Let's have a drink, overseas

In Bloomington, if you're not 21, the idea of living in a college town just isn't the same. Even if you have a fake ID, then a "no worries, let's get plastered" night at the bar is in fact full of fears of Kilroy's bouncers and encountering the excise police.\nAfter spending two years at IU with numerous fake IDs, I feel your pain. I have been, and still am, waiting for my 21st birthday, wondering if it will ever arrive. I have watched as most of my friends attempted 21 shots on their special day, going through the rite of passage that I long for.\nIn the meantime, as I continue to spend this semester in London, my concerns of being underage have momentarily vanished. In most of Europe, the legal drinking age is a mere 18, so for the first time in my life, an infinite amount of alcohol is legally at my fingertips…and most of the time, in my hands. \nOver here, alcohol is viewed as a part of life, a ritual that involves retreating into local bars and pubs for camaraderie and socializing. Not everyone drinks here, but most people, from college freshman to 80-year-old grandmothers, take part in a traditional pint of alcohol from time to time.\nWhat amazes me is the control and knowledge that most British have concerning every kind of alcohol. They sure know how to drink their lager, but they have also learned how to exert self-control and discipline over many drinks. \nAnd oddly enough, I find that it is myself and the rest of the binge-drinking clan from America who are most likely to pass out, hit on the least attractive girl/guy at the bar, or spend a few hours praying to the porcelain god. The British and their European counterparts have learned from a young age how to handle liquor, beer and lager and have incorporated alcohol into their daily lives. \nDoes this responsible alcohol consumption have anything to do with the fact that alcohol is accepted in their culture? Moreover, because most Britons have learned how to drink since mid-adolescence, do they know their boundaries once they have turned 20?\nTo those who view alcohol as a vice, as something that corrupts people, and a habit that is associated with the wrong side of the tracks, a drinking age of 21 might makes sense. But to those of us who view alcohol as a reward for a hard week, as a light at the end of the final exam tunnel, or as a way to relax, a drinking age of 18 seems just about right. \nFor a country that maintains a drinking age of 18, the statistics are quite astounding. In comparison, the United States ranks higher in every category, from drunk driving accidents to alcohol poisoning. You would think that by allowing 18-year-olds to drink, the situation would be reversed. But I believe it is because 18-year-olds are allowed to drink that they have less of a chance of driving home after drinking or ending up in a hospital.\nIn the end, I will eventually return home, and I will continue using my awful excuse for a fake ID until I get busted or until I finally turn 21. And then going to the bars just won't be the same thing, for I'll actually be legal, I won't be on the look-out for undercover cops, and the bouncers at Kilroy's will let me in without a hassle. \nBut in the mean time, I will be sure to enjoy the pleasures of being 20 and drinking illegally. And while spending my time at the local pub, I will try to learn a thing or two from the British. They do like to drink, and more importantly, they know how to drink.