How much does your 18/19/20 year old drink?

[Nowanextraone]

My son worries me sick with how much he drinks and how often. He's now 20.

Since turning 18, he has literally been wowed with feeling so grown up to be served in a pub and seems to have taken it to extreme levels.
I'd say he drinks to the point of vomiting about 3 times a week. The other night he was sat at mine and polished off 4 cans of beer before he even left the house to go out, and it didn't touch him. To me, that shows how much he must be drinking.

He has piled on weight and looks quite bloated and puffy faced.

He's a rugby lad so surrounded by this drinking culture. He swears blind his friends drink just as much and are 'worse' than him.

He doesn't seem to understand moderation or being able to turn down a drinking opportunity. I have tried to teach him moderation but his father (we are divorced) is also a big drinker and he seems to have sadly followed in his shadow

Do other young lads really drink this much? Is it normal?

[Brigitteshittette]

Rugby boys probably, though I’m not surprised you’re worried. He’s still at the young end of learning to be responsible about drinking.
has he had any driving lessons yet? Encourage him to do some so he has a reason to be sober and responsible.

[CeriB82]

DD1 is 21, rarely drinks. Rarely goes out, a home girl,

DD2 is 19 and lives away. Loves her drink!

i rarely drink and DH only when he goes out.

[SiblingFights]

19yo DD only drinks when she goes out (probably once a month), but when she does, she really goes for it. Her BF is the same.

Needing to drive and random drink / drug tests at work make sure that they are very careful not to overdo things.

[Sparklynewname]

I worry about my DS too who has also followed his fathers extremely heavy drinking. In fact, I have just found wet clothes in the laundry basket from Thursday night and made him go and put them in the wash. He says he spilled a drink but like I said to him, they stink of wee not alcohol.
I would have seen and sorted it before now usually but have been laid low with a hideous cold.

[CharlotteRumpling]

DS, 19, drinks maybe once a week or once every two weeks. Only with friends and never at home. Never drinks to the point of vomiting. Couple of beers at the most.

We don't drink at home at all.

[RoseAndRose]

I can see why you're worried.

Mine have been known to have had the odd night when things went spectacularly wrong ie utterly plastered. But it's not their norm AFAIK (what happens when they're at university is of course largely invisible to me). They aren't drinking to vomiting, and don't usually drink at home at all unless it's a special occasion.

They do drink when they go out with their mates, but that's rarely more than 3 times a week, and they don't come back steaming. From what they tell me of their university lives, it's not that different there (yes I realise I might be getting an edited version, but I have no reason to doubt the general picture)

It does sound as if your DS is surrounded by heavy drinkers (and they're not exactly rare) and I don't think there's a sure-fire way to wean him away from them. How much time does he spend with his father? And is he at university? Do you know how he's doing on his course?

[PimpMyFridge]

Not an answer to your original question but that's hardcore drinking levels in anyone's world and you're right to be concerned.
My friend from uni was the same at that age, rugby crowd also, young and playing sport so the effects weren't too obvious for a while.
The drinking levels were too much though, he became diabetic and now will be medicated for life with an insulin pump attached to his body at all times.
He still drinks, I would say he is a functioning alcoholic.