Now, let’s see how society prepares a young adult so that they are better armed against the potential risks of drinking alcohol and can make responsible drinking decisions.

  1. Turn 18!

Why don’t we licence drinkers?

I can already hear the outcry. Are these the same voices which refuse to allow condoms to teenagers because giving them a condom will encourage them to have sex – as if they are not already having sex (ditto cervical cancer inoculation)?

The reality is teenagers are already drinking. They will continue to drink – whether society raises the drinking age to 20 or 21 or keep it at 18. There are many reasons why youth drinks illegally – but mostly it’s about rebellion.

I recall a young girl being interviewed by Australian TV. She was 16 and went out most Friday nights drinking with her mates in a Melbourne Park – until she was drunk. Her mother wouldn’t have her living at home because she was uncontrollable

Asked by the reporter – “How long are you going to carry on drinking like this?’ she replied, “Until I’m 18”.

“Why stop then?”

“Because then it will be legal” was her reply.

During the NSW Alcohol Abuse Summit one of the recommendations (from the Young people invited to attend the summit) was to explore supervised drinking at youth centres***. The proposal was ignored (if not shouted down  - those same voices?).

“It is illegal to serve alcohol to under 18s” they cried … seemed to me those are the same voices that are happy to dispense needles and drugs to junkies in King’s Cross despite the use of heroin being illegal.

But which is going to be a better outcome for society and for the young people?

Let’s have a supervised system for bringing our young drinkers into the adult fold with proper education and supervision.

Just suppose:

At the age of 16 (at the same time that you can apply for a driver’s licence) you pass a theory test about alcohol – covering:

Ø    What is alcohol?

Ø    How much alcohol is in different beverages?

Ø    How does the body process alcohol?

Ø    What are the short and long term risks of drinking alcohol?

Ø    What are the specific dangers of drinking while young, the impact on the brain and other developing vital organs?

Passing this test will allow you to receive a “Drinking under supervision ID card”. And when you turn 18 – you proceed to a full licence as now.

Oh dear, I can hear the hue and cry now – it’s bad enough trying to monitor under 18s in a bar or nightclub – let alone checking whether they have a “Drinking under supervision ID card” or not.

But not every nightclub or bar need allow under 18s inside. And I am sure there will be many entrepreneurs who will seize the opportunity to establish supervised drinking establishments – operating under the current regulatory system. Providing appropriate entertainment for 16 to 18 year olds under supervision.

This is not going to stop the misuse but neither does the current system of licensing drivers stop some young people from killing themselves and others. But I am sure it is going to reduce the numbers, reduce the mystique of alcohol.

My shout?

 

References

* The Laws, Book II by Plato

“Shall we begin by enacting that boys shall not taste wine at all until they are eighteen years of age; we will tell them that fire must not be poured upon fire, whether in the body or in the soul, until they begin to go to work-this is a precaution which has to be taken against the excitableness of youth; afterwards they may taste wine in moderation up to the age of thirty, but while a man is young he should abstain altogether from intoxication and from excess of wine; when, at length, he has reached forty years, after dinner at a public mess, he may invite not only the other Gods, but Dionysus above all, to the mystery and festivity of the elder men, making use of the wine which he has given men to lighten the sourness of old age; that in age we may renew our youth, and forget our sorrows; and also in order that the nature of the soul, like iron melted in the fire, may become softer and so more impressible.”

** NSW Driving Licence

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/gettingalicence/index.html

and subsequent pages.

*** NSW Alcohol Abuse Summit

See the link to “Recommendations” on:

http://www.alcoholsummit.nsw.gov.au/links/Youth