FEBRUARY 15, 2011
THE DRINKING AGE DEBATE
The "Amethyst Initiative" http://www.amethystinitiative.org/why-sign/ promoting debate about lowering the drinking age is also stirring up the NATION. Over 136 college presidents
have signed this initiative to promote responsible drinking education
as college curriculum (Freshman Orientation) and have safe
college-sponsored events. The fact: Kids are going to drink. So
parents might rest easier knowing that their grown-up “little bundles of
joy” will be in good hands at organized, safe and legal
events……learning the dangers of unsafe drinking while socializing
responsibly. Let’s DEBATE about the drinking age!
Even junior high and high school classes talking about the effects of alcohol, drinking and driving, and safe environments for drinking are recommended. When the United States Federal Government "encouraged" increasing the drinking age to 21 from 18 in 1984, Canada did not. (If states did not raise the age, then no federal funds for the highways.) What happened you ask? The drinking and driving fatalities and injuries for young adults in both countries have dropped the same percentage since 1984. In the UK, the attitude about acceptable drinking ages is; "It's no big deal" and beer and wine consumption is acceptable at age 12. So...kids and young adults in the UK don't use alcohol as a form of rebellion against their parents or society.
It's time to wise-up America!
Happy Beer Games is committed to getting young adults off of the roads. We encourage young adults to STAY HOME TONIGHT! Do not drink and drive. We want America to gather together with their friends and assign a responsible friend as a designated game host. They will be responsible to take the car keys, monitor the pace of game play and make sure that players do not drink too much. They will also ensure that all players spend the night or have a designated driver to take them home.
It's time to accept that "kids will be kids," and to stop treating them as juveniles. If we treat young adults with mutual respect and nurture their growth with education and honesty, their approach to "growing up" will be much healthier and safer. At 18 years of age, our children can vote, get marries and die for our country but we have been restricting their natural maturation process by overly-cautious laws. Its time to be real, honest and promote safe and responsible education about the effects of drinking alcohol.
For a fun public service announcement about safe and responsible drinking, please check out our You Tube Channel: http://youtube.com/stayhometonight. Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BradHappyBeer, discuss your opinions on our Facebook page or MySpace page. We all have opinions...tell me yours.
-Brad Thayer
The opinions expressed above are not necessarily that of Happy Beer Games LLC
