AIBU - kids and alcohol free drinks

[GobblingWeasel]

Hi,
I've recently got into drinking 0% Martini Vibrante with tonic. Unfortunately DD10 has also decided she loves it too and would like an occasional drink of her own instead of stealing sips of mine! The idea of giving a child a drink modelled on an alcoholic version makes me feel uneasy even though it is alcohol free, but really does that matter? What do you think wise people, please help me decide!

These drinks are often treated the same way as alcohol in a supermarket for good reason. It's marketed to adults as an alternative to alcohol.

Just like vaping is as an alternative to smoking. Would you want your ten year old vaping?

But that's also true of coke, lemonade, orange juice etc. all the popular mixers

I was actually thinking about this when I read the ops post. I think for me it comes down to intended purpose. Oj and cokes intended purpose is not to be a replacement for alcohol. Where as non-alcoholic things the purpose is to imitate alcohol.

So in my head a kids cocktail sprite, orangejuice and strawberry syrup is fine and kid friendly. But adding a dash of non-alcoholic gin would make it an adult drink.

@Rewis

But that's also true of coke, lemonade, orange juice etc. all the popular mixers

I was actually thinking about this when I read the ops post. I think for me it comes down to intended purpose. Oj and cokes intended purpose is not to be a replacement for alcohol. Where as non-alcoholic things the purpose is to imitate alcohol.

So in my head a kids cocktail sprite, orangejuice and strawberry syrup is fine and kid friendly. But adding a dash of non-alcoholic gin would make it an adult drink.

I know what you mean, but it doesn't really make any logical sense does it?

It seems different, but it isn't really. If she's drinking it at home with her mum, a child's cocktail made of sweet fruity drinks and an alcohol free sweet, fruity drink is the same? It's just different to us because we're aware of the marketing/branding.

I think the difference is one is made by removing alcohol (the main ingredient listed is dealcoholised wine) as opposed to there never being alcohol.

Under 18s can't buy nonalcoholic beer/spirits. So if they're not allowed to buy them they shouldn't be able to drink them. It gets them used to 'alcohol' flavours.

Personally I'd just give it to her but call it cordial and tonic. Because that's all it is, you've paid like £10 for a bottle of posh squash.

I let DS 7 drink a shandy bass, or a home made shandy occasionally. If I open a bottle of beer he always asks for one so I end up loosing the neck of my bottle to make him a week shandy.

He's also had watered down wine at meals.

It de-mistifies alcohol to them if you introduce it slowly and responsibly. It's why many European cultures don't have the binge drinking issues we have here in the UK. I come from a European family and we were always given watered down wine at family meals and things. I out of my friends am probably now the one who drinks alcohol less. Many of my friends drink a glass of wine after work every day, I can go months without drinking alcohol and it's never an issue.

@user1471447924

Nope. Those things are not for children.

This

@AuntFlorence

The difference is with smoking pretend cigarettes is that I don't want my kids to grow up fo be smokers but if they grow up to be moderate drinkers it wouldn't bother me.

What if they grew up to be alcoholics?

What if they grew up to be alcoholics?

I'm assuming no-one wants their child to be an alcoholic.

Is there a link between alcohol-free fruity drinks and alcoholism though?

I think people who turn to alcohol for comfort/a coping mechanism have generally got bigger problems in than drinking alcohol free soft drinks at the odd special occasion/family event when they were a child.

I feel the same op. My dh wanted to let my then 5yo try 0% beer in a restaurant and I asked him not to. I can't figure out why though! I let them have my elderflower cordial and tonic water which looks just like a g&t

I wouldn’t. I’m uncomfortable at giving children drinks marketed as adult drinks or that might encourage them into taking the step to drinking alcohol earlier than they should.

@Rewis
A “gateway” thing? It’s not like drugs, most kids will grow into teens who will pretty much inevitably drink alcohol

@Soontobe60

When I was a child, we used to ‘smoke’ chocolate cigarettes, pretending to be like our parents - until we were old enough to buy the real thing. You can’t buy them now - for good reason. It’s normalising the action of smoking in children. Letting children drink alcohol free versions of alcoholic drinks does just the same thing. It normalises drinking alcohol.

This.

@Soontobe60

When I was a child, we used to ‘smoke’ chocolate cigarettes, pretending to be like our parents - until we were old enough to buy the real thing. You can’t buy them now - for good reason. It’s normalising the action of smoking in children. Letting children drink alcohol free versions of alcoholic drinks does just the same thing. It normalises drinking alcohol.

Yep, me and my friends used to do that too!

No, I wouldn't give my DC (14&9) a non-alcoholic drink modelled on alcohol. It would normalise drinking alcoholic drinks which I don't want. I wouldn't have let them try it to be honest, but I appreciate it's more tricky if they've tried and liked it!

[quote LuckySantangelo35]@Rewis
A “gateway” thing? It’s not like drugs, most kids will grow into teens who will pretty much inevitably drink alcohol[/quote]
But you don't want them heading that way at 10. 18 ok, 10 no, imo.

@UndertheCedartree well 18 is probably optimistic, 14/15 more likely when they will start experimenting with alcohol. I dunno I think you can make it in a ‘forbidden fruit’ a bit too much. Also the candy cigarette sweets that were very popular when I was a kid did not induce me into smoking. There are so many other factors that lead kids to drink/smoke mostly to do with their peers rather than having the odd glass of this or that at home

Whether I prohibit my tween from drinking alcohol free booze or not will not determine whether they go on to be alcoholic. They will be exposed to actual alcohol at some point or not, in our society it is inevitable that they will be offered and heavily peer pressured into drinking. It's everywhere. Keeping an open relationship and having lots of conversations about health and mental Health and alcohol and all those things, will mean that if they do have a struggle round alcohol they will know they have someone to talk to about that.
With my tween it's very much a case of talking about what they want (eg. To drink Coca Cola) and what I want (them not to drink Coca Cola) and giving them all the facts before coming to a middle ground.

Isn't it always shown that in countries where they introduce alcohol early, in a responsible family setting they have much lower rates of binge drinking and alcoholism? Like in France for example.

Is there actually any evidence that drinking at home with your parents younger leads to a worse relationship with alcohol when you get older? I think it's actually the opposite.

@Proudboomer

Never heard of this drink so I just looked it up. It contains both Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate both of which I try to avoid so I wouldn’t drink it myself or give it to a child. Potassium Sorbate is actually banned for use in EU and Canada.

This isn’t true

@NuffSaidSam

Isn't it always shown that in countries where they introduce alcohol early, in a responsible family setting they have much lower rates of binge drinking and alcoholism? Like in France for example.

Is there actually any evidence that drinking at home with your parents younger leads to a worse relationship with alcohol when you get older? I think it's actually the opposite.

Yes, I think the "let them try it at home" theory has been debunked. More recent research has shown that children who are given alcohol at home at a younger age are more likely to become alcoholics

Yes, I think the "let them try it at home" theory has been debunked. More recent research has shown that children who are given alcohol at home at a younger age are more likely to become alcoholics

Interesting! Do you have a link to that research would be interesting to read?

@NuffSaidSam

Yes I believe it can have a positive effect on drinking habits and is the reason we Brits have such a bad reputation for out of control drinking in teenagers, that instead of having a small glass of wine or beer with a meal they go from total prohibition to out of control binge drinking because they have never been taught moderation or about knowing your limits, drinking slowly, etc.

Of Course one of the greatest health issues in France is heavy drinking and habitual drinking, they just tend to not be binge drinking teenagers but middle aged middle of the day drinkers. So that's what happens if you normalise alcohol as a country and case your countries constitution on a right to drinking wine.

@NuffSaidSam

Yes, I think the "let them try it at home" theory has been debunked. More recent research has shown that children who are given alcohol at home at a younger age are more likely to become alcoholics

Interesting! Do you have a link to that research would be interesting to read?

I'm sorry, I don't and I've been googling as wanted to link it if I could find it!

There is an article on BBC which mentions something along those lines which I will link in a minute.

I have to admit, I'm teetotal and I read about the research in a book on teetotalism / quit lit, so my opinion on it may be skewed in that direction

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42353206.amp

@NuffSaidSam

"Previous research has shown that those who start drinking early are more likely to do badly at school, have behaviour issues, and develop alcohol problems in adulthood."

From the article just linked