For the past week, I’ve looked forward to only one thing. I shut my mind off to all SG candidates pushcards — red, yellow and blue. I sat through hourlong lecture history classes dreaming about a single upcoming moment. And as far as for what’s happening in the war with Iraq, I couldn’t tell you. I barely can even recall what stories graced the inner pages of The Reveille this week. Instead, I’ve waited to do something I’ve been waiting to do for the past 21 years.
Wednesday, April 2, 2003, I had my big moment. With about six friends gathered around a Serrano’s table, I anxiously waited for the waitress to take my drink order. My friends chuckled at the huge grin on my face, as I ordered my first legal alcoholic beverage. I’m not sure how, but they say my grin grew even more when she asked to see my ID. Oh what fun it was finally to be able to hand someone that little rectangle card and receive a tasty strawberry margarita rather than some huge black stamp.
But after leaving my short birthday celebration, life as a 21-year-old became pretty much like every other day (except for the colorful door decorations and a fresh-baked confetti cake). I had to work, I had to go to class, and most importantly, I had responsibilities that needed to be taken care of. So soon after purchasing my first legal alcoholic drink, I had another first. For the first time, I realized why the legal drinking age is set to where it is.
I won’t pretend to be a self-righteous preacher because I know I haven’t always practiced what I’m about to say. But now I honestly believe people should be 21 before they are allowed to drink alcohol. Throughout high school and even in my first few years of college, I never would have been able to drink a small amount only for celebration purposes and then return to my normal routine. But at age 21, this was not a problem for me. On Wednesday, I probably wouldn’t even have bought a drink if it weren’t for the thrill of actually doing so.
Alcohol itself just wasn’t that necessary to me like it would have been in the past. Whether it is because I’ve reached an age where I’m more mature or a point in my college career where responsibilities take priority over everything else, I’m not sure. But entertaining myself with alcohol, especially on a school day, just was not worth it.
All of my readers, young and old, can correct me if I am wrong, but I think the epiphany I had Wednesday is something that came to me with age. Someone, somewhere probably realized this same thing and that is why the state will let me drink alcohol and not those in high school, who consider a bottle of vodka and the rim of a toilet to be their best friends.
At 21, I think most people can make a conscious decision about the effects and consequences they face after drinking alcohol before they even purchase it. And however fun alcohol may have been before I reached Wednesday’s epiphany, the state was right — I should not have drunk it.