Underage Drinking

[StrOwez]

Never drank a sip of alchohol and hope I never will.

[suomiownaa]

I'm 1991-borned so i'm 15 years old now (16 in this year).

 

I sometimes, but very rarely drink alcoholic, and when I do, I don't drink much. I don't get drunk.

 

 

 

Drinking when you are underage is bad when u drink as much that u get drunk. I don't like adult alcoholistics neither.

[woopidoo2]

The legal age to drink in The Netherlands is 16. Thats 5 years earlier :o

 

 

 

(Thats why alot of people at my school get drunk at the age of 15, and stay in bed the whole weekend because of the hang over :? )

 

 

 

I drink every now and then, nothing serious. My parents buy alcoholic drinks, to drink in the evening (5%, same as beer).

 

I think I can handle myself when it comes to drinking, I know when to stop.

[arizark]

I'm 16 and i drink i don't really think its a big deal because i only drink occasionally but if your in America i think the 21 age limit is ridiculous but then again Australia is one of the most alcoholic nations :lol: the majority of people drink that i know who are my age. its part of the fun of growing up in my opinion

[rocketman089]

I don't have a problem with underage drinking as long as the drinkers are responsible and know what they're doing. My parents discourage it but they know I can watch out for myself. What really bugs are the idiots at every party who drink half a Buttweiper and go around "oh god, im so drunk im seeing things dude!". It's enough to ruin a good time.

[BloodWarrior6]

The legal age of drinking is 18 here :shock: alot of my friends have 'piss ups' and i personally disagree with this but they always manage to drag me along :-k I drink responsibly and never get drunk as ive seen the effects of alcohol many times and I don't like what I see.

[angryjoe]

Well, im in the midst of curing a hangover while I write this but i know a few cures #-o . I'd say having a few beers with mates is pretty much a weekly or bi-weekly thing. Thats not to say I'm out of control or anything because i know theres a time and a place.

 

 

 

Ill only drink with friends and i think that as long as you keep it with friends and stay responisable it is alright and I do, like a couple of others know the consequenses - my dads side of the family are all alcoholics, my grandad killed someone while drink driving, my uncle went to prison because of drink driving before later drinking himself to death and they have also all had their lisences suspended and i no longer speak to my dad (gotta love the openness you can use on the internet :P )

 

 

 

But that has just taught me that there is a time and a place so as i said i will only drink with my friends and sometimes with a meal and will have a spirit or liqueor after a meal.

 

 

 

Also it really annoys me when millions mourn alcoholics that have drank themselves to death ie Brian Clough and George Best. Both of them had second chances unlike my uncle (who im not stickiong up for) but they had second chances which they threw away so i was really annoyed when there was mass mourning when they died. (and Cloughy was an arrogant [bleep] aswell :P)

[Bubsa]

Socially, I don't see a problem with it. I know it's a depressant, but I firmly believe that only comes to the fore if you're drinking by yourself, which to be honest, I've never done and see no point in doing. However, if you drink (in moderation) when you're out it does increase the fun you have. That might sound irresponsible or reckless, but it does. Obviously some people take it too far, then some people abuse it, which are the people that need help and/or restraint, but in other cases, I'd say from 14+ it should be fine if done responsibly.

 

 

 

And the only way to gain that sense of 'responsibility' is to introduce it slowly to a child, not just lock it away and banish it into room 101. We all know what kids are like (some still are, others having been :P) and they'll just see that as another taboo to break. But let's say, if it's a friend or family birthday, one or two glasses of champagne all round will actually do for a child (as in, drunk) and they'll learn what it's like. Follow it up with the affects, as in to inform and not to scare, and there would be no problems.

 

 

 

That's pretty much happened to me and I think I have a good balance now. :)

[mcneilp]

Underage drinking is a massive problem in Scotland, with gangs of drunk neds going into quiet villages and basically causing hell...Where i stay, there has been a heckova big increase in Police patrols around the parks and the City centre, where most of the underage drinkers are. It was really bad before the increased police presence that you couldn't even walk home at about 9 pm without passing at least 2 groups of wasted people...my friend even got into a fight with this ned who was blind drunk, my friend is usually a peaceful guy but lets just say that ned will be sticking to the grapefruit juice in future (and possibly getting his meals through a straw...my friend duffed him up pretty bad \ )

[How2PK]

For all I know everybody kid of grows up with it here. It's not like you feed a 8 year old kid drunk. But you give him a sip or something because they're curious. And when they're a bit older 12/13, they get a glass of beer or something on a special ocasion. And everybody basically starts going out at to caf̮̩̉̉s at the age of 14/15 (in my surroundings at least), and there they drink, beer, or way too sweet (not as in tasting good, but tasting sweet/sugary) liquor. I don't think it done me much harm. Maybe (well, make that deffinitely) a bit of a beer belly, but I'll get over that. I drink every day by the way. Not drunk though, one or two a day. Oh, and I don't drink to get drunk. It tastes good.

[warri0r45]

For all I know everybody kid of grows up with it here. It's not like you feed a 8 year old kid drunk. But you give him a sip or something because they're curious. And when they're a bit older 12/13, they get a glass of beer or something on a special ocasion. And everybody basically starts going out at to caf̮̩̉̉s at the age of 14/15 (in my surroundings at least), and there they drink, beer, or way too sweet (not as in tasting good, but tasting sweet/sugary) liquor. I don't think it done me much harm. Maybe (well, make that deffinitely) a bit of a beer belly, but I'll get over that. I drink every day by the way. Not drunk though, one or two a day. Oh, and I don't drink to get drunk. It tastes good.

 

 

 

Contrary to popular belief, a beer belly isn't caused by beer. All it does is make us more susceptible to eat bad food like pizza, macdonalds or whatever. Haha, c'mon all you drinkers, you know it's the truth. God knows I don't think about salad with a six pack under my belt. :P

[angryjoe]

I think that one unit per day is actually good for your liver. However it doesn't work if you just save it all up over a few weeks .

[1_man_army]

Underage drinking is a massive problem in Scotland, with gangs of drunk neds going into quiet villages and basically causing hell...Where i stay, there has been a heckova big increase in Police patrols around the parks and the City centre, where most of the underage drinkers are. It was really bad before the increased police presence that you couldn't even walk home at about 9 pm without passing at least 2 groups of wasted people.

 

 

 

Yeah it's quite bad in some areas. An MSP nearly got attacked by a big group around the corner from my house a few months ago. She was naive enough to investigate the problem that people from the street reported to her, alone on a friday night. They really messed up her car while she was in it, I think she needed a police escort out of there.

 

 

 

It's not so bad now though the police here have really went to town on the underagers. They even pay some to try buying booze from stores to catch them selling to underagers. The police also go hunting for groups that are drinking in the street, take their drink from them and sometimes take them home.

 

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edi ... m?focuswin

 

 

 

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Underage drinking is just like anything else, some people can do it responsibly and others just can't. There are always going to be people who take things too far when they're drinking but it's just the same with legal drinkers as well.

 

 

 

Maybe if parents were more relaxed about drinking there wouldn't be so much of a problem - if you've been introduced to alchohol at an early age (ie. a glass of wine with a meal, not enough to be drunk) then it won't be such a novelty when you start drinking socially with friends.

[Guest]

For all I know everybody kid of grows up with it here. It's not like you feed a 8 year old kid drunk. But you give him a sip or something because they're curious. And when they're a bit older 12/13, they get a glass of beer or something on a special ocasion. And everybody basically starts going out at to caf̮̩̉̉s at the age of 14/15 (in my surroundings at least), and there they drink, beer, or way too sweet (not as in tasting good, but tasting sweet/sugary) liquor. I don't think it done me much harm. Maybe (well, make that deffinitely) a bit of a beer belly, but I'll get over that. I drink every day by the way. Not drunk though, one or two a day. Oh, and I don't drink to get drunk. It tastes good.

 

 

 

Contrary to popular belief, a beer belly isn't caused by beer. All it does is make us more susceptible to eat bad food like pizza, macdonalds or whatever. Haha, c'mon all you drinkers, you know it's the truth. God knows I don't think about salad with a six pack under my belt. :P

 

 

 

Haha made me laugh! :lol:

 

 

 

By the way good to see you back Deloria! In and out of the quitting stage eh'.

 

 

 

Anyway drinking underaged when done responsibly is cool with me but I don't see it done very well when at parties. (besides with myself :wink: )

[Grizzlycomet]

I'm ok with underage drinking, as long as there's no drinking and driving or any similar stupid stuff. First time I got drunk, I was 14 :P I didn't really drink all that often while I was underage, but I would drink every once in a while in social settings with friends and stuff. My parents would prefer I didn't drink, but they always trusted me to be responsible with myself. I think parents are often way too stressed out in these cases. I don't understand why so many parents don't trust their kids at all. If you've raised them well and given them a good set of basic values, they will act responsibly, in my experience.

 

Now that I'm old enough, I still drink every once in a while, not too often.

[BlueTear]

Last time I saw some actual studies on underage drinking - which was in relation to a seminar when I first started at uni - they mentioned a considerably increased set of risks assosciated with how early you start drinking. For every year of age you subtract from when you start drinking, the risk of future health problems, including alcoholism, is increased. Supervised or unsupervised drinking.

 

Contrary to popular belief, a beer belly isn't caused by beer. All it does is make us more susceptible to eat bad food like pizza, macdonalds or whatever. Haha, c'mon all you drinkers, you know it's the truth. God knows I don't think about salad with a six pack under my belt. :P

 

You ever figured out how many burgers a beer equals in terms of carbonhydrates? They've been showing the comparison on TV around here and it's kind of frightening.

[deloriagod]

 

 

 

By the way good to see you back Deloria! In and out of the quitting stage eh'.

 

 

 

I decided to come back for a bit and see how things were around here. I've had some good discussions and with summer just a few weeks away my computer is going to be untouched unless I get on Facebook..

 

 

 

For every year of age you subtract from when you start drinking, the risk of future health problems, including alcoholism, is increased

 

 

 

But wouldn't the amount of alcohol you drink and how often you drink play big roles in that too? I drink occasionally (maybe once or twice every few weeks) and I don't usually go any father than tipsy (1 hangover was enough to keep me from getting drunk again too soon). If you went out and got wasted every weekend then wouldn't you be at much higher risk than someone who drinks like me? I'm personally not worried about alcoholism because half the stuff I've drank tasted like s* so it's hard for me to get drunk.

 

 

 

 

 

I've read all the posts here and it seems most of us all okay with underage drinking and are against drinking and driving. Now I'm wondering, how would you feel if the drinking age was set to a standard 18 everywhere? How about just in the U.S.? Do you think the drinking and driving laws should be much more harsh than they currently are?

[Phyrexial]

I could care less about it since the drinking age in canada is 18

[JIMMIE]

I drink almost every week, and have done since i was 15 or so. Its either at friends house/party/pub etc.

 

 

 

In my opinion, its none of peoples business really, me and my friends only do it to have fun, and those that say

 

"Ooh, I dont need alcohol to have fun." can just shut up, because one of these reasons:

 

1) They havent tried it, because they are too scared.

 

2) They tried it in a stupid way, either by drinking far too much, or in a crap place, which makes it much less fun.

 

Either way, i dont value their opinion and dont really want to hear it.

 

 

 

Plus, i do it sensibly, i dont drink spirits all night. I usually just stick til beer and move onto shots later. If i drink heavily of a night, i wont drive the next day.

 

 

 

Leave people to do what they want, I say,

 

~Jimmie.

 

 

 

(Im 17 and live in the UK, where drinking age is 21.)

[Peter]

I've been known to have an occasional drink or two, but never to the point of even losing motor skills. That said, I've got a few good reasons why I think alcohol can totally mess peoples' lives up. In the last six months, there were a few incidences around me that made me think:

 

 

 

A family friend's daughter committed suicide while drunk.

 

 

 

Two guys from school, the driver of whom I was decent friends with, were both drinking and he hit a turn too fast causing a rollover and the passenger died.

 

 

 

A guy I went to elementary school with and have known since I was little apparently had a mom who was an alcoholic yet a very functional member of society, and she had a little too much to drink one night and died.

 

 

 

The brother of someone I work with managed to get himself three DUIs in a three month period, and he's go a few years in jail now. Rightfully so, but his life is basically over and his family has to live with it, and that's the worst part.

 

 

 

A friend of my sister went to a party, had "a couple of beers" and blacked out and found herself in the back of an ambulance after she rolled her car into a ditch and totaled it. She's got a DUI and no license for a couple of years as she was only 16. A couple weeks before she went to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. Not a very smart girl apparently.

 

 

 

My cousin, after wandering from his dorm room, was suspected as being drunk (he was, but not as bad as they thought he was). Paramedics were called, and the police picked up the chatter and decided to stop by, and suddenly he was in the drunk tank with an MIC, minor in consumption. Not too life changing, but still sucks.

 

 

 

It's obvious that the above are extreme situations, but I can almost guarantee you that each of those people, before they started drinking, said they would be smart about it and not do stupid things when drunk. It goes to show that alcohol impairs your judgment, and you may even surprise yourself when drunk. The best thing to do is always have a sober person around to drive you, to interact with police or other people, to make sure you don't do anything stupid, and ultimately to make sure you make it home alive.

 

 

 

Now that I've been thrown my views around... When I drink, which is maybe once every two to three months, I have maybe one or two drinks. I go to parties, and I don't drink. The only time I do drink is when it's just a couple of friends, maybe four or five people (at least one being sober), and then it's just relaxing. Nowhere to go, nothing to do, and it's enjoyable. Just don't be stupid, and plan ahead when you drink.

[magekillr]

i am 18 and just finished my first semester of college in the United States...so obviously it is illegal for me to drink.

 

 

 

the first time i drank was 17. i did not know my limits and just kept drinking and drinking and drinking. it was at my friend's 18th birthday party and his parents agreed that everyone could drink, but we all had to give our keys to them. again, i didn't know my limits. i had 13 shots of Whiskey, 4 beers, and 6 shooters. it was the only time i have blacked out and had memory loss. i very well could have died, my BAC was definitely close to or above .3. i woke up the next morning with the biggest hangover of my life, it lasted me 2 and a half days...yet i didn't throw up once.

 

 

 

that event allowed me to see my limits, and from then on i never drank that much because i knew what i could, and could not handle.

 

 

 

now with freshmen year at hand, that's a year where a lot go through what i went through above...realizing their limits. some, however, do not listen to their limits and go above anyway....my roommate being one of them. he was ok, and we never had to call the ambulance or anything, but he did Edward Forty Hands one night with 3 of his buddies and they were all caught with it...which is self explanatory when an RA knocks on your door and you have 2 40's taped to your hands. that was the last time he was caught...and i was never caught.

 

 

 

even when i am wasted out of my mind, people can tell i've been drinking, but can never tell i am drunk. my speech is clear, my walking is perfectly straight, and my logic is pretty well kept. the only thing that would be an indication is a slight increase in profanity and my exponential increase to being "open"...

 

 

 

even when i am so drunk...like i said, i still know my limits and know what not to do. i will agree that my judgment is severely impaired...but i know my limits and stop when i know it's been too much. i never get into the car with other people that were drinking.i refuse to. that's the good thing about Tech...very good bus system...so barely any1 ever drives.

 

 

 

anyway, i had drank nearly every weekend my first semester at school...it was amazing and i loved the feeling it gave.

 

 

 

the next semester i drank a little less often, but consumed MORE each weekend because my tolerance was through the roof. i probably could drink what i drank the first time and not be in the same state. the last i drank was to celebrate Cinco De Mayo...where i did Power Hour (1 shot of beer every minute for 1 hour), followed by 4 beer bongs of Guinness in a row. i was definitely legally drunk, and definitely tipsy, but barely drunk in my eyes. this night was an eye opener to something i always knew, just didn't feel it could happen to me. i was no longer satisfied with the alcohol. it was true...nothing in this world satisfied me like God does...and i always knew this...but being in the flesh so many times..it just took this to really make me see it.

 

 

 

the next morning i wasn't even hungover...even with all of that alcohol...i wasn't even drunk in my eyes. i thought to myself "this is dangerous...and could lead me down a path i never want to go down." it made me see that if the alcohol wasn't satisfying me and i kept looking for other things to satisfy it...i could ruin my life with something worse..things like illegal drugs.

 

 

 

i still havn't fully decided if i am going to stop drinking until i am 21...i really hope i do and i am going to put forth the effort to do so...but no matter what i do i will be cutting down SEVERELY on it to make my tolerance go down...because at the moment it is at very dangerous levels and could lead to drugs...or worse...death

[ctp080188]

My parents let me taste alcohol growing up, from about 12 years old, but I really, really dislike the taste of it. The first time I drank without my parents was when I was 18 (legal in UK). I am now 20, and have only been drunk twice.

 

 

 

I will only drink alcohol if I am out at a club or party and am not enjoying it, therefore I drink until I feel a little lightheaded and leave it there. Otherwise I get natural highs, and will avoid drinking alcohol because I haven't found an alcoholic drink I actually enjoy.

 

 

 

I don't approve of underage drinking, but I see no harm in drinking responsibly with the presence of adults. When kids go out purposely to get drunk and abuse alcohol, it makes me feel sad to think that at 14 years old you can't entertain yourself in any other way. The age limits are there for a reason, regardless of whether you think they are too young or old.

[Striker6]

I pity people that feel the need to respond to peer pressure submitting themselves into a vulnerable, weak state of mind in order to appear 'cool'. When in reality they end up looking like complete idiots.

[magekillr]

I pity people that feel the need to respond to peer pressure submitting themselves into a vulnerable, weak state of mind in order to appear 'cool'. When in reality they end up looking like complete idiots.

 

 

 

um...there's a difference between a self desire and giving into the desire of others my friend.

[Nadril]

I pity people that feel the need to respond to peer pressure submitting themselves into a vulnerable, weak state of mind in order to appear 'cool'. When in reality they end up looking like complete idiots.

 

 

 

um...there's a difference between a self desire and giving into the desire of others my friend.

 

 

 

Yeah I haven't seen a single person who said they did it only because their friends did.