Parents supplying teens with alcohol

[dinkybinky]

One of the parents at school gave their DS a bottle of vodka to take to a party, he ended up in A&E and had to have his stomach pumped. Apparently there are quite a few parents that think its acceptable to give children under 16 alcohol and do so every weekend. AIBU to think that this is totally irresponsible ?

Hahahahah

Oh I shall scoop you up some statistics shall I

Give over.

I am a reliable source. I lived it. My brother is living it. If you want to see it for yourself, I can tell you 100% now that there'll be a meeting place like a park where most of the kids in the year will drink at some point.

If you want to disbelieve me and live in a nice little bubble of naivety where no kids ever drink and theyre tucked up in bed by 7, then thats your prerogative.

I think giving alcopops to children and teenagers is irresponsible. Why would you want to disguise alcohol as pop? Crazy.

Very irresponsible. I really don't see the appeal if drinking heavily (or at all) really when you are under 18. Surely you have your whole life to drink once you turn 18, why start young? Although I wasn't allowed any alcohol at all until I turned 18 so I don't know if my reasoning stems from that.

Dinkybinky, what is the source of those stats? And 1 in 3 is not 80%

LineRunner I would agree with you now. Back then there wasn't the range of alcopops there is now, and it wasn't even called alcopops. It was just another drink, which tasted nice.

I loved drinking as a teen, it was better than it is now! I've probably burned out too early because I started too early...

www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/003_Health_Lifestyles/Alcohol_2012/Statistics_on_Alcohol_England_2012.pdf

I think it was in here.

my 14 yr old DS was at a party recently where the father not only allowed the attendees to drink alcohol (and provided some of it), he then sodded off out with his girlfriend for the evening, party broke up around 10pm after the police had been called due to a fight breaking out! DS not involved btw, he was tucked up by 9.30 :)

Ghostship, just because you were a teenager more recently than me does not make you a reliable source.
I am aware of the goings on in the park near where I live. Although some children do hang around there drinking I can categorically assure you that it is not frequented by 80% of the local 14 year olds all necking frosty jacks. I really do know the whereabouts of my teenagers at the weekend and it's not the park.

I so not supply for parties: my take is that if dc decide to go out and get drunk they should at least know I haven't sanctioned it thereby implying it's safe.

Otoh I do sometimes allow a sip from my glass if I'm having wine for a special occasion as this is the kind of environment I want them to associate alcohol with: taken with food and in a general atmosphere of moderation and restraint.

Dd at 16 has been to a fair few parties where alcohol has been supplied, but does not drink herself and isn't bothered by it: she says she can have just as fun on orange juice (and she is certainly sober when she comes home). Don't think it's vodka around here though: that does strike me as very dangerous.

Most of my friends used to drink when I was that age, and dh was younger than dd is now the first time he came home drunk. But then there were a lot of things dh and his friends used to get up to that I have no desire to see his children replicate.

the fake alcohol thing is a big worry here too!, and the small corner shops that sell it are more likely to sell to under age kids than reputable sources, so I would, but not vodka maybe a few beers

I've tried copying and pasting your link but it doesn't work.

Yes I was drinking at 14, my mum used to buy it for me as I was going to drink so from her pov it was safer for me to drink in the house with alcohol she bought then me going to someone's house buying knock off due not being able to purchase from the shop.

I don't meant to be rude, but I think there are parents who actually know where their kids are 95% of the time. Not every child has the freedom to meet up with their friends in the park late at night.

It's a bit pathetic to say, oh, I can't stop them, therefore I buy alcohol for them. No.

There's an enormous difference between socialising teens into what one hopes will be responsible drinking habits, and providing whole bottles of spirits to 14 year olds.

Ghostship, just because you were a teenager more recently than me does not make you a reliable source
I didn't say that did I, I don't know your age ah but yes what I'm saying can't possibly be reliable because you don't agree with it.

And do you really know where they are or do you just think you do? Because I was never where my mum thought I was of a weekend.

"Not every child has the freedom to meet up with their friends in the park late at night."

sorry but this did make me snort a bit. when I was a teen most of the park drinking actually went on during the day, often in school hours. And the ones that went too far were usually the ones that weren't allowed out in the evenings!

Whilst I don't think giving a bottle of vodka to a young teen to take to a party is a good idea, I think those who think its ok instead to give alcopops are wrong. If they are going to drink alcohol, then they should be able to taste it and know what they are drinking. Alcohol disguised as pop is just wrong.

I don't have any sources to quote, but according to The Wright Stuff, drinking amongst teenagers has gone down while dangerous levels of drinking amongst the middle aged is on the rise.

Beer or wine maybe, but alcopops and vodka? No chance! I was allowed weak shandies and lemonade with a little wine in on special occasions from quite an early age but always supervised and very weak. I wouldn't be encouraging my kids to drink spirits or alcopops at all.

I've given my teens (almost 16 and almost 18) alcohol to drink at parties. The maximum I have let DS1 take is 4 bottles of larger. Neither of them have been drunk, or have any interest in being drunk.

Their friends whose parents think they don't drink stay at each other's houses on a weekend and get as drunk as possible on Lambrini, cheap cider, or alcopops. IME the girls are worse than the boys.

Lots and lots of under 18s get drunk on a very regular basis, unfortunately.

I agree re alcopops! I would never supply alcopops either! it would be something like beer

My parents wouldn't buy me alcohol so i just pretended i was going to the picture's every weekend. With the £10 i went to the shops that happily sold us drink. For £10 you could get a bottle of thunderbirds, 20/20, peach concord, vodka or 4 cans of LCL, Tabs and chips at the fish shop. Not sure how i got away with it for so long but by the time i was 14 i took my £10 and spent it in the pubs down the local high street, got in a nightclub, something to eat and my taxi. Imagine all that now, it would cost at least £30 and that was only in the early 90's

I only supplied alcopops as that is what DD liked when younger. Now at 20 she prefers a G&T or a nice Pinot Grigio! I am absolutely certain of where my 15 yo is at weekends a she is always at home doing home work or reading a book! She has no interest in being out drinking and thinks a diet coke and a bar of chocolate is living on the wild side!

Ghostship, yes, I know exactly where they are and who with.

I was a terrible teenager. I was never where I said I was and I was usually rat arsed. I would be very aware if my DDs were doing the same. They are not.

Im with Chop, i think i will be a lot more suspicious than my parents were of me, and remember then there were no mobiles to keep tabs. I used to say im going out, sleeping at my friends, be back dinner time tommorow, half my firends didn't even have house phones