Yet another regarding alcohol

[smc4110]

I understand that drinking is not sinful, but drunkenness is never acceptable. I’m 18 and have never felt the need to drink; neither have my friends. We’re all heading off to college and I feel that the opportunity to drink will be more full-fledged than it was in high school. I don’t believe that my going off to college merits me to throw all morality out of the window (unfortunately some of my friends beg to differ.) So I don’t think I’ll feel the need to get totally smashed, but part of me doesn’t want to feel guilty about having a glass of wine with dinner. Who knows if I’ll actually do that. I’ve probably answered my own question: the law says no drinking under 21, and as Christians we must obey the law. Would having a glass of wine under 21 be grounds for mortal sin? Thanks.

 

[Alterum]

To my knowledge, the law doesn’t say “no drinking under 21”. Rather it sets the minimum purchase age at 21. So, unless you have some sort of… problem… with alcohol, it’s no sin at all.

 

[davidv]

To my knowledge, the law doesn’t say “no drinking under 21”. Rather it sets the minimum purchase age at 21. So, unless you have some sort of… problem… with alcohol, it’s no sin at all.

I don’t believe this is universally correct. In Minnesota, underage drinkers can be criminally charged with “minor consumption”.

 

[User_Name_Craig]

Hi

Seemed like only yesterday when i was 18 (now 31). In Aus we are allowed to drink legally at 18 so underage drinking is not so much an issue during College (or Uni - University) for us. However at High School it was more of an issue.

My wife and I often joke (which really isn’t that funny when you think about it) that we drank more when we were underage that we did when we were of age. Just so you know we have grown up a lot since then! My kids wont be making the same mistakes as I made I will make sure of that. We have 3 so wish me luck.

I would offer you my wholehearted support for staying off the Grog (another name for Alcohol, Booze, Drink etc). Yes a drink is fine. However when you are young and have a glass of wine etc you experience the sensation of Alcohol. It is rather pleasant. You think to yourself, mmm another might be nice… just one more… then it starts. It is very easy to go from 1 drink to being drunk.

Typically a young girl can get drunk very quickly and then be taken advantage of as her guards are down and may be surrounded by Boys who have been drinking.

Keep away from it if you can. I wish I was as Catholic at age 18 (I was probably Atheist at that time) as I am now. My faith now inspires me to do what God desires and not what I desire or others around me. Getting drunk is a problem with the flesh. If you develop a drinking habit it can be hard to overcome.

Good Luck and God Bless YOU!

 

[wjp984]

Most states have the crime of minor in possession or minor consumption. If there is probable cause the police can even give you a breathalyzer test to see if you have any alcohol in your system and if you do, you will be issued a criminal citation. The laws are different depending on the state and some are more lenient than others. I’m not sure if it is appropriate for me to post the constitutional issues and ways to beat the system but I’ll give you this advice:

If you drink underage, keep it private and trust who you are with. If the police have to come to break up a party because someone was too loud or doing drugs or anything of the like, and you are just innocently drinking, well too bad. You will get cited for drinking and be in an uphill battle over the constitutional issues.

 

[thomfra]

You’ll be fine. Just have a few drinks without getting plastered. Nothing wrong with that. Even if the cops bust you, it’s not like anybody is ever gonna care because you “drank at college”, and got busted. It’ll just be a funny story to tell at job interviews. Just take it a bit easy though. I’ve done some stupid stuff whilst under the influence…then again, I met my wife out on the turps (as we say in Australia) and we are happily married with two kids…so a bit of social lubricant can be ok

 

[Newbie2]

You’ll be fine. Just have a few drinks without getting plastered. Nothing wrong with that. Even if the cops bust you, it’s not like anybody is ever gonna care because you “drank at college”, and got busted. It’ll just be a funny story to tell at job interviews. Just take it a bit easy though. I’ve done some stupid stuff whilst under the influence…then again, I met my wife out on the turps (as we say in Australia) and we are happily married with two kids…so a bit of social lubricant can be ok

As an employer, I wouldn’t hire a person who had something like this on their record, especially if someone volunteered the information during a job interview.

“Hey, I’ve got this great story about getting busted for underage drinking”.

My guess is that for most employers, at least in the US, that would be the end of the interview.

 

[thomfra]

As an employer, I wouldn’t hire a person who had something like this on their record, especially if someone volunteered the information during a job interview.

“Hey, I’ve got this great story about getting busted for underage drinking”.

My guess is that for most employers, at least in the US, that would be the end of the interview.

I doubt this very much. **Most **people in the US have had a drink whilst underage at some point. “Employers” are no different. Lets remember, it’s not wrong to drink just because Uncle Sam says so. Half the country supports Gay marriage. Do you think anybody would care whether you dared to consume alcohol before some arbitrary age set by the state?

 

[wjp984]

It’s not just the fact that you got busted for drinking underage. It is the fact that you had to be doing something stupid to be caught. My guess is an employer knows this. The cops don’t go busting underage drinkers who don’t cause trouble. They bust underage drinkers who are either causing too much of a scene with loud music, drugs, etc., or guilty by association. So, I don’t think you want that on your record. When they do bust underage drinkers who are not causing trouble there might be constitutional issues but like I have posted before, that is an uphill battle you do not want.

 

[rogerh_57]

I am not trying to say drinking is wrong, I like a good glass of wine or beer myself and even for someone underage I think it would be okay within limits. But correct me if I am wrong in saying that somewhere in the scriptures does it say that you must obey the laws of God AND must obey the laws of the land? If that is the case then you would be obligated to follow all laws.

 

[wjp984]

However, here is the good news. Depending on your state you will more than likely get the case dismissed for your first offense. In some states you might not need to to anything more than pay the ticket or in some cases, you might not even have to do that.

Even so, some states allow a lot more discretion, and while your judge may still dismiss your case, that certainly does not mean you are going to get off easy. Think traffic school (dismisses your traffic citations) to the extreme. You might be on probation for as long as 2 years depending on the judge and your situation. You might be required to enter into some sort of alcohol program for why minors should not drink or do drugs an all that stuff. You might be required to do random drug screenings and breath tests.

You will be owned by the court and have to ask permission to do all sorts of things before they finally dismiss your case as successful. Oh, and if you are 20 and get a harsh program like this, that might mean you can not drink until you are 22. Oh, and once they catch you the first time they will watch you like a hawk and believe me, the kids always get caught for not doing what they court tells them to and then they lose even more liberites as part of their probation if the judge is nice enough to still let them keep the offense off their record. Finally, you are the one who has to pay for the privilege of the court not entering a conviction so I’m sure you can guess how much money you will be spending for the programs you have to do and involved court costs.

The bottom line is don’t do it. Go to Mexico. Go to Canada. And if you feel the necessity to illegally drink in this country, which I will not recommend, be safe and make smart decisions. But do not be stupid and have something like this rule your young adult life just because you wanted to have a little fun.

 

[Newbie2]

I doubt this very much. **Most **people in the US have had a drink whilst underage at some point. “Employers” are no different. Lets remember, it’s not wrong to drink just because Uncle Sam says so. Half the country supports Gay marriage. Do you think anybody would care whether you dared to consume alcohol before some arbitrary age set by the state?

I think wjp made a good point, with which I agree: One doesn’t bring up getting caught up doing something stupid in a job interview if one wants to get that job.

Many people have had premarital sex as well. Employers may not give a rat’s butt about that either, but to bring it up in an interview??? BAD IDEA.

Half the country supports gay marriage? No. But that is another discussion quite irrelevant to this one.

Perhaps if I put it this way, “Smart employers would end an interview immediately if you brought up an underage drinking bust in your job interview”. It’s a red flag for stupid behavior and potential alcohol abuse. Just bringing it up in an interview would qualify for stupid behavior as far as I’m concerned.

 

[nobeerinheaven]

There is no Church document that I am aware of that dictates disobedience of the law is either venial or mortal sin. This is particularly relevant since the 21 and up law unjustly deprives people of a God-given good. As Augustine wrote, “an unjust law is no law at all.”

 

[royal_archer]

I doubt this very much. **Most **people in the US have had a drink whilst underage at some point. “Employers” are no different. Lets remember, it’s not wrong to drink just because Uncle Sam says so. Half the country supports Gay marriage. Do you think anybody would care whether you dared to consume alcohol before some arbitrary age set by the state?

I depends on what job you are applying for. Flipping burgers, not a problem. Driving a truck or anything dealing with defense, big problem. If an employer hires someone who has a record for alcohol related infractions and then that employee gets into an accident on the job, The employer is very exposed for liability especially if alcohol was involved in the accident. If you are applying for a job where a lot fo trust is involved such as the defense industry, such a record could keep you from gettting permission from the government to work on certain projects.

 

[thomfra]

Oh…sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up at a job interview unpromted. That was a flippant comment. Main point is that it’s not a big deal. (unless driving trucks etc).

 

[Mattjolley]

Heres my two cents
, in the UK the legal age for drinking is 18, i’m 21 now, 22 in december. I altar serve at my church in the saturday vigil and, most saturdays, spend the night out with my mates. Is this such a bad thing? Its not as if im a raging alcoholic and I can’t control myself when I’m drunk. Its all about moderation! Just enjoy yourself and know where to draw the line. I also met my current Girlfriend on a night out and we’re very happy together.

 

[wjp984]

Oh…sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up at a job interview unpromted. That was a flippant comment. Main point is that it’s not a big deal. (unless driving trucks etc).

Well, it is it is a bad thing because it shows that not only were you dumb enough to be doing something illegal, you were even dumber since you got caught for something that most people are smart enough to avoid by making smart decisions. So if it does come up in an interview I would think one would want to focus on how it was a learning experience and a stupid mistake and not on how cool it was and how everyone does it and the law should be changed. There are lots of laws that are stupid and should be changed and there are probably lots of company policies that are stupid that should be changed but the company will probably not hire someone with that attitude.

I have to start applying for paid summer associates starting next month for Summer 2009 and I’m glad I don’t have anything on my record but I’m still really scared of the process since I’ve never done it before.

 

[thomfra]

Well, it is it is a bad thing because it shows that not only were you dumb enough to be doing something illegal, you were even dumber since you got caught for something that most people are smart enough to avoid by making smart decisions. So if it does come up in an interview I would think one would want to focus on how it was a learning experience and a stupid mistake and not on how cool it was and how everyone does it and the law should be changed. There are lots of laws that are stupid and should be changed and there are probably lots of company policies that are stupid that should be changed but the company will probably not hire someone with that attitude.

I have to start applying for paid summer associates starting next month for Summer 2009 and I’m glad I don’t have anything on my record but I’m still really scared of the process since I’ve never done it before.

Whatever the case, As a previous poster says. Just have a few drinks without overdoing it. When you are young is time to have fun!!! You will not get another chance! You’ll be fine. don’t stress!!!

 

[thomfra]

Heres my two cents
, in the UK the legal age for drinking is 18, i’m 21 now, 22 in december. I altar serve at my church in the saturday vigil and, most saturdays, spend the night out with my mates. Is this such a bad thing? Its not as if im a raging alcoholic and I can’t control myself when I’m drunk. Its all about moderation! Just enjoy yourself and know where to draw the line. I also met my current Girlfriend on a night out and we’re very happy together.

I met my wife at the pub. I bought her beers all night. We are also happy married. It was a good investment.

 

[RobHom]

I’m 57, and frankly…had I not had a single drink when I was in High School, the Army, College…and maybe even afterwards… I wouldn’t have missed all that much. I do have a drink or two…preferably a good wine after dinner when I am home. Gave up beer a while back, puts too much weight on too fast

I guess my point would be this… You are young, and you seem quite intelligent and mature. Use that maturity and intelligence to your advantage. Ask yourself this question: If all of my friends jump off a cliff to their deaths for no reason whatsoever, should I do so also? The obvious answer is “NO”! Popularity at your age is a very nebulous thing…and it becomes less and less important every year. What is more important is your future, both where your soul and your corporal body are concerned.

I work nowadays in an industry where a DUI/DWI is an automatic “kiss of death” to employment. In fact every job I have ever had it was the same way…

Remember, Discretion is truly the better part of valor!!