News, Author: Letting kids drink early reduces binging. (minors, parents, activity)

[JD59]

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Over dinner recently, Anna Peele recalls one of the first times she drank alcohol. "I was like 14 or 15," Peele says. "I ordered a beer and they served me."

She had just finished her freshman year of high school and was traveling in Greece with family friends. "We would just have wine with dinner," Peele says. "In Greece it's so not a big deal."

While that experience would cause some American parents to worry, Peele's parents weren't upset.

In fact, starting in middle school, her parents allowed her and her siblings to have an occasional sip of beer or wine. By the time she was in high school, Peele was drinking beer and wine regularly at family functions and social events. But it was always in moderation, Peele says. She says her parents' attitude toward alcohol made it seem less mysterious. "It wasn't some forbidden fruit," Peele says. "I didn't have to go out to a field with my friends and have 18 beers."

Author: Letting kids drink early reduces binging - CNN.com

[chielgirl]

I'm an alcoholic, in recovery for over 24 years. I have a little personal experience in this area.

It doesn't matter when kids start drinking, and I think the initial beer is not the issue. It's the personality. Some people are alcoholics waiting to happen.

If you're an alcoholic, it doesn't matter what or how much you drank. It's why (escapism, etc) and what happens to you.

Yes, the US has bizarre laws. I work around a Marine installation. They treat their marines worse than anything I've ever seen. They can't drive until they're an E-5 (several years in), they have to have buddies to go off post at all. They don't serve alcohol to these kids yet they are killing and being killed in the name of the government. The stupidity of US laws boggles my mind.

I think the alcohol prohibition and the showing of sexual activity on TV with no tenderness and only violence against women are two very grave problems we hoist on our young. What do they learn from either?

[Chinolala]

Interesting topic. My grandfather worked in a brewery so my dad started getting sips of beer at a young age. By 12 or 13, he was drinking a juice glass (6 ozs) of beer regularly at dinner. When I was a child, it worked the same for me. I was not given alcohol regularly, but had small quantities of wine at Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, etc. My father was not an acoholic, or even a big drinker for that matter, nor am I. My dad did tell me that he felt that if alcohol was considered this 'forbidden until you're 21" thing, that it would cause minors to be intrigued with it and want it more and more. It's natural for kids to want what their parents forbid them to have. So anyway, that's my story. I don't think starting to drink young curtails alcoholism. But I do think that it breaks the mystique of alcohol and makes it no big deal. It's like nudity. Go to the public beach in Europe and see all generations nude and no one thinks twice about it. Same concept.

[ayannaaaliyah]

I don't think giving your children alcohol early is going to reduce anything - that's ludacris. I firmly believe that alcoholism is an inherited addiction, or rather an addictive personality can be cause to become an alcoholic; drug addict, etc.

I do not believe in allowing kids to drink period.

[GypsySoul22]

In my family we were 'allowed' to try my parents drinks (beer, gin and tonics) from a youngish age. My parents are moderate drinkers who felt if they let us do things at home (like try alcohol) we'd be less tempted to do it in the 'real world.'

I never drink (did a little bit at college but that's college life, still it was moderate for college). My sister never touches alcohol. Not sure about my brother.

It MIGHT have some truth (this theory).

[goodmanm]

It's very common in societies around the world.

We'll allow it occasionally throughout the year.