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Wed 23 Jun, 2004 12:16 pm
Last week I was in Rome (good food), where I talked with two Americans from Detroit. We talked about everything; drinking alcohol was one of the topics we talked about. I had my first alcohol drink when I was about 13 years of age; my parents decided that I had to drink my first alcohol in their presence, to warn me about drinking too much alcohol, to guide me. Since then I drink alcohol around once, twice a week - I'm 17 now. I've never been drunk. Most of my friends had the same upbringing - they had their first alcohol at a what the two Americans considered to be a young age. For what I know is that my friends too have never gotten into trouble with drinking.
From the reaction of one of the Americans I noticed that she found it actually far too liberal. 'Drinking at 13?' 'You got your first drink from your parents??'
She did admit though that a lot of teens in the US drink alcohol 1) in secret, or 2) when they are 21, and, as she said, 'when they turn 21, they drink so much they always get drunk'. It's a sort of forbidden fruit, she said.
Now my point is: what is the best way to handle this? Here in the Netherlands you can drink and buy alcohol legally from the age of 16 (that is: outside your own home - it seems -, that is the parents responsibility). I do know that there are a lot of people of my age who drink too much alcohol occasionally; on the other hand, I don't know any people who really have a drinking problem. In the US, you can drink alcohol legally from the age of 21. Do you think that is a better solution than as it is handled in the Netherlands?
Personally, I think that when parents introduce a teen to alcohol in a responsible manner, it's better than learning about drinking from your school buddies. I feel that the kneejerk reaction to alcohol consumption in the US makes the problem worse, not better. Sugar and fast food are well on their way to surpassing alcohol as the top preventable killers in the States.
OK, but on the other hand: you are Dutch, 16, without responsible parents, and you can buy alcohol - legally. Problem or not?
No.
More later, because in about 20 mins ....
Just a short note: when worked as a youthworker -here: especially re drug prevantion- I offered courses for "homebrewing beer" for those of 16+ (same legal reasons as in the Netherlands).
However, a lot of parents of younger ones asked me, why their children couldn't join. (They couldn't, especially, since those courses run in public/community youth centers.)
In about 20 minutes yes :wink: ... good luck Walter. Your country needs it :wink:
I don't think so, but I doubt that's the prevailing opinion. I suspect there are strong cultural influences beyond parenting styles. England, fer instance, is full of people who drink to get drunk, and their drinking laws aren't as restrictive as those in the U.S.
Here in Wisconsin (USA), I was surprised to see teenagers drinking with their parents in restaurants. That's allowed here, though most establishments set a minimum age of 16 or so. Nonetheless, the college students here drink a ton -- this town is pretty much built around it.
I grew up in NY when the legal drinking age was 18. Now it's 21 all over the US, and my older nephews seemed to have fake IDs early on. And the impression I got was that this was typical.
So, what was accomplished? Kids still drink, only now they can also subvert the law while doing so. I guess that's progress...
I stuck mainly to illegal drugs until I was 21. They were easier to get.
You can buy and smoke pot here legally from the age of 16, though I have never done that, nor any of my friends. And yes, the Netherlands is a country with no restrictions...
My kids are 8, 12, and 14. Whenever we go out for dinner to a place like the local brewpub, we allow them a taste of the beers. For the most part they don't like them, but we are introducing them to new flavors, new taste sensations. Nothing wrong with that IMO.
My dad tried that when I was a kid, but I liked beer so he didn't try anymore. Most of my family drinks pretty heavily, though, so it may not have been the best way to get introduced to the hooch anyway.
My childhood dentist stopped using gas on me for the same reason.
In the ongoing effort to stamp out the evil of underage drinking, they can now fine servers $5000 if they provide booze to kids. And the local agents like to send in kids to bars and stores just to test the staff. At least that's how it is around here.
I asked what was up when I saw how aggressively they were carding younger folks at my pub. I guess the threat of a $5000 fine would put the fear of the Lord in anyone. Sounds like overkill to me, but whatever...
I actually don't like beer. That makes me an outkast in the family it seems, for both my parents drink beer, as well as my sister, her boyfriend, my uncles and aunts....I just don't like it.
Washington State is pretty puritanical when it comes to alcohol.
I wouldn't expect my kids to be served. There's a big diff between being served alcohol and your parents providing a taste.
patiodog wrote:Washington State is pretty puritanical when it comes to alcohol.
I'll drink to that. Same is true for Oregon. Both states sell booze in state stores where the general tone is: "We'll sell you the stuff and make tax revenue from it, but we disapprove of your behavior."
Ohio is the same way. I hate those damn state stores.
Nice. How is the alcohol abuse rate in these states?
While surfing on the Net in an effort to find something about alcohol abuse in Oregon I found this site:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/consumer/10250.html
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