I agree. Intuitively, it seems like this would prevent the "forbidden fruit" appeal of alcohol for teens. Does anyone know if patterns of binge drinking are different in Germany than America?
I agree. Intuitively, it seems like this would prevent the "forbidden fruit" appeal of alcohol for teens. Does anyone know if patterns of binge drinking are different in Germany than America?
I had my first drink at 13. I still drink a lot. I have mixed feelings. It's a drug just like any other drug and should be used in moderation. It took me a long time to find that moderation, and...
I had my first drink at 13. I still drink a lot. I have mixed feelings. It's a drug just like any other drug and should be used in moderation. It took me a long time to find that moderation, and even now, I will sometimes go overboard -- though not near as much as I used to. I used alcohol as an unhealthy coping mechanism for many years. I think though that this is just my addictive personality. Many people drink underage and don't run into the same problems. It's a very difficult topic because if an 18yo wants a couple glasses of wine with dinner, I think that should be legal. If a 13yo wants to take tequila shots all summer, that should not. I'm now a mother of three and hope my kids will wait as long as possible til they start drinking. It changed my perspective when I had my own kids. My daughter is 13 and I can't imagine her out partying like I was, but she has a very different personality than I did at that age.
Agreed. 18 is one thing, but 13 is way too young to be drinking that much. By that point you haven't even begun to fully learn how to do anything in moderation or have any sort of responsibility...
Agreed. 18 is one thing, but 13 is way too young to be drinking that much. By that point you haven't even begun to fully learn how to do anything in moderation or have any sort of responsibility that holds you accountable for your actions. There are studies that show that drinking at too young of an age greatly increases the risk of alcoholism later in life.
My first real drink was when I turned 21. I actually waited until I was of legal age to drink. Do I feel like I missed out on anything? Nope, not in the slightest. There isn't really anything...
My first real drink was when I turned 21. I actually waited until I was of legal age to drink. Do I feel like I missed out on anything? Nope, not in the slightest. There isn't really anything appealing about being drunk to me.
I think a lot of underage drinking just stems from the fact that it is "forbidden". I know some countries do it much earlier and apparently it comes off as a "no big deal" type of thing either because of the lack of taboo.
I'm 31 now and it is very rare that I have a drink now like maybe one every 2 years? I can't tell you how much money i've saved because of it.
I always hear this argument, and while I agree with it on a surface level, I always wonder that people that don't drink gotta be wasting that money on other things. For example, I love drinking...
I can't tell you how much money I've saved because of it.
I always hear this argument, and while I agree with it on a surface level, I always wonder that people that don't drink gotta be wasting that money on other things. For example, I love drinking but am a very simple eater. I find going out to eat to be a waste of money and usually more unhealthy and less fun than cooking the same meal at home, so I avoid it when I can. But then I know several friends who claim to save money by not drinking, when in reality they spend that money on fancy meals and going out to eat places I would never care to visit.
Kind of a silly argument for me to make, but I've always wondered what other people think about this.
I guess it depends entirely on what you get out of drinking. If you're just going to parties and getting plastered to the point where you have a nasty hangover the next day, it's probably not...
I guess it depends entirely on what you get out of drinking. If you're just going to parties and getting plastered to the point where you have a nasty hangover the next day, it's probably not worth it. I personally only really drink drink when I go to the bar with my buddies and to me it's worth it as a social thing.
I knew a guy who stopped drinking for the most part and made a post where he calculated out all of the money he was spending on drinking. I was happy he was able to do that and respected him a lot because it's not easy saying no when your friends want to go out.
But at the same time he was apparently pregaming with $20 six packs of beer and taking uber rides to the other side of the city so most of his money was going there.
I just graduated college, so I could never afford to drink like that anyways lol. A couple shots of bottom shelf liquor or some of the cheapest beer I can find before walking or splitting Ubers to...
But at the same time he was apparently pregaming with $20 six packs of beer and taking uber rides to the other side of the city so most of his money was going there.
I just graduated college, so I could never afford to drink like that anyways lol. A couple shots of bottom shelf liquor or some of the cheapest beer I can find before walking or splitting Ubers to the bar is my move lol.
You have a valid point. It just comes down to utility, which is basically happiness. I find utility in putting money saved into retirement or vacations. In other words, I'm wasting my money on...
You have a valid point. It just comes down to utility, which is basically happiness. I find utility in putting money saved into retirement or vacations. In other words, I'm wasting my money on either my future self or on vacations with my family.
Yeah pretty much. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you can't spend too much on alcohol, I've just never found the "I save money by not drinking" argument compelling because I have fun going out...
Yeah pretty much. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you can't spend too much on alcohol, I've just never found the "I save money by not drinking" argument compelling because I have fun going out and drinking with friends/family.
Agreed, though it's all a matter of priority unless you have unlimited funds to spend on whatever you feel like. I'd probably take a $50 dish over $25 each on food and drinks, but that's just me....
Agreed, though it's all a matter of priority unless you have unlimited funds to spend on whatever you feel like. I'd probably take a $50 dish over $25 each on food and drinks, but that's just me. And if I'm feeling like the $25 entree then that's another $25 to save for... I dunno, a hard drive or whatever else I want to put it toward.
Right. And to that point, if you have just as much fun drinking as you do not drinking and you don't enjoy the taste of alcohol, then drinking would be a pretty big waste of money.
Right. And to that point, if you have just as much fun drinking as you do not drinking and you don't enjoy the taste of alcohol, then drinking would be a pretty big waste of money.
Making something taboo really does have an effect on the perception of its worth. The forbidden fruit, pandora’s box, call it what you want, the sole allure of it is that underage drinkers are...
Making something taboo really does have an effect on the perception of its worth. The forbidden fruit, pandora’s box, call it what you want, the sole allure of it is that underage drinkers are doing something that sounds exciting for the sake of its perceived glamour.
I drink very recreationally and seldom do in general, but never for the sake of getting drunk. If the drinker understands what it means to be responsible and be respectful of themselves and those around them, underage drinking is not as big of a deal as it should be. Adult development is one thing, but I think it mostly comes down to mental maturity.
I first drank when i was around 19. I stopped drinking when i was 21. I don't know what the chemical neurophysiological effects are on adolescent brains/bodies compared to fully mature adults. I...
I first drank when i was around 19. I stopped drinking when i was 21.
I don't know what the chemical neurophysiological effects are on adolescent brains/bodies compared to fully mature adults. I would say generally though that alcohol is a poison, and anyone ingesting it should be at least able to comprehend that before drinking. I think young children should not drink, and parents should keep alcohol away from young children.
It's definitely not a good thing, but it isn't always the end of the world. I had my first drink at age... 14?, then the next one I was probably 17 or 18. I was able to get into one of the dive...
It's definitely not a good thing, but it isn't always the end of the world. I had my first drink at age... 14?, then the next one I was probably 17 or 18. I was able to get into one of the dive bars downtown once I got into college and was going maybe once a week at age 19. Since then I keep some whiskey and some rum for the rare occasions I want to drink, but that happens every couple of months at most.
Now, there are people who have become alcoholics at 16, and that's obviously a huge problem.
Pretty much I think that if you've graduated high school, then drinking is fine. You're not missing out on much by not drinking, but college is the time to learn your limits and learn how to...
Pretty much I think that if you've graduated high school, then drinking is fine. You're not missing out on much by not drinking, but college is the time to learn your limits and learn how to moderate your drinking. Personally, I started drinking in college before 21 and only really drank at parties I went to. I wasn't keeping a bottle around to drink by myself or anything. By the time I turned 21, I had thrown up once and had some close calls other times to the point where I wasn't interested in drinking til I couldn't stand. When I was partying more, if I had easier access to alcohol I probably would have drank too much a lot more. My senior year I stopped partying as much and just drank at bars with my friends without overdoing it. The hangovers weren't worth it.
I had sips of beer when I was younger and still am barely legal drinking age. I have people around me that purchase alcohol for me if I ask but I almost never do. It's one of those things that's...
I had sips of beer when I was younger and still am barely legal drinking age. I have people around me that purchase alcohol for me if I ask but I almost never do. It's one of those things that's fun for a week or 2 then you get bored of it. It should be kept to moderation but I am unsure if most children are able to show that much moderation. If they are drinking it should be done in the supervision of a legal guardian.
For me personally it was an important part of my teenage-years. It kind of taught me that it was ok for me to come out of my shell. Started drinking at 15 I think. My older sisters actually got me...
For me personally it was an important part of my teenage-years. It kind of taught me that it was ok for me to come out of my shell. Started drinking at 15 I think. My older sisters actually got me drunk the first time - which I think was a great tactic. Always good to have someone who knows their shit with you.
Funnily enough the next time I got drunk after that I got a job as a cinema operator for 3 years...probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't stolen my dads whisky that night.
Today I sadly drink a lot - and not for good reasons. But I'm hardly underage anymore hehe.
Anyway, I think underage drinking has it's place. It's of course not for everyone, and no one should ever feel pressured into drinking if they don't want to. But for me it was a good experience. And I would have no issues with buying alcohol for a minor (as long as they aren't very young). Better they get proper alcohol than some bootleg-moonshine-shit. They'll get their hands on it one way or another.
I think that anything done to excess is a bad place to be. I am in favor of decriminalization, or downright legalization of everything, because getting help for something that has been deemed...
I think that anything done to excess is a bad place to be. I am in favor of decriminalization, or downright legalization of everything, because getting help for something that has been deemed illegal is pretty difficult. So, I don't think there should be such a term as "under age" as far as drugs go. (Booze IS a drug, so I'm not going to bother separating it in my comments.)
The main issue as I see it is that drug use is a means of escape. Be it from boredom, anxiety, reality, whatever, it's an escape. It's sad that we need these escapes, but we do. There is a pretty decent set of data that shows use of drugs before your early 20's can cause long-lasting neurological issues, and if you start using drugs to escape reality before you develop more healthy coping mechanisms, you are less likely to successfully develop those skills later in life.
So, as far as underage drug use, I think it is a bad idea. If you are underage, and feel drawn to use anything not prescribed to you, or in a manner other than intended, you and / or your parents need to get in touch with a mental health professional, and get to the bottom of it.
Personally, I grew up with an alcoholic father, who started drinking around 16, and it was pretty devastating to my childhood.
I had my first sip of beer at a few years of age, just little sips now and then. I don't think I had something like a full glass of wine until I was 12 or so. It'd just be one then. I honestly...
I had my first sip of beer at a few years of age, just little sips now and then. I don't think I had something like a full glass of wine until I was 12 or so. It'd just be one then. I honestly never in my life ever drank to get plastered (or to the point of getting sick, never had a hangover either) or anything like that, I mainly like the taste of sweet alcoholic beverages. Now that I'm older though and doing my own shopping and living in a more diverse place I tend to go for a lot of Middle Eastern alcohol-like drinks, very similar if not the same taste to a lot of what I like and cheaper!
In terms of how I feel about underage drinking I think it isn't a big deal, just don't make it taboo or forbidden completely at any age, I feel that tends to encourage indulging in it to excess in teens/young adults.
I think it's weird in the US that our drinking age is 21 but you can drive at 16. It would make more sense to me to have drinking be age 16 and driving age 18. That way alcohol loses the 'naughty...
I think it's weird in the US that our drinking age is 21 but you can drive at 16. It would make more sense to me to have drinking be age 16 and driving age 18. That way alcohol loses the 'naughty thing's appeal before someone is allowed to get behind the wheel.
I had my first drinks around 13 or 14 but it wasn't until I was about 16 that I got totally wasted. Now I mainly drink for enjoyment and very rarely get more than a nice buzz going.
I think Germany has it right when it comes to drinking laws.
I agree. Intuitively, it seems like this would prevent the "forbidden fruit" appeal of alcohol for teens. Does anyone know if patterns of binge drinking are different in Germany than America?
For what it's worth, the wiki page for pure alcohol consumption per capita (2015) notes Germany is 16th at 10.6L and USA is 24th at 9L
I had my first drink at 13. I still drink a lot. I have mixed feelings. It's a drug just like any other drug and should be used in moderation. It took me a long time to find that moderation, and even now, I will sometimes go overboard -- though not near as much as I used to. I used alcohol as an unhealthy coping mechanism for many years. I think though that this is just my addictive personality. Many people drink underage and don't run into the same problems. It's a very difficult topic because if an 18yo wants a couple glasses of wine with dinner, I think that should be legal. If a 13yo wants to take tequila shots all summer, that should not. I'm now a mother of three and hope my kids will wait as long as possible til they start drinking. It changed my perspective when I had my own kids. My daughter is 13 and I can't imagine her out partying like I was, but she has a very different personality than I did at that age.
Agreed. 18 is one thing, but 13 is way too young to be drinking that much. By that point you haven't even begun to fully learn how to do anything in moderation or have any sort of responsibility that holds you accountable for your actions. There are studies that show that drinking at too young of an age greatly increases the risk of alcoholism later in life.
My first real drink was when I turned 21. I actually waited until I was of legal age to drink. Do I feel like I missed out on anything? Nope, not in the slightest. There isn't really anything appealing about being drunk to me.
I think a lot of underage drinking just stems from the fact that it is "forbidden". I know some countries do it much earlier and apparently it comes off as a "no big deal" type of thing either because of the lack of taboo.
I'm 31 now and it is very rare that I have a drink now like maybe one every 2 years? I can't tell you how much money i've saved because of it.
I always hear this argument, and while I agree with it on a surface level, I always wonder that people that don't drink gotta be wasting that money on other things. For example, I love drinking but am a very simple eater. I find going out to eat to be a waste of money and usually more unhealthy and less fun than cooking the same meal at home, so I avoid it when I can. But then I know several friends who claim to save money by not drinking, when in reality they spend that money on fancy meals and going out to eat places I would never care to visit.
Kind of a silly argument for me to make, but I've always wondered what other people think about this.
I guess it depends entirely on what you get out of drinking. If you're just going to parties and getting plastered to the point where you have a nasty hangover the next day, it's probably not worth it. I personally only really drink drink when I go to the bar with my buddies and to me it's worth it as a social thing.
I knew a guy who stopped drinking for the most part and made a post where he calculated out all of the money he was spending on drinking. I was happy he was able to do that and respected him a lot because it's not easy saying no when your friends want to go out.
But at the same time he was apparently pregaming with $20 six packs of beer and taking uber rides to the other side of the city so most of his money was going there.
I just graduated college, so I could never afford to drink like that anyways lol. A couple shots of bottom shelf liquor or some of the cheapest beer I can find before walking or splitting Ubers to the bar is my move lol.
You have a valid point. It just comes down to utility, which is basically happiness. I find utility in putting money saved into retirement or vacations. In other words, I'm wasting my money on either my future self or on vacations with my family.
Yeah pretty much. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you can't spend too much on alcohol, I've just never found the "I save money by not drinking" argument compelling because I have fun going out and drinking with friends/family.
To each their own though.
Agreed, though it's all a matter of priority unless you have unlimited funds to spend on whatever you feel like. I'd probably take a $50 dish over $25 each on food and drinks, but that's just me. And if I'm feeling like the $25 entree then that's another $25 to save for... I dunno, a hard drive or whatever else I want to put it toward.
Right. And to that point, if you have just as much fun drinking as you do not drinking and you don't enjoy the taste of alcohol, then drinking would be a pretty big waste of money.
Making something taboo really does have an effect on the perception of its worth. The forbidden fruit, pandora’s box, call it what you want, the sole allure of it is that underage drinkers are doing something that sounds exciting for the sake of its perceived glamour.
I drink very recreationally and seldom do in general, but never for the sake of getting drunk. If the drinker understands what it means to be responsible and be respectful of themselves and those around them, underage drinking is not as big of a deal as it should be. Adult development is one thing, but I think it mostly comes down to mental maturity.
I first drank when i was around 19. I stopped drinking when i was 21.
I don't know what the chemical neurophysiological effects are on adolescent brains/bodies compared to fully mature adults. I would say generally though that alcohol is a poison, and anyone ingesting it should be at least able to comprehend that before drinking. I think young children should not drink, and parents should keep alcohol away from young children.
It's definitely not a good thing, but it isn't always the end of the world. I had my first drink at age... 14?, then the next one I was probably 17 or 18. I was able to get into one of the dive bars downtown once I got into college and was going maybe once a week at age 19. Since then I keep some whiskey and some rum for the rare occasions I want to drink, but that happens every couple of months at most.
Now, there are people who have become alcoholics at 16, and that's obviously a huge problem.
Pretty much I think that if you've graduated high school, then drinking is fine. You're not missing out on much by not drinking, but college is the time to learn your limits and learn how to moderate your drinking. Personally, I started drinking in college before 21 and only really drank at parties I went to. I wasn't keeping a bottle around to drink by myself or anything. By the time I turned 21, I had thrown up once and had some close calls other times to the point where I wasn't interested in drinking til I couldn't stand. When I was partying more, if I had easier access to alcohol I probably would have drank too much a lot more. My senior year I stopped partying as much and just drank at bars with my friends without overdoing it. The hangovers weren't worth it.
I had sips of beer when I was younger and still am barely legal drinking age. I have people around me that purchase alcohol for me if I ask but I almost never do. It's one of those things that's fun for a week or 2 then you get bored of it. It should be kept to moderation but I am unsure if most children are able to show that much moderation. If they are drinking it should be done in the supervision of a legal guardian.
Kinda like driving. Man, driving was fun when you first get your license but it lost its luster pretty quick and now almost annoying at times.
For me personally it was an important part of my teenage-years. It kind of taught me that it was ok for me to come out of my shell. Started drinking at 15 I think. My older sisters actually got me drunk the first time - which I think was a great tactic. Always good to have someone who knows their shit with you.
Funnily enough the next time I got drunk after that I got a job as a cinema operator for 3 years...probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't stolen my dads whisky that night.
Today I sadly drink a lot - and not for good reasons. But I'm hardly underage anymore hehe.
Anyway, I think underage drinking has it's place. It's of course not for everyone, and no one should ever feel pressured into drinking if they don't want to. But for me it was a good experience. And I would have no issues with buying alcohol for a minor (as long as they aren't very young). Better they get proper alcohol than some bootleg-moonshine-shit. They'll get their hands on it one way or another.
I think that anything done to excess is a bad place to be. I am in favor of decriminalization, or downright legalization of everything, because getting help for something that has been deemed illegal is pretty difficult. So, I don't think there should be such a term as "under age" as far as drugs go. (Booze IS a drug, so I'm not going to bother separating it in my comments.)
The main issue as I see it is that drug use is a means of escape. Be it from boredom, anxiety, reality, whatever, it's an escape. It's sad that we need these escapes, but we do. There is a pretty decent set of data that shows use of drugs before your early 20's can cause long-lasting neurological issues, and if you start using drugs to escape reality before you develop more healthy coping mechanisms, you are less likely to successfully develop those skills later in life.
So, as far as underage drug use, I think it is a bad idea. If you are underage, and feel drawn to use anything not prescribed to you, or in a manner other than intended, you and / or your parents need to get in touch with a mental health professional, and get to the bottom of it.
Personally, I grew up with an alcoholic father, who started drinking around 16, and it was pretty devastating to my childhood.
I had my first sip of beer at a few years of age, just little sips now and then. I don't think I had something like a full glass of wine until I was 12 or so. It'd just be one then. I honestly never in my life ever drank to get plastered (or to the point of getting sick, never had a hangover either) or anything like that, I mainly like the taste of sweet alcoholic beverages. Now that I'm older though and doing my own shopping and living in a more diverse place I tend to go for a lot of Middle Eastern alcohol-like drinks, very similar if not the same taste to a lot of what I like and cheaper!
In terms of how I feel about underage drinking I think it isn't a big deal, just don't make it taboo or forbidden completely at any age, I feel that tends to encourage indulging in it to excess in teens/young adults.
I think it's weird in the US that our drinking age is 21 but you can drive at 16. It would make more sense to me to have drinking be age 16 and driving age 18. That way alcohol loses the 'naughty thing's appeal before someone is allowed to get behind the wheel.
I had my first drinks around 13 or 14 but it wasn't until I was about 16 that I got totally wasted. Now I mainly drink for enjoyment and very rarely get more than a nice buzz going.