by Ruth Engs

About the author: Ruth Engs is a professor of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University and the author of the books Alcohol and Other Drugs: Self Responsibility and Controversies in the Addiction Field.

As the University of Vermont and other universities work to address student alcohol abuse, one of the greatest hindrances they face is the fact that the legal drinking age is set at twenty-one, an age most college students won’t reach until their junior or senior years.

This perspective is built upon more than two decades studying college student drinking patterns and the history of alcohol use in this country and other cultures. My research has led me to believe strongly that perhaps the simplest and most dramatic action we could take to create more responsible alcohol consumption among...