While reading the Italian newspaper La Repubblica for one of my Italian courses, I happened upon a startling article.

“Alcohol: with the first glass at 11 years, Italian kids hold the European record,” read the headline. The article went on to discuss Italian Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia’s new concerns about the drinking habits of very young Italians.

The average Italian has a first taste of alcohol between the ages of 11 and 12, while in the rest of the European Union the average first taste comes at 14. This is consistent with my own childhood experience in Paris; when I was about 13, waiters started casually asking my parents if they could serve me a taste of wine.

Sirchia stressed in a speech that while alcohol is one of Italy’s great riches (“a delicious product”), young Italians needed to “use their brains” while consuming it. His new health campaign states that drinking in excess is never good but especially bad for those under the age of 16.

Italian reaction to Sirchia’s concerns was mixed. Federico Bianchi di Castelbianco, a psychiatrist, warned of the risk of creating a “boomerang” effect, noting any sort of absolute prohibition of alcohol to adolescents could lead to tremendous problems with binge-drinking. (Was di Castelbianco vacationing in the United States?)

Those supporting the minister emphasized he did not propose a legal ban on alcohol; rather, they claimed, it was a reminder advertising aimed at the very young often ignores the risks of binge-drinking.

Sound familiar?

Binge-drinking in Italy is far less common than in the United States; yet Italians are the biological equals of Americans. What can account for this difference in U.S. and Italian drinking habits, when Italians apparently have their first sip at a much younger age?

University of Wisconsin Italian professor Giovanna Miceli-Jeffries, who has lived in the United States for many years, said there is no doubt that Americans are more prone to drinking in excess.

She described the issue as partly cultural and culinary, noting that Italians are exposed to wine at a young age, since it often constitutes part of a meal. Her own grandmother insisted she drink a bit when eating fish to avoid a stomachache.

Miceli-Jeffries added Italian students’ lifestyles differ significantly from those of their American counterparts. Many Italian students live and study at home, which translates into somewhat less freedom. They also don’t have as much cash (on average) as American students, so they can’t afford to go out drinking as often.

Italians also don’t usually go out just to drink. Whereas in the United States students often speak of going out to drink, in Italy, while alcohol is often part of an evening, it is rarely the focus.

So why is there growing concern in Italy over students’ drinking habits?

Miceli-Jeffries believes more Italians are experimenting with harder alcohols. She said young Italians like to get tipsy for the same reasons as young Americans: to loosen their inhibitions and relax. But whereas wine and beer are common at family gatherings, strong cocktails and mixed drinks are more tied to discos and parties.

Sirchia’s campaign aims at raising awareness to reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents. Miceli-Jeffries believed if in the next few years Italy sees a rise in the number of alcohol-related accidents and injuries, there may be a discussion about legal changes. However, Italians are unlikely to copy the U.S. model. Their general attitude consists of holding adults responsible for their own alcohol intake.

Miceli-Jeffries pointed out Italians graduate from high school with a “diploma di maturit?,” or diploma of maturity, indicative of newfound adult status. They can also drive and vote at 18. Italians receive a pretty consistent message that at 18 they are adults who can be held responsible for their behavior.

Instead, American students are bombarded with rather contradictory messages about adult status. They can pilot planes solo at 14, drive cars at 16, get married between 14 and 18 depending on the state, vote and serve in the army at 18 and drink at 21. Just what is the message telling students they are adult enough to drive, start a family and go to war, yet too young to manage their own alcohol intake?

No wonder the boomerang effect.

Cynthia Martens ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in Italian and European studies.