Having a legal drinking age of 21 reduces but certainly does not eliminate the likelihood of teenage alcohol use. This is where the rest of us must play a role. A colleague and good friend drove her son to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus to begin his freshman studies a few years ago. After a loving embrace, she began the journey home. Within a few hours her son had toppled from the second floor of an apartment due to alcohol and suffered severe brain damage. He now functions at a very basic level and can never continue his studies.
Whether we are parents, friends, siblings, co-workers, store merchants, etc., we have the opportunity to help our young people make good lifestyle decisions. If young adults are not legally able to consume alcohol, are they “missing out”? What they won’t experience are the harmful health issues, the embarrassing situations, the hangovers and the potential for injuries or death.