Alcohol

[SnowWolf]

I dont understand why alcohol is such a bad thing. im Russian, and we are allowed to drink moderatly, its not a bad thing for children in European cultures. But Americans, well, since the rents here tell their kids its bad, and it kills, those kids do it. Euros dont care for it at this age because it is welcomed, not ignored. So, this culture really encourages their kids to drink. Kids rebel when you say "No". Isnt it ironic how this works?

Just wanted to point this out.

[Rutherford The Brave]

I dont understand why alcohol is such a bad thing. im Russian, and we are allowed to drink moderatly, its not a bad thing for children in European cultures. But Americans, well, since the rents here tell their kids its bad, and it kills, those kids do it. Euros dont care for it at this age because it is welcomed, not ignored. So, this culture really encourages their kids to drink. Kids rebel when you say "No". Isnt it ironic how this works?

Just wanted to point this out.

In Russia you are allowed to drink. In America you cannot drink until your 21 which you are not, and since you live in Illinois those rules do not apply to you. Alcohol can kill in great quantities. I think that when they say that, they mean you can kill if you make a stupid mistake and get behind the wheel. Underage drinking isn't ignored here, it Illegal. Police do pay attention, and police will act if there is probable cause. However if your parents allow you to have one drink I do not see the harm.

[sebbie]

In the UK drinking age is 18 but from my own past experience and what you see in the news kids around early teens 13-15 are getting smashed of their faces at the weekend. There is also a fantastic amount of media out there to discourage them.

[SnowWolf]

In Russia you are allowed to drink. In America you cannot drink until your 21 which you are not, and since you live in Illinois those rules do not apply to you. Alcohol can kill in great quantities. I think that when they say that, they mean you can kill if you make a stupid mistake and get behind the wheel. Underage drinking isn't ignored here, it Illegal. Police do pay attention, and police will act if there is probable cause. However if your parents allow you to have one drink I do not see the harm.

I understand this all very clearly, all i think is that the whole "underage drinking" phase starts BECAUSE parents and adults alwasy say nonono to it.

[Rutherford The Brave]

I understand this all very clearly, all i think is that the whole "underage drinking" phase starts BECAUSE parents and adults alwasy say nonono to it.

Sorry but it isn't really like that. Us as teens are curious, we want to know what it might be like. Then if we like it, we tend to stick to it. Like Sex teenagers love sex.

[sebbie]

Well when I got drunk for the first time I did not do it because people told me not to, I did it because I heard it was fun. As crude as that sounds.

[2D]

Everything in moderation and you're fine. That's all kiddies.

[theOperaGhost]

Everything in moderation and you're fine. That's all kiddies.

Kiddies lack the judgment and foresight to use things in moderation, which is why it's illegal for them. I don't know a single kid who drinks not to get completely swashed. Nobody drinks in moderation around here...but hey, they don't have a drinking problem, they live in North Dakota! Yay for being the number one underage binge drinking state in America!!!! :)

[Antares]

Alcohol has a bad history and just causes problems.
If we let teenagers or otherwise very immature people to access alcohol people would die left and right and would just go bonkers causing more problems that we need.

21 is fine. If someone REALLY wants alcohol, they will get it no problem.

[Raptor22]

In Russia you are allowed to drink. In America you cannot drink until your 21 which you are not, and since you live in Illinois those rules do not apply to you. Alcohol can kill in great quantities. I think that when they say that, they mean you can kill if you make a stupid mistake and get behind the wheel. Underage drinking isn't ignored here, it Illegal. Police do pay attention, and police will act if there is probable cause. However if your parents allow you to have one drink I do not see the harm.

I think she is saying that sure its illegal but kids ignore the rules anyway. She compares to European countries where it is legal and they dont have the problems we do.

[2D]

Kiddies lack the judgment and foresight to use things in moderation, which is why it's illegal for them. I don't know a single kid who drinks not to get completely swashed. Nobody drinks in moderation around here...but hey, they don't have a drinking problem, they live in North Dakota! Yay for being the number one underage binge drinking state in America!!!! :)

Well I'm the first one then.

[enzenzz]

Alcohol in itself is not bad, what is bad is how people abuse alcohol.

[Mr. Smithers]

Well In America they say that underage drinking messes your body up but to me that doesn't make sense. I think they want to make sure that alcohol drinkers are mature and responsible so they set a mature drinking age.

[karl]

I think she is saying that sure its illegal but kids ignore the rules anyway. She compares to European countries where it is legal and they dont have the problems we do.

The legal age for drinking alcohol is Spain is 18, but underage drinking is a big problem. Prohibiting kids from drinking isn't the answer, educating kids to the dangers of alcohol abuse is.

[theOperaGhost]

The legal age for drinking alcohol is Spain is 18, but underage drinking is a big problem. Prohibiting kids from drinking isn't the answer, educating kids to the dangers of alcohol abuse is.

In America, kids are constantly educated about the dangers of alcohol abuse, binge drinking, drunk driving, and alcohol poisoning. It doesn't help at all...

[Zazu]

I don't think the laws in the US help really, they need to relax a bit. I think the legal age for buying alcohol at the age of 18 as we have here in the UK is the lower most cut off.

Also, alcohol is one of the most addictive recreational drugs out there. The damage it can sometimes cause is irreversible and it completely nullifies all your sense of judgment and morals when you drink it.

I'm not a fan of it really, but it's one of the few recreational drugs I'm happy to consume.

[CaptainObvious]

I think she is saying that sure its illegal but kids ignore the rules anyway. She compares to European countries where it is legal and they dont have the problems we do.

This is a oft-repeated statement that I used to believe myself, but it is in fact false. When you look at long-term risks of alcohol use, most European countries - particularly Eastern European, but it's true almost across the board - have worse public health problems from alcohol consumption than America.

America may have some worse acute outcomes for teenagers, but that has more to do with the high prevalence of teenage driving in America compared to Europe than with the drinking age.

And, for the record, I think America's drinking age needs to be lowered. But let's not BS ourselves about the statistics.

[Ryhanna]

I don't drink now. I COULD, I have access, I just choose not to. And when I'm 18 and I can legally buy it, I still won't. Or at least not often at all. I just don't see the point, I've had some a couple of times in the past, it tastes foul, you go off your face, and in the morning you'll probably wake up with a massive hangver.

Moderation is the key. Bu I still won't do it, nor will I do drugs. for the same reasons and more.

[woody92]

Alcohol in itself is not bad, what is bad is how people abuse alcohol.

your right there totaly agree, because it is up to the individual to limit the amount they drink. People need to be able to control it more and with in that they need to learn to know when they have had enough (or a bit too much)

The legal age for drinking alcohol is Spain is 18, but underage drinking is a big problem. Prohibiting kids from drinking isn't the answer, educating kids to the dangers of alcohol abuse is.

HIT it on the head!

[1_21Guns]

I'm in the UK, and I drink regardless of the age, but I don't get wrecked. The ages are there so that people who legally drink should respect alcohol, because not everyone does. Logically the older you are the more you respect it. Yeah, the limits cause a massive urge to break the law just because its there. Thus how you get drunken groups of teenagers. But very few are educated and respectful when it comes to alcohol. Which is why they're there.

[Raptor22]

This is a oft-repeated statement that I used to believe myself, but it is in fact false. When you look at long-term risks of alcohol use, most European countries - particularly Eastern European, but it's true almost across the board - have worse public health problems from alcohol consumption than America.

America may have some worse acute outcomes for teenagers, but that has more to do with the high prevalence of teenage driving in America compared to Europe than with the drinking age.

And, for the record, I think America's drinking age needs to be lowered. But let's not BS ourselves about the statistics.

Right, I dont really buy it either, but I was merely trying to clarify her statement because I am sure that nobody really got it. I know there have been studies with small children where the candy intake is limited and they get older and eat lots and lots of candy, where the children where the candy intake was never restricted only eat small portions or not at all. It kind of a strange catch twenty-two...

[Agent]

In the UK drinking age is 18 but from my own past experience and what you see in the news kids around early teens 13-15 are getting smashed of their faces at the weekend. There is also a fantastic amount of media out there to discourage them.
Isn't it so that in UK you can drink when you are five if you just drink at home?

[sebbie]

Isn't it so that in UK you can drink when you are five if you just drink at home?

A generally summary of UK drinking laws can be found at: http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drinking/responsibledrinking/drinkingandthelaw

Usually its not the people who are legally drinking who give drinking a bad name, its the binge drinkers, groups of kids with bottles of cider and Lambrini lol

[vic203140]

i understand this all very clearly, all i think is that the whole "underage drinking" phase starts because parents and adults alwasy say nonono to it.

i couldnt agree more my parents have let me and my sis have a wine or 2 when we have dinner.most of my friends have too sneak around and take wine or somthing else without there paerents knowing which i think is more wrong then having a drink at home

[Hyper]

Alcohol has a bad history and just causes problems.
If we let teenagers or otherwise very immature people to access alcohol people would die left and right and would just go bonkers causing more problems that we need.

21 is fine. If someone REALLY wants alcohol, they will get it no problem.

Lol.. Did you actually say that?

Surprise... EVERYONE has access to alcohol if they want it.

Kids everywhere drink and they drink a lot, call me retarded for saying it but to me it seems like they drink more than ever before.

This opinion was formed for me when a 10 year old was teaching me how to create ''menthos vodka'', like an old pro, and not like he was trying to be ''cool'' he guzzled like it was a routine.

Same shit only before the 10 year old kid I bumped into some young girls drinking vodka again.. So out of curiosity I asked them stuff.. 1 was 11 the other was 13..

Basically this 11 year old kid who weighs about 70 pounds drinks more alcohol in 3 months than I do in a year, the 13 year old kid probably beats me in 1 or 2 months.

Every weekend same shit, starting from 10-13 years old, kids get smashed. I personally think you can do whatever the hell you want with your life, body etc but there's always a question of ''is it sensible'', right or wrong etc. And in my view of things drinking every weekend, not just some beer or cider and later thinking your cool, but vodka, whiskey, mixed, binge etc..

Drinking just to get smashed and later brag...
Let's see drink vodka every weekend starting from 12... Liver damage check, brain damage check, most possibly educational failure check, circle of friends suffering from the same damage check!

And Europe isn't as relaxed about drinking as the OP claims... Some parts are more ''educated'' but it isn't like that. We drink more than any other parts of the world, I believe if I remember statistics right, and it isn't doing us any good. The younger kids start drinking the more retards our society gains.

And yes I do mean retards because your not going to be a normal thinking person if you binge drink every weekend minimum starting from when you reach puberty or even before that.

[Mzor203]

I understand this all very clearly, all i think is that the whole "underage drinking" phase starts BECAUSE parents and adults alwasy say nonono to it.

No, kids make these choices not because their parents don't tell them to, but because the parents don't tell them to, and then do nothing else about it.

Now me? It`s been drilled into me that alcohol, drugs, everything are bad. Drilled in and then reinforced because my parents were good parents who knew -how- to parent, how to punish accordingly, etc.

And look at me. Touched barely a drop of alcohol and plan on leading a completely alcohol, drug, everything-possibly-fun free life.

All of parenting plays a part in how your child turns out in regards to anything you could think of, you can't just directly link *Parents say no* to *Kid rebels because parents said no*. It just doesn't work like that.

Every day I walk past the memorial of two teenagers who died because they were driving drunk. That's enough for me to have the will not to drink.

[CaptainObvious]

Now me? It`s been drilled into me that alcohol, drugs, everything are bad. Drilled in and then reinforced because my parents were good parents who knew -how- to parent, how to punish accordingly, etc.

The implication that parents who do not choose to prohibit their teenage children fromusing some amount of drugs and alcohol are bad parents is a little bit offensive, tbh.

And look at me. Touched barely a drop of alcohol and plan on leading a completely alcohol, drug, everything-possibly-fun free life.

Sounds fucking boring. Work hard, play hard, the way I see it.

Every day I walk past the memorial of two teenagers who died because they were driving drunk. That's enough for me to have the will not to drink.

Well that would play a large role in giving you the will not to drive drunk, but unless you don't trust yourself to not be a complete idiot while inebriated I don't quite see how that's supposed to transfer to giving you the will not to drink.

[cherry_boi]

alcohol itself is not a bad thing, but many people cannot handle the responsibility of drinking and abuse it, which is why it is perceived as a negative habit

[PutMeInCoach]

not to sound like an idiot or encourage ANYONE but.. i drink and im underage..

[Mzor203]

The implication that parents who do not choose to prohibit their teenage children fromusing some amount of drugs and alcohol are bad parents is a little bit offensive, tbh.



Sounds fucking boring. Work hard, play hard, the way I see it.



Well that would play a large role in giving you the will not to drive drunk, but unless you don't trust yourself to not be a complete idiot while inebriated I don't quite see how that's supposed to transfer to giving you the will not to drink.


I am a fucking boring person, and I like it that way, thanks muchly.

When you're intoxicated, you have little control over your actions. If you think, "I shouldn't drive drunk" before getting drunk, that thought could easily turn to, "Hey, I should go for a drive!" While you're drunk.

Drink is pointless in my eyes, I can get my fun from much less expensive and much more safe areas.

[Kahn]

There are things that are more fun and healthier than getting drunk or just drinking in general. All alcohol is, is a drink. True it good taste could but it could consume your life. Now I'm not saying that everyone who drinks it is a bad person because then I would be lying. But it can turn good people into bad people.

I choose not to drink it just as Rex above me thinks it is pointless. It is.

[2D]

I've got nothing against drugs. Shoot my english 1102 teacher was talking to me about when she was a counselor for teenagers who were addicted to drugs and alcohol and generally just had a terrible life. She would always tell them that being an addict is no fun. You don't control the substance but it controls you, and then you lose all enjoyment of it. When you're addicted to alcohol you don't drink because you want to enjoy it you drink because your body needs it. There's nothing wrong with getting smashed occasionally as long as you don't do it every weekend. Everything in moderation and you'll do fine.

[tyler_52]

i got wrecked once or well .... i forgot how many times but im starting to hate it because i wake up sick .... my school was told about the dangers of alchool abuse but it didnt help we just chose not to because we get sick in the end ,.... but ill probly drink later on in life ( not a lot )

[peaceloverugby]

Adding on to what Jeff said, if you do have a problem, stop cold turkey. If you can't, get help. Don't say "Oh, I'll just have one drink." Because one becomes two, and two becomes a 12 pack by yourself. Believe me, addiction is no fun. If you're addicted to something, don't try to have it in moderation, you're only tempting yourself.

[Englishrose]

I've been brought up in a house where alcohol was accepted, but in moderation. I've been allowed to drink on special occasions and with my parents since I was younger. I was allowed to go to friends houses and drink if there was adult supervision. However, if my parents ever caught me drinking without permission, that benefit would be taken off me.

Unlike for some, because I was allowed it in moderation, alcohol was never an issue for me, I've never seen it as something exciting and something to try. However, now I'm of legal drinking age, the times of only special occasion ends, and the times of going out clubbing have well and truly begun. Oh the life of a student. :D

[gone]

alcohol isn't such a bad thing.. you sure?

:S

[blueberryshady]

same thing here, in france it's not considered a bad thing to drink. it's just normal. drinking age used to be 16 but they changed it back to 18. :/ but now, i live in the US, people consider alcohol and sex as taboo... which kinda pisses me off... just saying. i still love the US though.