When discussing the 21-year-old legal age to consume alcohol in the United States, many people cite lower ages and generally more permissive attitudes around alcohol in the European Union as evidence that we’re doing things all wrong in the U.S.  This argument often implies that there simply aren’t the problems in Europe that we experience here.  Yet, the Washington Post reports that problems do exist and are being experienced by younger and younger teens all the time:

“We’ve seen a whole series of new trends over the past five to 10 years,” said Michael Musalek, director of the Anton Proksch Institute, a renowned Austrian detox center that claims to be Europe’s largest.

“For one, the age of alcohol beginners keeps declining. Today, 11-, 12-, 13-year-olds are already drinking — some on a regular basis,” he said.

Hospital officials notice the same trend.

At Vienna’s General Hospital, up to three teens are admitted each weekend after drinking escapades escalate, often leaving them so intoxicated they become unconscious, pediatrician Zsolt Szepfalusi said. More cases are common during special events, such as the city’s annual Danube Island Fest in the summer, he said. read full article…

Discussion Questions: Why is Europe held up as an ideal model when it is experiencing problems similar to our own? What do you see as some of the factors that contribute to binge or “coma” drinking in both the U.S. and Europe? What can be done to reduce the problems?

Tags: alcohol