Alcohol Concern, a charity dedicated to fighting the evils of the demon drink, have come up with some proposals. Among other things, they would like to see the prosecution of parents who give alcohol to their children, even with a meal at home.
I would argue the other way. Perhaps introducing children to alcohol early, and in a responsible manner, would demystify alcohol in the minds of the chidren. Having a small amount of alcohol with a meal at home with one’s parents would remove part of the ‘rebellious’ aspect from the thing.
Because one may not legally purchase alcohol before the age of 18, many children unsurprisingly regard it as a mark of adulthood, and feel the need to show that they are grown up by drinking irresponsibly well before that age. That also explains the unedifying sight, in market towns up and down the land, of comatose youngsters on their eighteenth birthdays, collapsed on the floors of pubs, and being cheered by all and sundry. What does this tradition tell us? It tells us that for many, there is something mystical about alcohol, some inexplicable feeling of achievement for being deemed worthy to be able finally to partake of this great wonder-working potion. But why should that be? What is the big deal about alcohol?
In all the countries in which I have lived, I have never come across anywhere else like England with such an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. I marvel at the way this country deals with alcohol. By it, many measure their worth, and only with it, would many even dare to participate in social situations. That is what Alcohol Concern should be addressing. Why are the English this way about alcohol? Perhaps people need to be taught that alcohol is not such a big deal after all. Perhaps introducing children responsibly to the more civilised aspects of alcohol consumption will enable them to stand firm against its common corrupting influences. Let children know that alcohol is not a big deal, and that it is not a magic potion. Then they will be able to deal sensibly with it.
April 27th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Its all about the rise of the nanny state, and the plain fact that the state and its minions hate the fact that people can make decisions without their approval.
They wish to micromanage every aspect of our lives,
April 27th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Hi Bel
Welcome back.
Below I quote a few sentences from the Alcohol Concern press release.
“Alcohol Concern recommends limiting the access children and teenagers have to alcohol and challenging more aggressively the drivers of underage consumption:
Make it illegal to provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 15. Currently it is legal to provide children as young as five with alcohol in a private home. Raising the age limit to fifteen would send a stronger message to parents of the risks associated with letting very young people consume alcohol.”
There is an alcohol problem in the UK in general and with children, teenagers, young adults in particular but I cannot see that the proposal to raise the age at which children can have alcohol in the home from 5 to 15 will solve the problem.
Alcohol Concern talk about challenging the drivers of underage consumption but they give no evidence that the current age limit of 5 at home is a factor. I’ve thought for a long time, as you do, about the possible civilising aspect of responsible alcohol use at home but now I’m starting to wonder if this is not too simplistic - almost too middle class a view.
Under-age drinking was widespread more than 40 years ago and so it’s not a new phenomenon but there is no doubt that bingeing is much more common now.
I suspect that the culture of drinking, of bingeing is so common now that peer pressure plays its part - not in perventing bingeing - but in encouraging it. Therefore, to do as Alcohol Concern suggest in the home is, frankly pointless. Some of their other suggestions may be useful but, really, I’m at a loss to know how one can actually tackle the issue with any hope of success.
Again nice to see you back and I say that as a member of Blogpower.
April 27th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Welcome back Bel.
More nanny stateism. Isn’t it a custom for children to drink some wine with their meals in France?
April 27th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Thank you, JHL.
It was good to take a break from blogging. Hope you are well.
I agree with both you and fido, nanny stateism definitely. And yes, children on the continent are introduced early to sensible drinking. Perhaps that may be why they don’t have anywhere near the sort of binge-driking problems this country has.
April 27th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Hi Bel
Nice to see you back.
I thought I’d posted a long reply about 90min ago but it seems not to have appeared.
If this appears I’ll do the long one.
April 27th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Now I am happy because I have my Bel fix again. I think the proposal is plain daft. Instead of removing the mystery of drink for youngsters and showing the responsible use of alcohol in a social setting, it will make things worse among youngsters who may see drink as something to be consumed behind the backs of parents.
April 27th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Thank you for your kind words, Tony.
You are right; it is about ‘removing the mystery of drink’, as you put it.
How are you? I hope campaigning is going well.
April 27th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Sorry, Calum, it’s the over-efficient moderation tool again. For some reason, it’s been working overtime today. I have no idea why it deemed your comments worthy of moderation, but there we are.
You are right, drinking responsibly at home appears to be a middle class view. It presupposes that children nowadays sit at a table with their parents and eat their meals. That is increasingly a middle class thing. Still, there is no reason why civilised behaviour shouldn’t be promoted, regardless of which class is doing it.
I don’t believe that children eating meals with a little alcohol at home are the ones who create most of the problems with alcohol abuse. I don’t know why Alcohol Concern seem to think that, but I submit that they are wrong if they think this.
April 27th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Almost forgot. Welcome to Blogpower, Calum! It’s really good to have you as a member.
April 29th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
This is of course, a silly idea and your repsonse is correct.
Just for balance though here are some countries that also have severe alcohol problems:
Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia. (I would say Alaska too, though it is technically disqaulified).
We are not alone.
April 30th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
How are you?
I am fine thanks. How are you doing?
I hope campaigning is going well.
Some may think that, but I could not possibly comment…
May 1st, 2007 at 11:25 am
Welcome back Bel. Though I was away for much of your absence I did miss you
But onto matters at hand. Where do we begin on this one? First of all we need to keep in mind temperament and national tendencies. Everytime I hear someone say ‘but in France………….’ I just want to scream or cry. ‘But in France most women don’t wear underpants’ are we going to do that here as well? There are certain behaviours that go along with the nature of the general populace and are not detrimental to their well-being and the exact same behaviour somewhere else could be disastrous. I just came back from New York where just about everyone speaks to just about everyone else. A bus ride is like going to a cocktail party - by the time you reach your destination you’ve made 5 new friends. Can you even imagine if you just started chatting to all and sundry on the Number 73? You would probably be put off the bus. Americans do that - we don’t. The French are not a nation with alcohol abuse issues - it is in their temperament to drink and in moderation. Also they tend to almost exclusively drink wine and almost never to excess. The biggest problem facing this country today (in my opinion) is alcohol abuse - and yes it is abuse by many. The area in which this problem is growing the most is with young people. There are now almost as many young girls suffering from conditions like cirrhosis than there are grown men. When I first moved here 15 years ago and started seeing friends with younger children giving them a drink here and there I was frankly appalled but said nothing. Now these same kids are uni students and I am seeing the effects of alcohol. Two of them have had treatment for mental problems. None of them are achieving their potential. Many of them go from binge to binge and before anyone gets on their high horse these are all kids from caring families, most of them went to private school, all of them but one went to university. People in the UK don’t drink because alchohol is a mystery - most of them drink to change their state of mind. Teach them how to change their state of mind naturally. Get them to feel they don’t need a crutch to ‘loosen them up’. When you get that done then feel free to give your 15 year old a glass of wine now and then. But until that happens don’t knobble them before they leave the starting gate. WHEW! End of rant 
May 1st, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Hear, hear Bel. Absolutely correct. I think some people would like inspectors coming in to our homes and checking kids breaths!
May 1st, 2007 at 11:24 pm
absolutely right Jailhouselawyer.
Morag is also right, we cannot compare British society with any other. Britain has always had problems with the “demon” drink and a bunch of interfering lefty do-gooders like Alcohol Concern isn’t going to change that.
June 18th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I do think that parents should be able to make the decision on whether they want to introduce their child to alcohol. Leave the government out of it. HOWEVER, I do have a problem with a parent making that decision for someone else’s kids. Because you choose to allow your child to drink at home doesn’t mean that you can allow his / her friends to do the same in your home.
August 10th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
My evil father gave us kids alcohol aged 8 years old . Advocaat and lemonade mixed which equals 9% like tennants super, a tramps drink. I now am now fighting with this evil addiction and hate my family and friends who have turned out to be just chemical aquatences. My father now has cancer and I don’t care because I hate him. Heres to alcohol creator of ALL LIFES PROBLEMS. Sorry Homer Simpson you were only half right….I no longer trust, like or love anyone because of the most evil drug imaginable ……..BOOZE .. evil evil evil . Worse than Heroin