When I was a teenager, I was told not to drink, and learned about drinking by watching adults. I came to the conclusion that, the purpose of alcohol was to get drunk, it was something that was done by Adults. (a dangerous thing to show a teenager who aspires to be an adult.) The age restriction seemed arbitrary, alcoholism was unheard of, or involved distant examples. I reasoned that the difference in body weight meant it was cheaper to to get drunk. I hated the taste of alcohol(Which I'm sure is true of a many people,)but I ignored it for the sake of the effect. To someone who is drunk, the dangers of alcohol are insignificant, even if they are known (Sometimes called denial)
The French wi...

When I was a teenager, I was told not to drink, and learned about drinking by watching adults. I came to the conclusion that, the purpose of alcohol was to get drunk, it was something that was done by Adults. (a dangerous thing to show a teenager who aspires to be an adult.) The age restriction seemed arbitrary, alcoholism was unheard of, or involved distant examples. I reasoned that the difference in body weight meant it was cheaper to to get drunk. I hated the taste of alcohol(Which I'm sure is true of a many people,)but I ignored it for the sake of the effect. To someone who is drunk, the dangers of alcohol are insignificant, even if they are known (Sometimes called denial)
The French with their history of wine making introduce their children to alcohol gradually, and they have a greater understanding of the dangers and qualities of alcoholic drinks. It is accepted that most people will reach a stage in life where they will drink regularly. Some will find it is a problem, after they have started, and need to reconsider, but we can't keep the utopian notion that we can keep kids ignorant, and away from alcohol until they turn 21. While asking them to die in battle at 18

Nope, you have two paths, teach your kids to drink responsibly (at dinner etc.) or ban from doing it and pray that they don't turn into doing it themselves. I only observed binge drinking in the U.S. and always found it hard to understand, even after years of going to bars and such, except for the odd birthday or bachelor party and in that case the object of the celebration was not driving.

Thats is not to say you completely eliminate alcoholism or drunken driving, addiction and stupidity are very hard to eradicate (if outright impossible). But the idea of doing nothing but sit in front of a keg and drink as fast as you can was not something I grew up with.

You can teach teenagers (not ...

Nope, you have two paths, teach your kids to drink responsibly (at dinner etc.) or ban from doing it and pray that they don't turn into doing it themselves. I only observed binge drinking in the U.S. and always found it hard to understand, even after years of going to bars and such, except for the odd birthday or bachelor party and in that case the object of the celebration was not driving.

Thats is not to say you completely eliminate alcoholism or drunken driving, addiction and stupidity are very hard to eradicate (if outright impossible). But the idea of doing nothing but sit in front of a keg and drink as fast as you can was not something I grew up with.

You can teach teenagers (not fiver year olds) what it means to drink responsibly (if they choose to drink) or you can take your chances.

I grew up in a household that permitted drinking on special occasions to the children. As a consequence, it held no mystique for me. I didn't have the drive when I reached high-school/college to go out and overindulge - it was tons more fun to stay sober. I'm gleefully weird enough with out foreign chemicals, and drunk people are idiots.
I have the occasional drink now and then, but my bottle of Tullamore Dew has lasted about a year, so I don't think I'm in any danger of alcoholism.
I have a teenaged son, and he agrees with my atttudes. I worry less when he goes out, because I know he doesn't have the lure of the forbidden.
It's just human nature. Anything 'worth having' has to be hard to...

I grew up in a household that permitted drinking on special occasions to the children. As a consequence, it held no mystique for me. I didn't have the drive when I reached high-school/college to go out and overindulge - it was tons more fun to stay sober. I'm gleefully weird enough with out foreign chemicals, and drunk people are idiots.
I have the occasional drink now and then, but my bottle of Tullamore Dew has lasted about a year, so I don't think I'm in any danger of alcoholism.
I have a teenaged son, and he agrees with my atttudes. I worry less when he goes out, because I know he doesn't have the lure of the forbidden.
It's just human nature. Anything 'worth having' has to be hard to get, right? So kids who are forbidden it will look for it, and won't know how to handle it.

Wow. The overwhelming majority of comments so far are from people who agree with the study AND were allowed to drink alcohol at younger ages.

I agree with this study wholeheartedly but I come from a family where we weren't allowed to drink to prevent the growing mountain of expectations around the whole subject.

Today I hardly ever drink, yet I firmly hold the view that a single beer consumed in a night is a waste of a beer. In the rare situation where I do drink, usually only occuring 1-2 times a year, I pull out all the stops and get smashed. I am garunteed to throw up and am lucky if I can remember the next day. Regardless of this, I still view the experience as positive and would ...

Wow. The overwhelming majority of comments so far are from people who agree with the study AND were allowed to drink alcohol at younger ages.

I agree with this study wholeheartedly but I come from a family where we weren't allowed to drink to prevent the growing mountain of expectations around the whole subject.

Today I hardly ever drink, yet I firmly hold the view that a single beer consumed in a night is a waste of a beer. In the rare situation where I do drink, usually only occuring 1-2 times a year, I pull out all the stops and get smashed. I am garunteed to throw up and am lucky if I can remember the next day. Regardless of this, I still view the experience as positive and would do it all over again when given the option. I do see the other side of the coin and the "stupidity of youth", as a few I know have called it. It is for this reason that I like this article, as it takes the blame from me and places it on my parents. I love psychology.

When another commenter used the word "tots" to describe early, limited alcohol I had to flinch. It is obviously a euphemism for an alcoholic beverage. And the term implies that supervised alcohol consumption is somehow less potent than "regular" alcohol consumption. While agreeing with the article as well as acknowleding that it very well may be statistically significant that less alcohol is imbibed in the former case, it doesn't change the fact alcohol in minors has a much stronger effect than in adults due to their reduced body mass, especially at age 12! because of their body size. The distinction between supervised and unsupervised seems to me a mute point given that less, more poten...

When another commenter used the word "tots" to describe early, limited alcohol I had to flinch. It is obviously a euphemism for an alcoholic beverage. And the term implies that supervised alcohol consumption is somehow less potent than "regular" alcohol consumption. While agreeing with the article as well as acknowleding that it very well may be statistically significant that less alcohol is imbibed in the former case, it doesn't change the fact alcohol in minors has a much stronger effect than in adults due to their reduced body mass, especially at age 12! because of their body size. The distinction between supervised and unsupervised seems to me a mute point given that less, more potent alcohol is being compared to alcohol. In the end alcohol is still alcohol. It is more dangerous than smoking. And such euphemisms seem misplaced, even dangerous as they could send the signal to parents that supervised alcohol consumption is less harmful, maybe even not harmful at all. It doesn't help that the words tots, in its present context didn't make any reference to its quantity, while it may have been implied by many... It assuredly won't occur to every single parent reading the article. Therefore I find the use of the words tots to be extremely misleading as well as sending an unintended, inaccurate message.

@ratilfar
Your post is ironic and your inflammatory accusations are unfounded.

Your first post is all about extremes. In the first paragraph you establish the fact that you NEVER binge (except where "expected" to do so), and in the second paragraph you say you can't understand people who do nothing but sit in front of a keg and drink as fast as they can. This implies that you **CAN** understand people who only binge occasionally? And also seems to place a great deal of importance on the frequency. It wasn't enough just to say all people who binge are bad in some way. You had to make the distinction that all people who binge all the time are bad. So are the rest who binge less freque...

@ratilfar
Your post is ironic and your inflammatory accusations are unfounded.

Your first post is all about extremes. In the first paragraph you establish the fact that you NEVER binge (except where "expected" to do so), and in the second paragraph you say you can't understand people who do nothing but sit in front of a keg and drink as fast as they can. This implies that you **CAN** understand people who only binge occasionally? And also seems to place a great deal of importance on the frequency. It wasn't enough just to say all people who binge are bad in some way. You had to make the distinction that all people who binge all the time are bad. So are the rest who binge less frequently good? Then you tell me that it doesn't matter how much I do it, I'm "bad"?

This I where disagree with you,

I think you are incapable of understanding someone who binges infrequently in addition to those who binge all the time.

What's worse: WE REACH THE SAME CONCLUSION and we both agree with the article, yet you don't like my post for some reason. So whats your problem? and what difference are you referring to?

The fact that I binge, regardless of the frequency, and you don't? Is the only reason you made the post to call me irresponsible? Or is the real reason simply to be intentionally inflammatory in order to provoke a negative response from others? Because you got one.

The only difference between your second post and my second post, is that mine isn't meant to criticize another person, it was meant to bring attention to what I feel to be an unsafe use of a euphemism. It shields nobody from the truth, as euphemisms usually do, but can also mislead people into thinking "tots" are safe when supervised. If a parent were to take this at face value, the size of each tot is not specified, and alcohol affects minors (esp. 12yrs old) more than it does adults due to body weight.

ratilfar, I think you should stop trolling.
I find it pointless to be so mean.

Not being mean, unless you felt offended by it. I consider "binge" drinking to be wrong, period. Its hazardous and irresponsible. I said that I, before traveling to the U.S. observed it on few occasions (the ones mentioned above), and that in no way justifies it. You decried the use of the word "tot" and then went to say that parents teaching their children how to drink (or drinking under their supervision) would be more dangerous. Did you not say that "drinking one beer was a waste". I feel that getting wasted is a waste. The goal should be to enjoy your time, not getting smashed.

Of course your an adult, as well as I, so if you feel that is the way to go, please go ahead, just keep you...

Not being mean, unless you felt offended by it. I consider "binge" drinking to be wrong, period. Its hazardous and irresponsible. I said that I, before traveling to the U.S. observed it on few occasions (the ones mentioned above), and that in no way justifies it. You decried the use of the word "tot" and then went to say that parents teaching their children how to drink (or drinking under their supervision) would be more dangerous. Did you not say that "drinking one beer was a waste". I feel that getting wasted is a waste. The goal should be to enjoy your time, not getting smashed.

Of course your an adult, as well as I, so if you feel that is the way to go, please go ahead, just keep your car keys at home and have a designated driver, for all our sakes.

It should be blatantly obvious by now, that I have no kids just yet. My behavior does not reflect how I would raise my kids as you seem to be eluding to. Also, I would also never drink and drive, thanks for bringing it into question. That's part of the reason why I don't get hammered very often, it can be inconvenient and downright expensive. The main reason however is that and I'd like to keep all my brain cells for a bit longer as well as keep my liver in good working order. And I did not say that minors drinking under supervision would be more dangerous. I said that it could be dangerous to use words like tot to make alcohol seem more child-friendly. Especially when the measurement...

It should be blatantly obvious by now, that I have no kids just yet. My behavior does not reflect how I would raise my kids as you seem to be eluding to. Also, I would also never drink and drive, thanks for bringing it into question. That's part of the reason why I don't get hammered very often, it can be inconvenient and downright expensive. The main reason however is that and I'd like to keep all my brain cells for a bit longer as well as keep my liver in good working order. And I did not say that minors drinking under supervision would be more dangerous. I said that it could be dangerous to use words like tot to make alcohol seem more child-friendly. Especially when the measurements for a tot are not clearly defined. While I agree with this article, I feel that when modeling alcohol consumption to a child using words like tot to make it seem safe, and the whole issue should be taken more seriously, not gravely... but not lightly either. Finally, since I'm not busy setting an example for my kids, or anyone else's, you should have no problem with what I do with my free time. I don't know what country you hail from (and I don't mean to offend, if you happen to reside in the same country), but in the US, free choice is valued to the point that it doesn't limit anyone else's civil liberties... To protect other's from themselves or to admonish people for doing things not deemed to coincide with traditional values, well... that is a very dangerous line to draw in the sand. The wind could blow either way, and who knows where you'd end up. An autocracy is probably the most efficient way to go when coming up with decisive, sweeping action for social reform. (that was a joke, so don't take it too seriously. . I hope this clears up any confusion from my prior post.

Popped this for all your comments...
As a teenager I lived in Australia and the young, the old , everybody "boozed"... guess that was the equivalent of your "binge".... You were supposed to have been over 21, to buy alcoholic drinks in pubs or even at the drive-in off-license..... Most of us found it very amusing, to go pub-crawling on sturday night,pretending to be older than our anagraphical ages and if we got caught, we were shown horror movies of messy drunk people..... most weren't put-off at all... they just went back to doing it again... I think prohibition only creates the fobidden fruit... so challenging for teenagers... When I came to Italy, I boozed for a bit and then decided it w...

Popped this for all your comments...
As a teenager I lived in Australia and the young, the old , everybody "boozed"... guess that was the equivalent of your "binge".... You were supposed to have been over 21, to buy alcoholic drinks in pubs or even at the drive-in off-license..... Most of us found it very amusing, to go pub-crawling on sturday night,pretending to be older than our anagraphical ages and if we got caught, we were shown horror movies of messy drunk people..... most weren't put-off at all... they just went back to doing it again... I think prohibition only creates the fobidden fruit... so challenging for teenagers... When I came to Italy, I boozed for a bit and then decided it wasn't as much fun here (where it wasn't prohibited) as it was in OZ.... So I sobred down and became a selective connoisseur and only have the occasional aperitivo when I'm with friends and perhaps a glass or two of wine when I'm out for dinner.....I don't even want to smell alcohol when iìm feeling depressed... prefer keeping my brain-cells functioning to think myself out of the depression....

Yes, I think prohibition is definitely NOT the answer.... very similar to all forms of religious extremist fundamentalism methods really.... Dissent has always been an important part of growing up and reaching for maturity..... and forbidden fruits will always be so much more attractive than the daily ration of whatever we're allowed....