Teens and alcohol

Morag

Caffeine is a drug and neither of mine are allowed coffee and won't be until they are 15 and I limit the amount of soft drinks which has caffeine in it. They also are not allowed energy drinks. For a teenager to have 1 watered glass of wine or one bottle of beer infrequently to demystify alcohol to my mind is a good thing and a lot less harmful then seeing children being left to drink a litre of coke a day or as many energy drinks as they want.

mikom

Sharrow wrote: »

Caffeine is a drug and neither of mine are allowed coffee and won't be until they are 15

Do you allow them to drink tea?

Morag

Tea as in black teas like lyons/barrys/who ever? No I don't, they can have fruit teas if they wish.

old hippy

Sharrow wrote: »

Tea as in black teas like lyons/barrys/who ever? No I don't, they can have fruit teas if they wish.

Do you allow them watch telly?

cynder

My 4 year old loves tea, no sugar though.....

Morag

old hippy wrote: »

Do you allow them watch telly?

I really don't see what this has to do with the topic at hand, unless you are trying to paint me as some sort of puritanical. They do watch some T.V. the new my little pony friendship is magic is the new favourite as well as mythbusters.

Stark

NO SUGAR!

Anita Blow

As a young person, I can definitely say if any parent thinks that just because they take a hardline on drink, their teenager won't go out drinking with their friends on the sly, they're delusional.
It was hilarious though. It was always the children of the parents who thought their children were little angels and took a zero-tolerance approach, who would be the ones KOing in a field on a friday night.
I see where some parents are coming from when they introduce small amounts of drink to their children at young ages, but to me that isn't even needed. All that is needed is to sit down and tell your kids when they're near the end of 3rd year or start of 4th year that a small amount of drink is ok and you'll buy it for them.
They're going to get their drink anyway, whether you choose to be ignorant about it or not. So would you prefer them to be paying a complete stranger to get them loads of drink, or for them to be comfortable enough to come to you, you buy them the drink and be able to limit how much they consume?

Of course you'll still have the parents who choose to believe their child would never do it. Do they not see the link between this attitude to alcohol (only really found in Ireland & UK), and the fact that we have such a high rate of binge drinking among teens?

the_syco

I started drinking at 16. Don't think my parents ever found out. I'd drink in the fields, in the ditches, in the barns and in other peoples houses.

Now a days, every so often on the way home I'd see hoards of people going to certain well known drinking spots in fields. And you only go drinking in a field in the rain if your underage, or at a concert :P

hidinginthebush wrote: »

I really don't see the benefit of the "I'm going to introduce my teen to drink at home so it's a safe environment and I can control it" approach.

It's more of a case of allowing the kid to see drinking as no big deal "as I can drink at home", as opposed to the "lol, Johno got a litre of vodka, I wonder how much I can drink at once" mentality that myself and most other kids had around that age. The only ones who didn't had had alcohol at home previous to then. And yes, I can no longer drink vodka as I drank a litre of it in an hour at a mates 18th. Stupid, yes, but that was how I found my limit. Luckily I was with mates who helped me get home; if they don't learn their limit under your roof, they'll learn their limit in a field.

old hippy

Sharrow wrote: »

I really don't see what this has to do with the topic at hand, unless you are trying to paint me as some sort of puritanical. They do watch some T.V. the new my little pony friendship is magic is the new favourite as well as mythbusters.

Ok, so they're kids as opposed to teens - so why are you worried about them imbibing?

amdublin

Anita Blow wrote: »

As a young person, I can definitely say if any parent thinks that just because they take a hardline on drink, their teenager won't go out drinking with their friends on the sly, they're delusional.
It was hilarious though. It was always the children of the parents who thought their children were little angels and took a zero-tolerance approach, who would be the ones KOing in a field on a friday night.
I see where some parents are coming from when they introduce small amounts of drink to their children at young ages, but to me that isn't even needed. All that is needed is to sit down and tell your kids when they're near the end of 3rd year or start of 4th year that a small amount of drink is ok and you'll buy it for them.
They're going to get their drink anyway, whether you choose to be ignorant about it or not. So would you prefer them to be paying a complete stranger to get them loads of drink, or for them to be comfortable enough to come to you, you buy them the drink and be able to limit how much they consume?

Of course you'll still have the parents who choose to believe their child would never do it. Do they not see the link between this attitude to alcohol (only really found in Ireland & UK), and the fact that we have such a high rate of binge drinking among teens?

Nope I don't think that kids won't drink.

My point is they are going to drink anyway....
Andy by you allowing them drink at home you are actually doubling their alcohol intake.

I think it is the parents who allow the drink that are deluding themselves that their child won't drink outside of the home because of that.

Why would you increase your Childs intake of alcohol

As for giving a diabetic 12 year old alcohol....the mind boggles

coffee_cake

old hippy wrote: »

Ok, so they're kids as opposed to teens - so why are you worried about them imbibing?

small kids running around with sugary caffeinated drinks all day isn't that healthy either

Stark

amdublin wrote: »

Nope I don't think that kids won't drink.

My point is they are going to drink anyway....
Andy by you allowing them drink at home you are actually doubling their alcohol intake.

I think it is the parents who allow the drink that are deluding themselves that their child won't drink outside of the home because of that.

Why would you increase your Childs intake of alcohol

As for giving a diabetic 12 year old alcohol....the mind boggles

My parents allowed me alcohol from when I was around 12. A small glass of wine at Christmas and Easter, that kind of thing. Not like they were getting drunk every weekend. Never really got the taste for drink as a teenager/adult. I'd drink it socially but wouldn't go looking for it, just isn't interesting to me. They were stricter with my younger siblings though(modern parenting techniques and all that). The two of them went absolutely mental as soon as they encountered a drop of the stuff outside home.

As for diabetes, there's nothing to say a diabetic can't drink alcohol. They don't recommend that people with diabetes get drunk as they can have a low blood sugar episode and mistake it for standard drunkenness but I assume grindelwald isn't actually getting her daughter pissed.

cynder

Stark wrote: »

My parents allowed me alcohol from when I was around 12. A small glass of wine at Christmas and Easter, that kind of thing. Not like they were getting drunk every weekend. Never really got the taste for drink as a teenager/adult. I'd drink it socially but wouldn't go looking for it, just isn't interesting to me. They were stricter with my younger siblings though(modern parenting techniques and all that). The two of them went absolutely mental as soon as they encountered a drop of the stuff outside home.

As for diabetes, there's nothing to say a diabetic can't drink alcohol. They don't recommend that people with diabetes get drunk as they can have a low blood sugar episode and mistake it for standard drunkenness but I assume grindelwald isn't actually getting her daughter pissed.

That's it, one glass here and there. 5 units of alcohol a year! Did read in the news the other day that 4% of 12 year olds were drinking as much as 28 units a week. Don't agree with that.

The idea it to teach a child they don't have to get drunk, that they can have one glass and stop, there is no need to binge drink with friends as in the case of a diabetic could leed to possible coma ( due to blood sugars and dehydration from vomiting).

Steodonn

bluewolf wrote: »

small kids running around with sugary caffeinated drinks all day isn't that healthy either

Its alot worse than a glass of wine here and there

The first time I got really drunk was out with the lads in a field. Blacked-out and don't remember anything but apparently it wasn't pretty. This is how I learned my limits and I would much rather my child learned these at home where atleast they wont get into trouble or worse

As for giving a diabetic 12 year old alcohol....the mind boggles

The fact you cant see that the odd glass is harmless is mind boggling

amdublin

Steodonn wrote: »

The fact you cant see that the odd glass is harmless is mind boggling

For a diabetic child?!!!!!!!!!!

Steodonn

amdublin wrote: »

For a diabetic child?!!!!!!!!!!

Yes its harmless. Plus its twice as important for a diabetic child to learn to use alcohol responsibly.

Kids are going to drink. It is much safer to have early encounters with alcohol in a controlled supervised environment and the best time to do this is before peer pressure kicks in when they are young

mattjack

Steodonn wrote: »

Yes its harmless. Plus its twice as important for a diabetic child to learn to use alcohol responsibly.

Kids are going to drink. It is much safer to have early encounters with alcohol in a controlled supervised environment and the best time to do this is before peer pressure kicks in when they are young

for a diabetic child who has regular blood tests..? I'd love to see the lab technician face who tests a childs blood sample and finds alcohol in it.

Stark

mattjack wrote: »

for a diabetic child who has regular blood tests..? I'd love to see the lab technician face who tests a childs blood sample and finds alcohol in it.

I'd love to see the child who takes 3 months to metabolise a glass of wine.

amdublin

Stark wrote: »

I'd love to see the child who takes 3 months to metabolise a glass of wine.

if it is causing any damage to her liver it'll show in her LFT's

amdublin

Steodonn wrote: »

Kids are going to drink. It is much safer to have early encounters with alcohol in a controlled supervised environment and the best time to do this is before peer pressure kicks in when they are young

Yep kids are going to drink. Why would you allow them to drink even more?

mattjack

Stark wrote: »

I'd love to see the child who takes 3 months to metabolise a glass of wine.

very good,you could design a planner so the child could drink and avoid the alcohol appearing in the blood tests..or maybe celebrate after the blood test with a drink.

Stark

amdublin wrote: »

if it is causing any damage to her liver it'll show in her LFT's

And why exactly do you think that say 5 units of alcohol per annum is going to cause liver damage? Do you not think that if it was that powerful a poison that such trace amounts could cause damage, that maybe adults shouldn't be drinking it either?

amdublin

Stark wrote: »

And why exactly do you think that say 5 units of alcohol per annum is going to cause liver damage? Do you not think that if it was that powerful a poison that such trace amounts could cause damage, that maybe adults shouldn't be drinking it either?

Because diabetes alone raises the risk of liver disease. Drinking alcohol is adding/increasing the risk.

Why would someone do that to their child

horsemeat

I think alcohol is disgusting, it's the bain of irish society, any parent who lets their child drink while underage needs their head examined.

If alcohol was discovered tomorrow, you know it would be illegal right.

It's class A, way more dangerous than ecstasy.

Would any of you post up a thread saying how you let your teen take ecstasy as long as he does it in the comfort of your own home???????

The majority of the Irish public absolutely disgust me, you people need your heads checked out.

horsemeat

Steodonn wrote: »

The fact you cant see that the odd glass is harmless is mind boggling

mate you're lucky boards is anonymous if this was a public forum i'd be reporting you to child services, you're doing your child a horrible disservice, you need your head examined.

cynder

amdublin wrote: »

Because diabetes alone raises the risk of liver disease. Drinking alcohol is adding/increasing the risk.

Why would someone do that to their child

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Information-for-parents/Growing-up/Teenagers/Alcohol/

cynder

horsemeat wrote: »

I think alcohol is disgusting, it's the bain of irish society, any parent who lets their child drink while underage needs their head examined.

If alcohol was discovered tomorrow, you know it would be illegal right.

It's class A, way more dangerous than ecstasy.

Would any of you post up a thread saying how you let your teen take ecstasy as long as he does it in the comfort of your own home???????

The majority of the Irish public absolutely disgust me, you people need your heads checked out.

Alcohol consumption in a domestic home for under 18s is very much legal. Ecstasy at any age is very much illegal....

amdublin

grindelwald wrote: »

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Information-for-parents/Growing-up/Teenagers/Alcohol/

This article refers to men, women and teenagers NOT diabetic children and alcohol

Fittle

Steodonn wrote: »

Yes its harmless. Plus its twice as important for a diabetic child to learn to use alcohol responsibly.

And where does it say that a 12 year old SHOULD be sampling alcohol? I must have missed that bit in the parenting manual...