Law-Abiding Pitt Student Waited Until 21st Birthday To Have First Alcoholic Beverage

PortlandPledgeHazers7 years ago

Everyone remembers their first time drinking alcohol, as it marks their shift from childish innocence to pseudo-adulthood. Whether your first time imbibing the devil’s water was your 13-year-old self sharing Bud Lights stolen from your parents’ fridge or the second you stepped foot on a college campus, odds are you drank underage.

It seems as if we have found an anomaly of alcohol consumption, though; a University of Pittsburgh student recently recounted the story of her first time ever consuming alcohol, which just so happened to occur on her 21st birthday.

From The Pitt News:

I’m not sure exactly when I decided I wouldn’t drink alcohol before I turned 21 — I guess for a while I wasn’t sure if I would ever drink at all. My main reason was the legality of it. A rule follower from the time I was born, I couldn’t imagine intentionally breaking such a clearly defined law, even in situations where I knew I wouldn’t get caught.

But more than that, there was a feeling of not being ready. Somewhere in my mind I knew alcohol was a responsibility I couldn’t handle at 18 or 19 years old, and even if 21 felt like an arbitrary age to change that, waiting at least gave me some time to figure it out.

I certainly have no issue with those who stay sober for health concerns or other legitimate reasons, but waiting 21 years to drink primarily out of legal concern seems like overkill to me. I don’t know. To each their own, I suppose.

While I always personally believed that people waiting until they were 21 to drink was just a fable spread by 7th grade health teachers across the nation, I guess I was mistaken. Sarah: now that you’re 21, go enjoy a night of Jose silver and Dexys Midnight Runners to catch up. That’s like 70% of college nights, anyways; consider it a fast track..

[via The Pitt News]