Office of the Chancellor
Setting the Age Limit at 18 Years Won’t Solve Binge Drinking Problem Among College Students
By Dr. Linda P. Brady
Chancellor, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
This article appeared in the News & Record Sunday, October 5, 2008.
When the Amethyst Initiative was announced in the national news recently, it challenged the validity of the current legal drinking age of 18 years. Among the assertions in the Initiative’s statement: “It’s time to rethink the drinking age,” “Twenty-one is not working,” and “How many times must we relearn the lessons of prohibition?” The Initiative was signed by 129 college presidents, who are seeking a national discussion and debate about lowering the drinking age.
While these presidents are no doubt sincere in their beliefs, I will not sign the Amethyst Initiative – and I’ll tell you why.
These university leaders are concerned about a “culture of dangerous, clandestine ‘binge’ drinking,” which, indeed, is a major problem on college campuses. High-risk abusive binge drinking poses a number of hazards to the well-being of drinkers of any age: accidents, violence and assaults, alcohol poisoning, damage to memory and learning capability in adolescent brains, lowered class attendance, academic failure – and often, death. Binge drinking also affects the well-being of the friends, family, and the college and local communities of those binge drinkers – accident victims, survivors of violence or assault, victims of vandalism and other crime, unwanted noise and other distractions, and lost sleep.
But would lowering the drinking age alleviate the binge drinking problem? In my opinion, it would only make the practice legal at an earlier age and would do little to curtail it. In a recent study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, an alarming 39 percent of college students surveyed said they engaged in binge drinking. I don’t believe that this problem can be addressed by a single strategy, because no one strategy will address the complexities of alcohol abuse. UNCG has developed and implemented a multi-faceted and well-conceived program that combines several strategies. Other campuses have also adopted this multi-pronged approach, which has a documented impact on reducing high-risk drinking and its associated problems.
Some of the strategies that are effective at UNCG and elsewhere are:
Clear alcohol policies that are well-publicized and enforced – Legal drinking age information, campus alcohol regulations, procedures to address violations, along with college disciplinary and law enforcement, set the standard for expected student behavior.
Consequences for policy violations – Both campus discipline systems and the criminal justice system assign sanctions to help violators learn to behave differently, to help minimize future violations, and to help protect the community from future harm by the abusive drinker.
Environment – Reducing the availability of alcohol on and off-campus, and increasing the variety of alcohol-free campus activities, has an impact on student opportunities to abuse alcohol. Studies show college students believe many more students drink to excess than statistics indicate, so giving students accurate information about the number of their peers who drink and who binge helps counter social pressure to participate.
Help for problem drinkers – Individual counseling and behavior modification like that provided in UNCG’s Counseling Center and SIP (Substance Information Program) helps students with problems turn their lives around.
Education and awareness to prevent harm – Educational courses such as CollegeAlc and AlcoholEdu (online), national programs such as the annual Alcohol Awareness Week, local campus speakers and programs, and use of peer educators all help students learn to manage their behavior.
UNCG faculty members are also addressing the problem through research. Dr. David Wyrick, associate professor of public health education, developed the program CollegeAlc, based on his research on reducing college student drinking, which was supported by NIAAA grants. Dr. Todd Lewis, associate professor in counseling and educational development, studies social norms and college drinking as well as adolescent substance use and risk-taking. These researchers and others across the country contribute to the knowledge base that will advance our efforts to combat college student alcohol abuse.
I am pleased that UNC President Erskine Bowles also has stated recently that he opposes lowering the drinking age. UNCG has an effective plan in place that involves education, prevention, intervention and accountability to reduce high-risk drinking no matter the age of the student.