcohol to 18 for everything in the early 1970’s. Then the draft/voting/drinking ages were hot topics. Consider the younger kids- those 18 year olds in high school buying alcohol for the younger friends. Back then- the Illinois drunk drivers who went across the border. Families who condone drinking “at home” and let the friends sleep over. </p>
<p>It helped my under 18 year old college son to have the 21 year old limit. It probably helps high schools. There have been alcohol poisoning deaths of 21 year olds on their birthdays. The problems will always be with us.</p>
<p>Was alcohol the proximate cause of her death or was it the fall down the stairs? D goes to Purdue and had to take the 2 hour alcohol course. i like Indiana’s law indemnify ing those who seek to help others in situations where alcohol was involved. I am not sure of the circumstances surrounding the young woman’s death but the delay in getting her help was unnecessary.</p>
<p>Mom and I have had discussions with our D concerning parties and alcohol (and other drugs). Both of us remember times in our college days when good times overcame good sense and have known those who way over did it. I knew of at least one student who was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning. Mom and I are now moderate drinkers who primarily associate alcoholic beverages with our meal. When we stop eating we stop drinking. D insists she has no interest in consuming alcohol and I believe she means it (right now), however, there are going to be times that she is going to be tempted by peer pressure, or she may simply change her mind. To me that is the most dangerous time as she’ll have little understanding of just how it will affect her. We’ve had this discussion along with DO NOT drink anything that comes out of a trash can:). You will regret it. </p>
<p>The tragedy in the case of this student is that this should have been a time of pride and excitement for her parents instead they experienced the ultimate nightmare.</p>
The article (I linked it above) implies that the injuries were from the fall down the stairs during which she sustained head injuries. What wasn’t stated (and wasn’t known) was whether she fell due to having had too much alcohol. It doesn’t say whether she had any alcohol at all.</p>
<p>It should be kept in mind that there are lots of cases where people who haven’t been drinking suffer concussions from falls and seem fairly okay for hours afterwards before ending up in a coma and/or dying due to brain swelling. The severity isn’t always apparent.</p>
<p>" Unfortunately most Americans are woefully uninformed - they believe the drinking age is 21 everywhere in the world. If they hear of say a lower age in England, they assume it is an outlier - not that the U.S. is the global odd duck."</p>
<p>Alcoholism rates are much, much higher in England and in all of northern Europe. Many more emergency room visits among those under 18. More alcohol-related deaths, cirrhosis deaths, alcohol-related cancers, and accidents. The only thing that is less there are drunken-driving accidents - because most under 21s don’t drive.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the young lady passed away today. It is a shame that this had to happen.</p>
<p>I know people are speculating why the other students didn’t call 911, but it almost sounds to me that she was “found” at the bottom of the steps and that others did not necessarily know she had fallen down the steps. They probably thought she was just passed out drunk. Too many kids do get falling down drunk and pass out. I don’t think that is an uncommon occurrence. The kids probably just thought this was another case of this.</p>
<p>I’m not defending anybody in this, as I don’t believe in underage drinking under any circumstance. It is certainly a tragedy.</p>
<p>Sorry Mini - but if things are as bad as you believe, why in 35 years has not one other country in western civilization raised its drinking age to 21?? No other country is silly enough to split the age of majority from the drinking age by 3 years.</p>
<p>It is well known that the U.S., culturally and historically had issues with liquor and is why we stand alone in the world on this topic. (In the 1920’s it was the straight-laced dry’s versus those loud immigrant Germans, Irish and Italians) This neo-prohibitionist streak came out in full force with MADD - it converted a neutral cause (being against drunk driving) into raising the drinking age group. Did you know that the founder of MADD (whose family member had been killed by a middle-aged drunk) disassociated herself with the group over this perversion of the mission? Does anyone remember a few years ago when MADD floated a trial balloon suggesting the drinking age be raised to 25?? They quickly backtracked but they showed themselves as the WCTU in a new petticoat!</p>
<p>There was a case in WI a couple of years ago where a student went to a bar with his friends to celebrate his 21st birthday and ended up dead in the river. How did his “friends” leave him in the bar by himself?</p>
<p>Cite? I don’t believe this at all, especially if you stratified by racial composition. If you aren’t an adult at 18, then why did I have to sign up for the Selective Service then?</p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, many features of “legal adulthood” happen at ages other than 18, though some very important ones occur at 18 in the US (voting, ability to make contracts and be employed, end of parental responsibility for child, criminal liability as an adult). A college-related one is that one does not become independent of parents for college financial aid purposes until one turns 24 unless one has other qualifying conditions (e.g. married). Below 18, there is the ability to get a driver’s license; there is also variation by state in the age of sexual consent.</p>
<p>Whether each case of different “age of adulthood” is desirable is another story. But it does not all occur at 18.</p>
<p>“Mini, i would like for you to cite the source of your claims, if it exists.”</p>
<p>I’ve cited them so many times I’m tired. And retired (for more than a decade, I used to do this data for a living). You can look up WHO websites as well as I can. Or you can read all my other posts and find literally dozens of citations.</p>
Don’t forget the new one regarding the ‘child’ being able to say on the ‘parental’ health insurance to the age of 26!</p>
<p>
I’ll attest to the fact that mini has posted sources and data on this topic numerous times on CC (s/b able to find some through searching) and is more educated in the area than the majority of people posting here - most of whom (me included) rely on a few anecdotes and and their own views, sometimes not substantiated scientifically.</p>
<p>Completely irrelevant to the point I made- you’re old enough to be drafted and go get killed, but not old enough to use alcohol? Defies common sense.</p>
<p>At 18, you are also not old enough to be independent of your parents for college financial aid purposes, which happens at 24. A more extreme case is that you are not old enough to receive socialized medical insurance (Medicare) until you turn 65.</p>
<p>In any case, the US military is unlikely to ever have conscription again (yes, the Selective Service is a useless bureaucracy at this point in time).</p>
<p>South Carolina contemplated doing it for military personnel only a few years ago but of course got hamstrung by the Fed highway funds which stops most of these initiatives.</p>
I’m not arguing the point of ‘drafted - drinking’ but - maybe when people are actually drafted at 18 the sentiment will change. Do you know how long that’s been? (hint - it was before the Vietnam war)</p>
<p>I’m not sure why the argument always flip-flops between 18 and 21. Maybe there’s a compromise age that makes more sense - like 19 since there are very few 19 y/o in HS hence the argument of supplying HSers with alcohol diminishes. </p>
<p>In the olden days when I was that age the rules in my state were 3.2 beer at 18 and (I think) maybe 21 for the harder stuff but then I moved to another state at 18 and there it was 19 for everything (but nothing at 18). I think the rules from state to state back then were pretty inconsistent.</p>
<p>And - I lived on a military base in HS and I’m pretty certain military people could drink on base at any age. Relatively recently some rules were established for military bases to adopt the same drinking age as the location they’re within 50 miles of (ex - a base in San Diego has the option of adopting a lower drinking age due to the drinking age in Mexico), but the lowest it can be is 18 regardless of the locale but it looks like they allow for exceptions as determined by the base commander. But a base commander can override the lower age as well as I think the Marines have done since they’ve had so many alcohol related issues and deaths - lending credence to the argument against a drinking age of 18.</p>