18 vs. 21 -- What Lowering The Drinking Age Could Mean

We see it one too many times at Mark Houston Recovery -- Teen alcoholics who get access to liquor by raiding their parents supply of alcohol or getting older friends to buy it for them. On college campuses college binge drinking is still a problem and in many cases can lead to tragedy. Yet the argument continues from teens ("If I'm old enough to fight in a war I'm old enough to drink") and from many adults who think that lowering the drinking age might actually reduce teen alcoholism. The reality of this proposition though is clear -- lowering the drinking age to reduce drinking follows the same path of logic that proposes raising the speed limit will reduce speeding when in fact it just makes people go faster. Our goal with any of our residents whether they're teens or adults is to help them recover from their addiction and get a change to live a meaningful life, free of addiction.

A Lower Drinking Age Does Not Mean Less Drinking

A recent study by The Harvard School of Public Health College concluded that students drink more on college campuses that have a strong drinking culture, few alcohol-control policies on campus or in the adjacent community, weak enforcement of policies and easier access to alcohol through special promotions and low pricing by local stores and bars. Basically, removing the restriction doesn't necessarily mean kids will be more responsible. Despite the inherent logic the goes against the notion of making drinking more accessible for young adults, an initiative was recently developed wants to revisit the possibility of lowering the drinking age. The idea behind the Amethyst Initiative is that the prohibition anyone in this age group has failed and has led to over indulgence. At Mark Houston Recovery here's what we know. Regardless of whether you're 18 or 21, alcohol addiction is a disease and no debates or theories about how old you need to be to drink will change that. Our efforts to promote healthy recovery and self reliance for alcoholics and drug addicts will hopefully provide drinking age and under drinking age men a chance to regain control of their life. A chance for life without alcohol.

Is There A Right Age For Drinking -- Addiction Doesn't Know Your Age

You've heard the phrase uttered many times over in recent years -- Drink Responsibly. The overall notion that you can advertise the fun and frivolity you can have with alcohol as long as you tell people to be responsible  is about as sound as handing a kid a videogame system, telling you're be gone for 4 hours and them tell him to have fun but  not play for the whole time you're gone. Underage will be a problem no matter what the legal allowed age is. The fact of the matter is this -- regardless of how old you are you can  and will become addicted to alcohol with continued, habitual consumption. Proper education, responsibility and maturity aside, alcohol will create a chemical dependency in your body. For Mark Houston Recovery, the task, especially with our younger residents is to not only help them recover but to help them realize this very fact and hopefully get them a  chance to continue what should be a long and healthy life free of addiction.