As a teenager i never did the whole binge drinking thing - we were always allowed a drink in our parents company (usually better stuff than we could afford to buy from the offy to)so i did get drunk but the minute i could get served in pubs i didnt make a fool of myself i handled the drink and myself very well.
I knew others who would stand outside the shop waiting for someone to buy them a cheap bottle and hanging about bus stations etc being bloody damn stupid then continually getting chucked out of pubs later in time because of behaviour. Most parents didnt know what their kids got up to but does any parent really know unless they are constantly by your side?
I am hoping the same method as my parents used will work with my son he is 9 now and is allowed 1 small drink on a weekend - thus based on behaviour etc.
Responsible or not 9 is too young !!!
And teaching him to be responsible with it
I have my way of doing things you have yours
Under five years old
It is illegal to give an alcoholic drink to a child under five except under medical supervision in an emergency.
Under 16s
Children under 16 can go anywhere in a pub as long as they are supervised by an adult, but cannot have any alcoholic drinks.
However, some premises may be subject to licensing conditions preventing them from entering, such as pubs which have experienced problems with underage drinking.
16 or 17 years old
Young people aged 16 or 17 can drink beer, wine or cider with a meal if it is bought by an adult and they are accompanied by an adult. It is illegal for this age group to drink spirits in pubs even with a meal.
In Scotland, 16 and 17 year olds can buy beer, wine or cider so long as it's served with a meal and consumed in an area used solely for eating meals.
Under 18 years old
It is against the law for anyone under 18 to buy alcohol in a pub, off-licence, supermarket, or other outlet, or for anyone to buy alcohol for someone under 18 to consume in a pub or a public place.
Some towns and cities have local by-laws banning drinking alcohol in public.
This has some useful advice
and this one too
From :
'At present, children can drink in the home from the age of five.
But outside, the threshold rises to 18 for people consuming alcohol in licensed premises. However, teenagers having dinner with an adult can drink beer, wine or cider from the age of 16.'
I think 14-ish is acceptable though, in the home and properly supervised. Definitely not as a reward for good behaviour though :shock:
i believe that the age limit to buy alcohol should be raised for all the factors that have been addressed on here
There is no way i would allow my children to drink in the house at 9 years old no way! I feel it is too young and I also worry what it could do to their immature bodies a risk i just wouldnt take with my child's health Im afraid.
When I was younger I binge drinked with my friends behind the back of the community centre my poor mum pullin her hair out so jaymar and fire I can understand how u feel. I dont as yet quite know how i am gonna approach the alcohol element to my children as they are 5 and 19mths any ideas would b great guys.
xxxx
As a frequent and often excessive drinker from a very early age,I have never committed any sort of crime or behaved anti-socially due to is no problem with binge drinking in this country ,there is a problem with the social fabric of this media hysteria about drinking is both hypocritical (no-one drinks more than journalists, alcoholism is a serious problem in the media) and a smoke long as the media and politicians can keep the attention of the public fixed on binge drinking (only the working class alcopop lambrini kind you understand,it's ok to behave appalingly as long as you drink champagne)then they may not notice the real problems they suffer.
There is no binge drinking problem in this country,there is and has been since the 80's a concerted campaign by the media to belittle insult and degrade the working classes
The phrase "Painting the town red" came from Melton Mowbray when adults had a bit too much to drink after a fox hunt. They then painted a house or two, got arrested and had a bit of a fight.......sometime in the last century or two.
The gin drinking in this country in the 18th century is very similar to our drug culture nowadays.
What have them two statements got to do with this thread? It is all historical. Nothing has changed, we just know more about it because of the media. What is the only way to try to erradicate it? Ban the lot. Fags, booze, drugs, etc. Will it work? Doubtful, as the blackmarket will raise its head and make sure there is enough for all who want it.....at a price. So fiddling around the edges by raising the age of consent a year here and year there will not change a thing.
An 18 year old can make money off the younger ones by nipping in and buying the booze for a 10% cut of the money. So it will not die out as there is a demand for it.
Dave_Notts
I can't agree that telling a child that alcohol is for adults only will stop them trying it. I certainly remember wanting to 'be like Mum' from a young age. I tried her makeup (ended up like Coco the clown), her shoes (nearly broke my ankle) and her sherry (threw up). For many children if you tell them 'adults only', they will try it - not because they are being defiant, but they want to be grown up.
The same applies to kids out on their bikes with mum and dad - kids in helmets, parents without - guess what the kids do with their helmets the first time they go out on their own.
When I was at Uni a lot of people went a bit wild in the first few weeks. The worst, both for getting smashed every night and shagging anything that would stand still long enough, were the ones who had come from strict, sheltered homes where they had been children until their 18th birthday and then expected to be adults.
:kiss: and one for not so mini Lizard too :kiss: :kiss:
:wink:
