Cultural change needed to end problems with alcohol

TO THE EDITOR:

In his letter to the editor (“Problems of binge drinking by UNC students persist,” Nov. 10) Ronald Bogle was right to bring up the issue of binge drinking here on the UNC Campus.

However, his assessment of the problem is inherently flawed.

Most people fail to understand the societal causations of binge drinking. Here in the U.S. drinking alcohol represents adulthood, independence and maturity.

The average American teenager drinks because he or she feels as if it is a necessary component of the transition from adolescence to autonomy.

Also, the current laws prohibiting drinking do not account for the fact that the vast majority of American youths will not wait until their 21st birthday to have their first drink. This fact renders these laws about as effective as speed limits. These factors combine to make binge drinking among young people a major problem that often leads to alcoholism, especially on American college campuses.

What our culture doesn’t realize is that alcohol has the potential to be a safe, fun beverage. However, this depends on something Americans have trouble comprehending: moderation. What we need is a gradual shift in our drinking culture and our drinking laws.

If we were to collectively make an effort to introduce alcohol to our kids at a younger age, eventually drinking would lose its glorified status, and alcoholism would begin to decline.



Luke Wander
Freshman
History and Asian Studies