New plan to prevent children from drinking alcohol: Ban children (and some adults) from buying zero-alcohol drinks.
No, that doesn’t make much sense.
But that’s the argument made by Molly A. Bowdring, a clinical psychologist at Stanford University, who argued this week in “ Statistical data Non-alcoholic beverages like beer or cocktails are a “potential public health crisis.”
The zero-proof beverage market includes brands such as Athletic Brewing, by far the largest non-alcoholic beer brand, as well as a growing range of wines and spirits. Although non-alcoholic beverages still account for only a small portion of the overall beverage market, they have grown at an impressive rate in recent years, driven by consumers who want to enjoy a drink without getting drunk.
But Baldrin worried, wouldn’t anyone think of the children? “While it’s good that more and more people are taking to heart the public health message that drinking less alcohol can improve health and extend life, an important lesson about e-cigarettes as an alternative to cigarettes is being overlooked: the potential benefits for adults. Stuff can be harmful to children.
After contacting state alcohol regulators across the U.S., she wrote that she was surprised to learn that non-alcoholic beverages are generally exempt from alcoholic beverage restrictions. Do Contains alcohol. Picture this.
“In general, the law allows children and teenagers to purchase non-alcoholic beverages. It’s a huge responsibility,” Baldrin warned. “The path from non-alcoholic beverage consumption to drinking appears to be fairly direct among adolescents… Among minors, consuming non-alcoholic beverages allows them to integrate into the drinking culture and allow these beverages to be considered cool, adult, and modern.”
Oh my gosh, it’s not like that.
The logic here is seriously flawed in several ways. The bottom line is that banning the sale of non-alcoholic beverages to individuals under 21 (which, by the way, includes many adults) doesn’t make “drinking culture” look that much different. Even if that were the case, it’s definitely not the government’s job to regulate which subcultures seem cool or interesting.
If a state has a compelling reason to prohibit the sale of alcohol to certain people, it is that drinking would increase their risk of harming themselves or others. But kids are already prohibited from legally buying or drinking alcohol – by definition, anyone buying or drinking a non-alcoholic beverage isn’t drinking in the first place!
Ultimately, Baldrin isn’t saying that kids who buy non-alcoholic beverages will become alcoholics, drive drunk, or engage in similarly dangerous behavior. She panicked about the possibility of their increased interest in drinking. But learning to drink socially and responsibly—which may include drinking non-alcoholic beverages at times—is a key part of being an adult.
This is not a reason to ban video games because some kids who play them will one day be involved in a school shooting. This is an argument for banning video games because some kids who play them may one day drive several miles per hour over the posted speed limit.
