Expert: Clyde - 12/10/2009

Question
Hi his is mazin, a student at University of Canterbury.Im doing a research about legal drinking age. Could you please answer this question, should legal drinking age be increased or decreased and why?

Answer
Mazin,
   Thank you for your question and, yes, I will be happy to respond to it.  First, let me say that I am encouraged that someone is willing to do the research in which you are engaged.  I commend you for that subject and hope for your success in reaching your conclusions.

    The answer I would give is that the legal drinking age should be increased and even beyond perhaps the usual 21 years of age.  Here is my reasoning.

    A young person has two things going against them as they begin to desire the experimentation with alcohol.  These two things are subtle and very difficult for them to see because they are "hidden" from them.  One of these is the physical nature of their own immaturity.  I am a firm believer in the understanding that Alcoholics Anonymous gives in the book by the same title - alcoholism is caused by an "allergy of the body."  This allergy is "hidden" from a young person because they have no idea the propensity that their body chemistry and genetic disposition may have towards developing the physical cravings for alcohol.  They will be "duped" into the role of an alcohol consumer and not have the slightest notion of what is about to happen to them.  Let me offer a personal story: As a young 5 - 6 year old boy, I remember my mother giving me the spoon she used for measuring vanilla extract into her recipes.  It was quite an innocent offer but there was something about that liquid, even in the lack of a sufficient amount, that I simply craved.  I found myself climbing up on a chair to get to the cabinet when she was not looking in order to take a swig of that magic liquid.  It felt good going down.  That was the alcohol contained in the extract already affecting me in a physical sense, hence, the "allergy of the body."  This would be repeated with my insatiable liking for cough syrups such as Vicks Formula 44 at a very early age.  I liked the way it felt going down.

    Now was I conscious of the alcohol content of these two liquids? No.  Did anyone instruct me about the content? No.  Did I have a propensity toward the effects? Yes.

    I believe that the immaturity of the young body and its sensitivity to foreign materials such as alcohol may lead to alcoholism.  A person whose own physical maturity has not occurred or has been delayed will not be of any help in warding off the effects of such a drug as alcohol and that person runs the risk of a lifelong alcoholic "allergy."   Is it caused by exposure to alcohol prior to maturity?  I can not say for I am not a scientist in this field. I can only offer my experience.  My physical maturity was delayed until well after I began drinking hard liquors at the age of 18.  I will always wonder what would have happened had I not began drinking until later in life.

     The second "hidden" element a young person faces comes from the society in which they live.  The persons who feel that drinking is OK for themselves have not the slightest interest in the welfare of the young persons around them.  I believe this may be due to a subconscious narcissism in the drinker in which they are not going to be shamed or guilted into looking at their own use of alcohol as a "mental" help in dealing with their own lives.  My own history is riddled with such people as I arrived at the legal drinking age.  This is "hidden" because very few young people are going to have the personal maturity or the training to guard themselves against such intrusions.  Who will stand guard over the welfare of our children?  Too few.  

     This is not to discount the narcissism of the alcoholic beverage industry who have one interest in the young people coming of age - get them to be consumers and get them quick.  You need only look at the media and ad campaigns since the invention of the printing press to find evidence of this desire to promote their products.  In seminary, I remember doing a paper on the ethical issues surrounding the advertisements of alcohol to our youth.  I hope you will pursue some angles on your research in this direction.

     As a pastor and as a recovering alcoholic who ingests no alcohol in any form, I have been literally amazed at pastors of churches who refuse to offer non-alcoholic wine or grape juice for communion.  Some of these pastors I know to be abusing alcohol themselves. Their refusal to offer non-alcoholic beverages is a subconscious attempt to allay their own fears and guilt that they are probably having a problem with alcohol themselves.  This very concern over the inadvertent exposure of parishioners to alcohol is why the Methodists in the 1700's began to use grape juice for communions.  Welch's grape juice was formulated for this very reason.

    I know this is a lengthy answer to your question but I hope it has given you some perspective on the issue from the mind of a recovering alcoholic.  As I said, I commend you on your subject choice and I hope for your success in your endeavors.

    Write again if I may be of any further help.

Grace and Peace,
Clyde