That having been said, the real solution, in my less than humble opinion, lies in changing the US social attitude toward drinking and getting drunk, a process that would take generations even if you could manage the needed reversal of parental abdication in the raising of kids.
Change the social attitude from what into what?
From one of binge drinking and alcohol abuse to one of moderation.
In many parts of Europe (parts only, mind; some parts, particularly Eastern Europe, are supposedly as bad or worse than the US), alcohol use is fairly casual and moderate. People might have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner, maybe one or two after, but after that they stop. Drinking isn't a taboo, age restrictions are generally low and people aren't as tempted to experiment or go nuts with it. In other words, there's no "forbidden fruit" aspect to drinking.
In nations like the US, however, where alcohol use has always been pretty frowned upon and we've had fairly restrictive laws regarding such, the forbidden fruit aspect tempts people - particularly young people - to go completely overboard, and the bad habits that are formed because of it extend into their adulthood.
It's a bit like firearms education, in a way, except with alcohol. If you teach the child to respect it and safely handle it, rather than fear it and make a mystery of it, they will be far less tempted to use it recklessly.
