What's the deal with alcohol??

OK...I guess I'm having trouble with this concept because I was born and raised in Europe!! We grow up with what I would like to call a more "normal" relationship with alcohol. It's not the forbidden "pleasure" that it is here in our country.

I just can't grasp the concept that at age 16 you are allowed to get behind the wheel of a car, a potentially lethal weapon. At age 18, you can vote, you can be tried as an adult in a court of law (in some cases at an even younger age), you can fight and die for your country. But God forbid you should have a beer!!! Someone please explain! For one, this "law" does NOT seem to stop young people from drinking...I say it even enhances the allure...doing something "forbidden" makes it all the more interesting for a young person. I also believe that it creates a very unhealthy relationship with alcohol and drinking that's carried over into adulthood.

Growing up in an environment where alcohol is readily available and drinking is not made into this forbidden pleasure, yes, people do drink, and yes, young people experiment, but because it's no big deal, they focus their attention on other things and leave the drinking for a party, etc. Today, as an adult, I have a drink every now and then, but I don't drink every day and I rarely get drunk...case in point! :)