Do you think it's irresponsible to allow your kid to drink alcohol from the age of 15?

Question

(Let's pretend that you live in a country where that is legal ofc.)

molonski2 · Accepted Answer

Its not a Yes / No answer , it depends how it is introduced.
The USA idea of 21 doesn't work as it encourages binge drinking , and the thought a getting " wasted " ( hence your photo ) ..
What is a better lesson is , responsible usage , as often occurs in Europe. Im not just singling out USA , Australia has an horrendous drinking culture , as does UK.
But , I give you the example , I was in Myrtle Beach for spring break some years ago , this young girl came running up , blonde , about 19 at a guess " Eddie , Eddie , Eddie ( mistaking me for the nightclub general manager I found later ) , They won't let us in Eddie , its me and 3 other really attractive girls , We're not drinking , we're just taking E's " now back then , I had to ask someone what an E was ( as a naive Aussie.. its everywhere there now ) , anyhow , she saw this as not an issue , which I did find kinda amusing , but this is what happens.
I got them into the club (s) precinct by the way , as I saw the girls later , who were very friendly and kissie.. hahahahaha. But , these are the issues without alcohol education , and gentle introduction.

ChrisMaster69 · Accepted Answer

No not at all.

there is a huge difference between getting drunk, sitting drinking cider outside with mates and sitting eating a meal with your parents and having a glass of wine.

For example in the UK you can drink alcohol at home or private premises from age 5 to 16, then at 16 they can drink in a licensed premises with a meal.

it’s about education, learning people about the issues and problems with alcohol.

for me I prefer my daughter being able to have a drink at home and knowing she won’t just do it with friends.

Emii_Urashima · Accepted Answer

In Japan, we can buy beer and cheap sake in vending machines, but foreigners are usually surprised that there is not a huge problem with teenage alcoholism. It is mostly psychological. In the USA, drinking alcohol is glorified in movies and television, yet banned for teenagers. That makes it a cool thing to do for teenagers. They think it makes them seem cool and rebellious, and more "adult". Here, it is no different than buying a Coca-Cola in a vending machine, so it isn't going to impress anyone.

TrueConfection · Accepted Answer

I live in the U. S. and in MY OPINION we have it backwards. I would like to see the drinking age lowered and driving age risen.

I would much rather have my children learn their limit in the safety of our home than send them out as an adult to figure it out on their own.

If teenagers were allowed to drink with their parents' consent, then by the time they reached 21 the novelty of drinking will likely have dropped off. That is a better time to give them the keys to a car.

SeryCoola · Answer

I know this is an old topic, but I just want to point out that in my country most households have or even make themselves a very strong alcoholic beverage called "palinca", which is something like vodka, but made out of fruits and distilled twice, so it has 60% alcohol or even more. Here, it is illegal to sell beverages (for consumption) with more than 54% alcohol, so what you might find in stores under this name is not quite the real deal. And I have seen some bottles of this alcohol that go up to 70% which is insane.

I brought this up because, since this alcohol is made by people, at home, it is often stored in normal plastic bottles, most of the time from coke (because that way you know that if the liquid inside that bottle is clear inside of black, it's probably not coke in there) but it also happens that sometimes this alcohol (which is transparent just like water) gets put into water bottles.

So, because of the similarity with water, and because of the presence of it in almost every household, It is very hard to find a kid in this country who didn't accidentally, at some point in their life, drink some of that to calm their thirst, without realizing what it is. And, as you may know, when you are thirsty, you don't drink shots, but a full glass of water...

That being said, it's not uncommon here for kids even as young as 5-6 years old to have had alcohol already.

Now, related to your main question, I think it is irresponsible to give alcohol to a kid, as in a preteen, but for a teenager I think it's not that big of a deal, because they already drink a lot more alcohol than you can imagine, here. When I was 13, and I was on a school trip, you just can't imagine how much alcohol was consumed there per day, every day... So here if you give a 13 year old a beer, that's absolutely nothing. What should I say more about a 15 year old...

I know in the US selling or even giving alcohol to an underage kid, it's illegal and you can really get in trouble for that. But here, even if selling to an underage kid is illegal, many stores, especially corner shops, bat an eye on this.

jamesgoldman · Answer

Only if you let them get hammered
A white wine spritzer or glass of bucks fizz on Christmas day, I was getting that at about 6/7
I would have a drink in a restaurant with a meal and my parents at 16 in line with UK law or at my 18th birthday party albeit a couple of weeks before I turned 18 because you can't hold a party the night before Christmas and expect people to show up

Irresponsible would be like my friends and colleagues forgetting my age and giving me drinks in the restaurant, hell I passed for it enough to me I got invited to a nightclub in college then had to remind them I was 17 but I could have passed for 20... now I'm 23 and look set for 30

Lochlan · Answer

Some people definitely have genetic switches that preclude blacking out or even a deep, palatable inclination to alcohol. Those individuals should know that and watch out for themselves in the same manner as someone who has allergies, I think.

Otherwise, self-regulation and moderation are important things to learn. Just casually sit them down with at least 8 shots of wild turkey whiskey, like a mild rite of passage and teach them that milk thistle is good for the liver.

FunkyMonkee · Answer

It's gonna fuck with their heads and other parts that aren't even done growing yet. I never understood what the attraction was to getting shitfaced! You go out and booze it up, make a complete ass of yourself, spend the night or the next morning throwing up and with a severe headache that won't even allow you to HEAR, let alone move!! Then, you go out later that night and do it al over again!! What great fun!!

Eswarroalvass · Answer

No I wouldn't do it while living in the us but in Mexico where I am from sure. Over there kids as young as 7 have 1-3 beers in a day it's normal it's healthier than a soda. I myself have been drinking bof and on since 13 and lots of times since 21 almost daily

weeee · Answer

Alcohol has side effects on young children. I have a bunch of friends that have terrible drinking habits which makes me wanna stay far far away from it.

Anonymous · Answer

If it's properly supervised drinking ie just a taster, it's fine from quite a young age. It introduces them to alcohol in a controlled fashion and takes away the intrigue. I believe this is common in Europe and something we introduced our kids to in a small way.
I suspect you mean letting your kids get drunk, which is entirely different. And not good for their health, control, or mental condition.

Anonymous · Answer

I know this girl who started drinking around that age with her parents and she makes some humble bragging about it. She can barely control herself after getting drunk. After seeing how she behaves I can say it's very irresponsible for parents to let their kids get drunk.

Tunasub · Answer

Not only is it irresponsible. It's illegal.

What can be any more irresponsible than knowingly breaking the law by giving alcohol to a minor.

Jail time and possibly not seeing the child until they are considerably into adulthood

Daniela1982 · Answer

Just means they will need a liver transplant at a younger age.

karaspara · Answer

Letting them get completely pissed would be irresponsible but allowing them the occasional drink in company is fine in my opinion especially as it takes away the glamour of underage drinking

NerdyAndTall · Answer

letting kids drink a small amount of wine on special occasions is normal in a few places

exitseven · Answer

Alcohol has an adverse effect on developing brains. I just look at what it did to mine.

888theGreat · Answer

No beer or wine, sex , or dating for a 15 year old. Terrible parents do that.

Wise4myage · Answer

I think its fine as long as it monitored by adults.

anylolone · Answer

I have no idea. It's a question way more complicated than most people think.

Luminair3 · Answer

It's not very healthy to let your kids get drunk.

vduong1988 · Answer

In Germany people drink age 16

kemomokaa · Answer

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