Why drinking champagne before noon in the teachers' lounge isn't a big deal (And some other thoughts on alcohol culture in Austria and the US)

 

Here's something that would never happen as a prom theme in the US, but totally works for the similar event, the Maturaball, in Austria:

("Got a little Engineer in you?" is their tagline since it's at a technical school.)

I lol'd when I saw this ad plastered to the front door of one of my schools this morning, simply because it's sometimes easy to forget how different Austrian culture is in many ways.

This is not a new topic for me, as many teachers have requested I discuss this topic with the students. In this discussion, it always quickly becomes clear (if it wasn't already) that standards and expectations in Austria are quite a bit different than in the US.

This is because the drinking age for beer and wine here is 16, 18 for spirits.* This means most of my students can go have a beer after class--something US teens can only dream about or do at the house of a friend with hippie parents. 

The culture of drinking is much more relaxed here. For example, G pointed out once how drinking a beer with lunch might draw some judgmental looks, but here doesn't cause brows to furrow. Beer is also inextricably linked to local pride and tradition: It seems like every town has a large brewery (or two), and locals swear by the supremacy of their own. Taverns in hamlets tend ally themselves with the nearest big-time operation. For example, Murauer was the beer of choice in Tamsweg, probably just as much because of ease of transport as the local affinity.

In addition, it must be mentioned that public drinking is allowed, but frowned upon if it is too flagrant. This allows one to spice up picnics with a mini bottle of champagne or quench one's thirst after a long but leisurely bike ride to Freilassing with a cool Radler (mix of juice/soda a beer). In the US (outside of a few special places), there can be no Gluehwein at Christmas markets. There can be no impromptu beer gardens. There can be no schnapps sampler at the local farmers market. What a pity.

That said, alcohol abuse is definitely still an issue. While most students have a relaxed, thoughtful attitude toward drinking--which is better than the fearful, uninformed one some teens have--they have faced the same issues of binge drinking and embarrassing drunken episodes most US teens have. And like all teenagers, a few of them have little respect for the possible consequences.

I know that many teachers are not too thrilled at the idea of teenage drinking. Some want to hammer home the negative consequences of overconsumption rather than having an open discussion about how teens actually feel about alcohol and actually use it. This is where being a TA can really come in handy: The students see you as a peer and if you gain their trust, are more willing to share their authentic thoughts and concerns.  And those are the moments a teacher can really savor.

Unfortunately, no system deals perfectly with all the ills alcohol misuse and abuse can create. While I don't especially love the underlying prudish, fear-racked mentality of the US, one that has led many TAs (including myself, much as I hate to admit it) to react in shock when teachers celebrate someone's birthday with champagne at 11:30 p.m. in the conference room, I don't think that 16-year-olds should be able to drink freely, unsupervised in public (especially given that you can drive at 17).

I prefer the attitudes and laws regarding alcohol here over those in the US, but I will never be a fan of Captain Morgan as a prom mascot. The Maturaball should be a celebration of achievement, a night to cut loose and have fun that is accented with alcohol, not centered around it.

*This is the basic law. There are much more complex laws considering blood alcohol level and public intoxication, which you can read about on Wikipedia.