Alcohol Rehab Q & A: Will Lowering the Drinking Age Curb Alcohol Abuse

If you are a young person, 18-21, you may soon be carrying another card in your wallet: Right next to your driver’s license could be your “License to Drink.”  The National Youth Rights Association (NYRA) has started a petition drive to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. Several states are backing this initiative, including Florida, Wisconsin, Vermont and Missouri. NYRA hopes this will lead to more responsible drinking, but it could go the other way: increased admissions into drug and alcohol rehab centers.

Supporters of lowering the drinking age say the laws to increase the age haven’t resulted in less drinking by young people. And they may be right: The federal government’s 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 85% of 20- year-old Americans had consumed alcohol, and two out of five admitted to binge drinking (five or more drinks at one time) in the previous month. Opponents of the initiative also cite a recent CDC study showing that binge drinking is on the rise for teenagers. The incidence of alcohol abuse requiring drug or alcohol rehab has also increased. 

However, there is plenty of evidence that raising the drinking age has had positive effects: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reviewed 49 separate studies and found that setting the limit at 21 decreased traffic fatalities by 16 percent. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also recently announced some impressive statistics: traffic fatalities have decreased by 1000 deaths per year – a total of 23,000 since the law’s enactment in 1984.

The initiative to lower the drinking age includes increased education on responsible alcohol consumption and official licenses to drink. It is hoped that license to drink will allow drinking that “is already taking place regardless of the law” to be monitored.

NYRA says that lowering the drinking age will encourage responsible, moderate and safer drinking and “respect the rights of young adults who have all the legal rights and responsibilities of adulthood at age 18 but yet can’t drink legally.”

I do see that there’s a problem – there are plenty of responsible 20-year-olds out there who are married, have children and are leading responsible lives. But they can’t go out to a club with their friends on the weekend to see their favorite band or watch a game with the guys at the local sports bar. And there are plenty of them who wouldn’t get roaring drunk.

On the other hand, recent statistics on drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace show that one in 12 of allegedly responsible adults who have the legal right to drink have drug or alcohol problems so severe that they qualify for drug or alcohol rehab.

Obviously, age is not the only criteria that needs to be considered.

One thing is certain, regardless of the drinking age and the law, the potential for abuse is there. As is the potential for ruined lives and increased admissions into drug and alcohol rehab programs. If the ‘license to drink’ was obtained based on criteria that would ensure alcohol would not be abused, it may be a workable solution.