I think the concept behind alcohol education is great, but not effective in reality. The problem is that alcohol is too much a part of every underage kid's life to let go of it. When kids have a strong foundation of a good family, high self esteem, and interests outside of alcohol, it's still not enough.

Since alcohol is associated with the freedoms that kids are not allowed to have, they want them that much more. When kids grow up in a healthy style, and see alcohol as something good in moderation, then they've got a good chance of staying away from binge drinking. The US culture opposes underage drinking, but a glass of wine with dinners might be the trick to saving the kids.

Peer pressure and troubles at home (or anywhere else) may be part of the problem, but the lifestyle (of most people in the US) is the main problem. In order to find a true solution, one must look at the problem as something bigger than its face value.

Sent by Kristina | 7:53 PM ET | 08-30-2007

I am not 21 yet, but many of my friends are. At night I am limited to hanging out at Denny's or houses, while they have their pick of the bars and clubs downtown. It makes sense that young adults would choose to host their own parties or to go over to friends' houses at night to hang out, rather than eat pancakes at Denny's. Unfortunately, what this means is that they surround themselves with people at roughly the same maturity level with no-one older and no-one out-side their peer group to act as an example. Of course these not-yet-21-young-adults wind up drinking to excess! They are a closed society, governed only by their own self-perpetuating circle of one-up-manship.

Now, if the 18-21 year-olds could go to bars and drink under the public eye, their drinking habits would be subjected to the scrutiny of 30 year-olds, 50 year-olds, servers, wait staff, security etc. Frankly, that environment seems far safer and more likely to encourage responsible drinking than closed parties whose sole attraction is companionship, a stereo-system and booze. Clubs and bars often have attractions beyond alcohol, just like coffee-shops hold an allure that my kitchen table cannot muster. Clubs or bars often have live music or loud music, atmosphere and the chance of meeting people outside your circle of friends.

Atmosphere aside, the critical difference between clubs and houses is between public and private. The problem with underage drinking is that it is done in private. There are no social safety nets. Lowering the legal drinking age to 18 would allow 18-21 year-old drinking to move into the public sphere and be subjected to the social-safety nets there.

Sent by Sarah | 11:56 AM ET | 08-31-2007

Indeed. Kids should be better educated about alcohol, and the legal drinking age should be lowered, provided certain testable criteria are met.

To give one example, someone who was once a close friend of mine was raised in a fairly conservative household, and was only taught how 'evil' alcohol was. He didn't learn anything about the real life details of alcohol, or of alcoholism; only that God considered it a sin.

I was taught differently, and was able to have an occasional glass of wine with dinner, when I reached 16.

We're both 29 now, he and I, and while I consume at most 5 or 6 alcoholic beverages a month... sadly, he's an everyday binge drinker. We parted ways as friends a few years ago, mostly due to his drinking nearly a fifth of whiskey a day, and refusing my offers to help him stop, and pleas for him to get help.

Obviously there were plenty of other factors involved in his alcoholism, but the fact remains that he just didn't know how to treat it with caution and moderation, and respect, from day one.

Had he been educated differently, I firmly believe that he would not have sunk into alcoholism the way he did.

Sent by a prime example | 12:24 PM ET | 08-31-2007

I think education is THE most important aspect of dealing with not only the issue of underage alcohol consumption, but with all alcohol consumption. Teaching responsibility toward alcohol doesn't require that young people consume alcohol any more than teaching them sex education requires them to have sex.
Associating responsible consumption education with enabling underage drinking is a tremendous misconception. Lack of education enables inappropriate and reckless drinking behaviors that put these students in danger; put us all in danger.There is no intention here to encourage underage alcohol consumption; there is every intention to demand that those who choose to drink, learn to do so responsibly.

We've been teaching our children sex education from a young age, not because we were encouraging sex, but because we were acknowledging that empowering them with the knowledge of how to have sex safely was much better than the alternative; sex in ignorance is not bliss, it is dangerous. Drinking alcohol in ignorance is even more dangerous and should be taken just as seriously.

I've recently read a fantastic book that sets realistic guidelines and actually teaches how to drink responsibly.
The book is: Clear Thinking When Drinking: The Handbook for Responsible Alcohol Consumption, written by Roman T. Solohub, an airline captain and the father of two young adults. I think the book is a must read for all young adults.

Sent by Han | 1:22 PM ET | 09-01-2007

I do think that alcohol education would help, but not if it is like sex education in schools. Most schools only teach about abstinence and nothing about protection or go more in detail about sex, but is that what the alcohol training would be like? It seems like the education would be all about the reasons why you shouldn't drink and what it does to your body, but not how to protect yourself from getting alcohol poisoning.

I think it also depends on parenting, how fast the kid has matured, and their own opinions of themselves. I don't think that parents have to give their kids alcohol for them to be responsible with it. I was never given alcohol because my parents believe it to be illegal, but even though I am in college and underage I feel that there is more harm than good to the drinking that my peers do in college.

I know that most people don't have a problem if you say no to having a drink, but people are pressured because they will be "uncool". Peer pressure is strong and a lot of teens have this belief that if they don't drink no one will like them. As long as you aren't yelling at the people about drinking and how stupid they are for doing it, most people I have come in contact with think it is neat that I don't drink. I am not afraid to say "no" and my mom just taught me that your real friends would respect your decisions and mine do. Maybe more young adults should learn to respect themselves more and not do things because the girl/guy next to them is pressuring them.

Sent by Kaitlin | 2:48 AM ET | 10-08-2007