On September 13, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reached a $4.75 million legal settlement with the parents of a student who died from an alcohol overdose in 1997. Scott Krueger, an 18-year-old freshman, fell into an alcohol-induced coma after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol at a university fraternity pledge function, and died three days later. The settlement comes at a time when underage drinking on college campuses appears to be spiraling out of control, with an increasing number of drinking-related incidents and fatalities.

A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health College on the drinking habits and trends of college students found that 44 percent of students in 1999 were binge drinkers. The study defined a binge drinker as a male who consumes five drinks or a female who consumes four drinks in a row at least once in a two-week period. The study involved over 14,000 students from 119 universities. It also found that 19 percent of college students refrained from drinking alcohol last year -- an increase from 13 percent in 1993 -- but that nearly 24 percent of college students consumed enough alcohol to be classified as frequent binge drinkers. As staggering as these numbers are, new findings indicate that the use and abuse of alcohol starts years before youths enter college.

According to the American Medical Association, over 10 million individuals under the legal drinking age of 21 regularly consume alcohol, and that the average male tries alcohol at age 11. Demanding that parents, as legal guardians, must stop their underage children from drinking alcoholic beverages, numerous states have passed "social host" and "adult responsibility" laws, which hold parents and adults responsible for the actions of supervised minors. Still other states and jurisdictions have gone farther. If convicted under Minnesota's Zero Adult Providers law, adults and parents can be fined, jailed and sued for damages. The city of Albuquerque, N.M. is tougher still, allowing the authorities to seize the homes of underage drinkers from their parents if the property is used for the illegal consumption of alcohol.

On One Hand... Considering much alcohol abuse and binge drinking by college students starts in their teenage years, communities are right to focus prevention efforts on the home. Underage drinking has become a serious epidemic in this country, and one that is exacerbated by parents who allow their children and children's friends to imbibe with their knowledge, oftentimes in their homes. Drinking alcohol is harmful to child development, and can adversely affect social and personal habits that last a lifetime. Enacting laws that hold parents legally responsible for their children's drinking, with severe penalties, is essential to combating underage drinking. With these laws, previously negligent parents are forced to take an active and responsible role in their children's lives.

On the Other Hand...

Simply passing stricter underage drinking laws, with harsh penalties for parents and children, is ineffective. This approach does little to counter the current startling trend of alcohol abuse by minors. The current rash of underage drinking came about after a decade when lawmakers raised the drinking age and increased enforcement. Glamorization of alcohol and drinking is furthered and reinforced by media hype surrounding passage of these laws. While most parents agree that serving alcohol to groups of minors should be prohibited, many also reserve the right to introduce their teenage children to alcohol. Supervised, moderate exposure to alcohol in the home with family lays the foundation for a healthy respect for alcohol and its associated responsibilities. While 21 may be the legal drinking age in the U.S., no scientific evidence exists proving this is the age at which young people can safely begin drinking alcohol. Leaving prohibitions on alcohol largely to the family is the best tactic if the aim is to reduce binge drinking by minors.