Drinking. When is it time?

**Axeman** · March 28, 2008, 05:41 PM

Depending on which country you live in it may be easy to get acess to alchool. Do not lie, we have almost al had a drink, mine was at the age of 12, it was a sip of some fruity drink at a party. Now I am not saying I am an alchoolic, but this leads to my next approach.

Drinking too much is bad, nobody can deny that, it can ruin your life, and cause a whole bunch of

to happen that I don't need to type it out, but how do we approach it. Countries like the United States have strict alchool laws, yet they also have the highest rate of crashes due to drunk driving.

So, what is your general aproach to alchool. Never? Somtimes? When? How often? Ect......

**Shaun** · March 28, 2008, 05:48 PM

I had my first drink of beer when I was like ... seven or something. I hated it, and didn't try it again until I was like fifteen. Even now, I don't drink much except for the odd pear cider.

**HopliteElite** · March 28, 2008, 06:09 PM

I didn't get drunk for my first time until I was just about to turn 18, however, I was taking sips of my mother's beers from a very early age, probably, before I was even 10. I really don't think there should be a legal age for alcohol at all. Keep driving laws as is, for instance, and you can still punish drinking and driving as we do today. However, who cares if a bunch of 13 year olds are getting drunk while playing their videogames in a basement or whatever it is they do at that age nowerdays.

I know if I have children they will be indoctrinated into the joys of alcohol at a very young age so that they can learn moderation, instead of thinking they will just not abuse drinking in highschool because it is "illegal". My kids will enter that environment knowing the effects of alcohol and thier limitations in regards to it. I will not have a 15 year old son drinking for the first time and getting killed due to alcohol poisoning or a 15 year old daughter getting pregant while blacked out because she didn't know her limits. Education, as usual, is the key to moderation, even in regards to alcohol.

**Irishman** · March 28, 2008, 05:57 PM

I choose not to drink, as I do not see the reason, but I tried some when I was younger. I didn't hate it, but just never saw the point.

As for the drunk driving, I find it one of the most egregious crimes one can commit (honestly) and think that nothing short of years in prison is suitable for placing innocent people at risk for one's own stupidity.

**Thanatos** · March 31, 2008, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by Irishman

I choose not to drink, as I do not see the reason, but I tried some when I was younger. I didn't hate it, but just never saw the point.

As for the drunk driving, I find it one of the most egregious crimes one can commit (honestly) and think that nothing short of years in prison is suitable for placing innocent people at risk for one's own stupidity.

I think this is the one thing you and I can agree on completely.

**Cliomhdubh** · March 31, 2008, 05:22 PM

However, I won't drink before 6 o'clockish, that's getting towards alcoholism

i dunno sometimes daytime sessions are fun although its a bit wierd falling home drunk before the sun has set

**Lawrence of Arabia** · March 28, 2008, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Axeman

Depending on which country you live in it may be easy to get acess to alchool. Do not lie, we have almost al had a drink, mine was at the age of 12, it was a sip of some fruity drink at a party. Now I am not saying I am an alchoolic, but this leads to my next approach.

Drinking too much is bad, nobody can deny that, it can ruin your life, and cause a whole bunch of

to happen that I don't need to type it out, but how do we approach it. Countries like the United States have strict alchool laws, yet they also have the highest rate of crashes due to drunk driving.

There is a high rate of alcohol-induced vehicular incidents because Americans drive a lot more than most any other western countries. We can afford the cars, and we can also afford the alcohol. Not to mention there are plenty of people that we can crash into.

Perhaps we should have penalties like that of El Salvador. Get caught drunk driving and you are killed.

So, what is your general aproach to alchool. Never? Somtimes? When? How often? Ect......

I hardly ever drink. I don't like the taste and it doesn't make me feel any better.

**Axeman** · March 28, 2008, 06:03 PM

I am only 15, and I concur, I don't enjoy drinking, though I do have an ocasional sip, and in the long run a drink here and there won't kill you, the same thing cannot be said about smoking......

**Irishman** · March 28, 2008, 06:05 PM

Lawrence,

I don't think the issue is that people drive more (or have more people) than in other western countries, but I think it is the fact that they view drinking different over here.

For instance, growing up in Ireland, beer was commonplace (obviously) but it was rarely used solely to get drunk (of course, there are always groups of people who abuse it).

Nowhere is this more clear than the bar/pub comparison. Pubs are places to enjoy company and relax with friends, but in the US, bars seem to be much more for solitary drinking.

In the US, (mind, I am in college, so this may be biased) it seems that alcohol is treated much less as a social drink and more as a tool to get drunk. Perhaps a biased selection, but those have been my observations. I do notice a difference in the way alcohol is perceived.

**CDMan477** · March 30, 2008, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by Irishman

In the US, (mind, I am in college, so this may be biased) it seems that alcohol is treated much less as a social drink and more as a tool to get drunk. Perhaps a biased selection, but those have been my observations. I do notice a difference in the way alcohol is perceived.

This is actually quite accurate. I'm an old man now unfortunately, so I have been removed from college for several years now, but the entire week can sometimes be spent among certain people discussing ways of getting a hold of alcohol. It is social only to the point that the group has the same goals of getting completely plastered. They don't necessarily come together and drink for the sake of being together.

Ha, having just read this, I remember a time in high school during anatomy when discussing the various effects of alcohol on the body. The teacher asked "of all the people here, how many of you have already started drinking." I would say roughly half raised their hands. Then he asked "how many of you drinkers like the taste of what your drinking." Not a single student replied this time. Taste an American beer and compare it too one from Europe. There is no comparison. American's use of beer is much more geared towards the goal of inebriation.

Oh, and me personally, I hardly ever drink. Haven't had a sip since my dad's 50th birthday last October.

**JP226** · March 28, 2008, 06:08 PM

Drinking too much is bad, nobody can deny that, it can ruin your life, and cause a whole bunch of to happen that I don't need to type it out, but how do we approach it.

Drinking is only bad, no matter the quantity, if you can't control it. GOd knows i have a love for beer and in grad school I went through gallons but never did I once stray from what I had to. Never missed a deadline or, hellnever missed putting up a couple dozen hours of studying per test.

**chriscase** · March 28, 2008, 06:27 PM

The use of alcohol and other psychoactive drugs changes your brain chemistry. My advice is to become familiar with the biology of addiction so you can monitor what is happening to you analytically.

Alternative activities that release dopamine and restraint in your consumption can restrict the effects of alcohol on your brain. Unlimited "bottomless" consumption on a daily basis definitely damages your brain's ability to function. If nothing else, regular "drying out" intervals of at least a month or so are a good idea.

And once a definite pattern of addiction has showed up, you really need to watch yourself closely.

My personal rule:
1 drink with dinner IF I have worked out that day (so my endorphin high comes from more than alcohol).
1 extra drink on truly special occasions like New Year's.
Several 1 month drying out periods a year.

I would think it's better to wait as long as possible before using any psychoactive drugs. Best to let the brain develop as much as possible first. So I guess that's around age 20.

For someone to follow my advice (above) requires some sense of responsibility. Hopefully by age 20 one could drink responsibly and monitor one's intake, so that seems like a good age.

Now that leaves aside how to actually get kids to wait that long. I suppose in a perfect world, one would just make up the rule and the matter would be settled.

But this thread was not about (as I understood it) how to get children to behave themselves.

I am a little worried about the "give them a little bit at a time" philosophy though, because the stuff will still affect the brain, even more so for children whose brains are still growing.

**Calvin** · March 28, 2008, 06:43 PM

I am in two minds about alcohol. I'm a dry alcoholic, so I don't touch the stuff. It almost killed me, and has killed people I know and is in the process of killing others I know. So I do feel strongly about it and believe it should be strictly regulated. However, I also kind of agree with HopliteElite. If parents introduce alcohol to kids at an earlier age like in parts of continental Europe, then it is nothing special to them and they don't go crazy in their teens. So that might be another way of doing it. The only problem with that is that in Britain, I don't even trust the parents anymore to do that sort of thing. My work takes me into peoples houses, and the sort of crap I see can be very depressing.

**Chaigidel** · March 28, 2008, 09:06 PM

dont do any kind of drugs when young, simple as that-- your mind needs time to develop unimpeded by illusions and false chemical signals.

at least wait until your out of your education cycle, avoid until after all schooling even college, focus or you will regret it

**Korlon** · March 28, 2008, 09:22 PM

I'm eighteen years old at the moment and I have never taken a sip of alcohol. I would imagine I will continue to do so forever, or, in the future, I will drink sparingly at only certain, unique events.

The reason why I choose to do what I do is I understand the grave dangers of alcohol. I'm quite sure most, if not all, people understand that drinking and driving is definitely a bad thing, but once you get a couple beers in your system, you simply can't apply the same type of intelligence as you would when you're sober, and I like being able to think. My parents never talked to me about these kinds of things. I simply developed my own position on these subjects after gathering some knowledge upon the subjects. There's probably also something to be said that I find parties to be not that fun so I was never put into a position of extreme peer pressure, but I doubt even if I was put into such a position, that I would choose to take a sip.

**Cliomhdubh** · March 29, 2008, 07:22 AM

So, what is your general aproach to alchool. Never? Somtimes? When? How often? Ect

i generally attemp to drink the bar dry

**Cluny the Scourge** · March 29, 2008, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by Korlon

I'm eighteen years old at the moment and I have never taken a sip of alcohol. I would imagine I will continue to do so forever, or, in the future, I will drink sparingly at only certain, unique events.

The reason why I choose to do what I do is I understand the grave dangers of alcohol. I'm quite sure most, if not all, people understand that drinking and driving is definitely a bad thing, but once you get a couple beers in your system, you simply can't apply the same type of intelligence as you would when you're sober, and I like being able to think. My parents never talked to me about these kinds of things. I simply developed my own position on these subjects after gathering some knowledge upon the subjects. There's probably also something to be said that I find parties to be not that fun so I was never put into a position of extreme peer pressure, but I doubt even if I was put into such a position, that I would choose to take a sip.

Don't worry, some day you will get tipsy with some friends and realise how daft you were being all your life. The stick will be lubricated and pop out from between those cheeks by natural outward pressure of the funtime system.