I am 19 years old. I’m not an adult but I am definitely working on getting there. I do my absolute best to be professional in my actions with others and in my business.

 With all that being said, I miss drinking. 

Now before everyone reading this gets concerned and refers me to the local AA meeting it’s important to mention that I spent the last semester abroad in Paris, France. The drinking age there officially is 18, which means I was perfectly able to enjoy alcohol. While abroad I did much research into the joys of wine and the complex appreciations of beer. Even in those experiences I conducted myself as a professional and with self-respect. 

When asked if I had an opinion to share for the opinion page it took me a while but then I realized, I do have one strong opinion that I’d like to voice. I miss drinking. 

Now when I say drinking let me clarify this, I don’t mean going out, getting wasted and waking up the next morning not remembering the previous night. I mean walking into a bar, saying hello in one language, placing your order in another, and then carrying on a conversation with the bartender, learning about their language. 

I miss the type of drinking where I walked into a bar with my best friend and we spent the night laughing and talking about all of the different types of beer, as well as experiences, that we shared on that particular adventure. I miss being able to mention alcohol and not be scanned, judged and criticized by everyone within earshot. 

Now, I will never advocate for a lower drinking age in America because the majority of American teens are too irresponsible. Also our inability to not enter a vehicle when we’re inebriated will never cease to amaze me. 

But I wish we could grow up. I wish we as a culture could be responsible with the privilege of driving. 

With the privilege of drinking. And I wish I could just go buy a beer.