<p>Although I was born in the USA I moved to England when I was only 8. There Kids start drinking at a much younger age, at a pub you only have to be 12 to have a drink with your parents. And although the legal age is 18, from experience I can tell you that 16 is really the age that kids there start going out drinking. This causes kids to have a much better appreciation of alcohol as they grow up. I once spent a summer in Spain (Drinking age is only 16 there!) when I was 17 with a bunch of American students from around the states. What I saw was kids that had no real previous experience with alcohol making big mistakes. It was literally a puke fest. </p>
<p>Alcohol is not the enemy, its ignorance of drinking. The real problem I see moving back to America is kids still drink; everyone knows at least one convenience store that turns a blind eye. But they can’t drink at home, even if their parents would prefer them to drink at home they can’t let them. Because if, god forbid, something does happen to one of their friends drinking at their house and people know that the parents let this drinking occur, they are now liable.</p>
<p>So what ends up happening is we buy booze, go drive somewhere, drink, and then drive back. This is exactly what should not be happening, but instead its the same story being told at American High Schools every Monday morning.</p>
<p>Drinking at a younger age teaches kids appreciation for alcohol and its dangers. At my High school in England we had a BAR in the Senior House that served beer. Which if you were a junior or a senior you could use after school. If you don’t believe me check the link below! Ok yes, they do not advertise this fact on the website but e-mail the school they will tell you! </p>
<p>Can you even imagine a school in America selling beer to students!
<a href=“http://www.bethanyschool.org.uk/sixthform/accom.htm[/url]”>http://www.bethanyschool.org.uk/sixthform/accom.htm</a>
(Sixth Form in England means the Junior and Senior years of High School)</p>
<p>In summation, encouraging drinking is not what is really on issue here, its the encouragement of responsible drinking, something that American High School and new University students have to be taught. Were as in the rest of the western world they already know it.</p>