4 of 46

At home

Write now Article Tools

I find it absolutely amazing that this question is even asked! The only situation in which I can imagine the "no-use" answer being given is if and when the parents are themselves 100% tee-total. It's absolutely natural that tee-total parents will want to teach their children the same values. Many vegetarian parents bring up their children without meat, and it's understandable that tee-total parents won't introduce their offspring to alcohol. They should, still, offer some knowledge and education about drink. However, I can't think of any other situation where the "no-use" policy would be applicable.

A word of background: I am not American. Where I live, a person reaches a full adulthood at 18 and apart from some driving tasks and standing as a candidate in the election to the House of Commons, everything else is allowed from the age of 18 (and quite a few things from earlier). You can buy alcohol legally everywhere from 18, you can drink alcohol bought by a parent or guardian with a meal from 16 and you can drink alcohol at home (at parents discretion) from the age of 5. As far as I know, most European countries and most US states don't forbid consumption in private, so it's not really an issue.

Also, my whole argument was to do with what can be called "normal", social drinking. It doesn't relate to serious alcohol abuse, to situations when people use alcohol as a crutch, when they can't function socially without it or when it's used to self-medicate serious neurotic anxieties or depression. These are subjects for a different text altogether.

Alcohol is our culture's (by that, I mean European and all those that descend from European) mind-altering substance of choice. It has been part of life for thousands of years. It's not just a drug, though: there is a wealth of flavour and experience for the most discerning palates out there in the world of alcohol drinks. It's incorporated into all types of social situations and rituals, from informal socialising to fine dining, from toasting a newlywed couple with champagne to a quick drink after work. Even the most mysterious and spiritual rite of the main religion in our culture uses alcohol.

As all drugs, alcohol gets overused and abused. Sometimes this abuse is culturally sanctioned: I can think of many social situations in which drunkenness (even excessive drunkenness) is (or, historically, was) accepted and even expected. Nowadays, this is perhaps rarer. But drinking is still important part of general (and even more

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Should parents teach children how to drink alcohol responsibly or maintain a no-use policy at home??
We want to hear your view. Write now!