Wiktoria Parysek | Drinking responsibly

'Can I see your I.D.?" might sound different from "Ausweis, bitte" but, in essence, they're both harboring the same doubt: You don't look old enough to buy alcohol. To some at Penn, this isn't viewed as a nuisance - they may see it as a necessary evil or as a non-issue.

But there are many students, including myself, who were raised in societies in which they were considered adult and mature enough to buy and consume alcohol responsibly starting in their teens. This group of students considers wine with dinner an enjoyable luxury, not an opportunity to pregame at a local BYO. With the barrage of underage binge drinking facts and drunken driving statistics, these students are made to feel irresponsible and are stripped of their maturity.

With the dawn of the Amethyst Initiative - a group of 135 colleges and universities advocating open debate with regard to the current drinking age - it seems that adults are finally beginning to notice that the current U.S. alcohol laws aren't as effective as most of the public is led to believe.

I don't believe that the Amethyst Initiative will ever gain the needed support to sway enough lawmakers to have an impact, but I do believe it's a step in the right direction.

It aims to empower young adults instead of depriving them of all responsibility. At 18, most citizens are considered responsible enough to go to the army, to drive and to get married without their parents' consent. They are not, however, ready to drink - according to the law, at least.

While here in the States there is only one "magic" number, in Germany there are three distinct levels for alcohol purchase. Undistilled alcohol - beer and wine - may be purchased from the age of 16, but it may be consumed from the age of 14 if there is a consenting guardian present. Distilled alcohol may be purchased from the age of 18.

While it is true that German drinking laws are some of the least restrictive in the world, it doesn't mean they aren't enforced or that teenagers are wandering the streets inebriated 24/7 - although drinking in public is allowed. This gradual introduction to alcohol culture fosters a more mature approach to drinking.

The power given to the young people in Germany isn't the same as a 21st birthday in the U.S. Of course, there is a sense of excitement the first time you buy alcohol or drink it with your friends, but there is also a sense of responsibility. It's a privilege to be able to drink, and most people are clear on the fact that they are not to abuse it.

But would this three-step system work in the U.S., where attitudes toward drinking are historically much more conservative?

To begin with, it's clear that the American law itself isn't compatible with what's really happening. According to the most recent statistics of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 34.6 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds reported alcohol use within the past year.

Statistics such as these imply that to a select group, drinking laws are already obsolete, no matter what they say. Some parents decide when they want their children to start drinking. Some teens make that decision for themselves.

What happens to these underage drinkers isn't as important as how they are treated.

They shouldn't be afraid to seek out help from fear of persecution. With a lower drinking age, there would be less of a stigma surrounding the whole issue, and more support and education available to those mature enough to drink.

There are plenty of 18-year-olds around the world ready to drink. In Germany they are protected and educated; in the U.S. they are singled out and seen as irresponsible.

An 18-year-old in Frankfurt is no more likely to abuse alcohol than one in Philadelphia.

And while lawmakers in the U.S. will probably never make the decision to lower the drinking age, they should at least acknowledge that it goes on and then make sure that it happens safely.

Wiktoria Parysek is a College sophomore from Berlin. Her email address is parysek@dailypennsylvanian.com. Wiki-pedia appears on alternating Fridays.

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