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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How much alcohol for a 15 year old?

569 replies

Dramatic · 31/07/2025 20:29

If your 15 year old was going to a party (supervised by parents at the house) how much alcohol would you allow them to take with them?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
RisingSunn · 31/07/2025 23:20

Umm...none.

Juja · 31/07/2025 23:20

We hosted a party for 30 15 year olds a few years ago. I insisted on having all parent's numbers and what's app'd to say please tell kids to bring no alcohol a we will provide 2 cans of cider per person and patrolled the house every hour to check other drinks hadn't appeared.

Davros · 31/07/2025 23:21

Keep them off the Southern Comfort 🤮

MyTwoSense · 31/07/2025 23:21

Absolutely zero. Completely illegal and unnecessary at 15.

MumWifeOther · 31/07/2025 23:21

Results9 · 31/07/2025 22:51

At 15 my mum wouldn’t buy me alcohol for a house party, so I asked one of my friends older boyfriends to buy me a bottle of peach schnapps. I drank the entire thing, honestly surprised I didn’t end up in hospital. But if she had bought me 2 alcopops I probably would’ve been quite happy with that! Wouldn’t have learned the lesson on limits the hard way, mind you..

The fact that you were this stupid just soldifies the fact that your mum was right not to enable you to drink at 15. The only mistake she made was trusting you to still go to the party.

Changednamesorry · 31/07/2025 23:22

Mokel · 31/07/2025 20:50

Those who said none. Do you realise that in mainland Europe, such as Spain, France and Italy, the families introduce alcohol to their kids in small quantities with meals?

My parents let me have a very small glass of sherry, wine and sweet spirits as a kid. There is a photo of me aged 3 drinking a creme de menthe. The introduction to alcohol at a young age, made me appreciate alcohol. Only threw up once due to drinking too much alcohol. Some 18-25, do this on a weekly occurrence.

At 15, I drank alcohol at friend's homes, with their parents. Think we were limited to 2 cans of Carlsberg. None of us got drunk, caused damage etc.

This but key is "with their parents". My 14 year old has always been allowed a taste and doesn't like it still so doesn't bother and neither do his friends really.

I don't drink but my boyfriend and ex do. I would never allow him to drink alone with his mates and neither would anyone else here but we live in apartments and kids having their mates over they would really always be in the room with us except when sleeping and we go to sleep after they are asleep. And all other parents I know would do the same with kids under 16.

This is in Spain.

CJsGoldfish · 31/07/2025 23:25

None.
At that age, there would be no parties with alcohol.

No, they don't 'need' to drink
No, drinking at 15 isn't 'normal' behaviour
No, they're not going to just 'do it anyway'

I don't care if other parents justify lax parenting with trite excuses. The drinking culture is abysmal and I choose not to be a contributor 🤷‍♀️

okydokethen · 31/07/2025 23:26

None.
I drank a lot as a 15 year old - with my parents knowledge and I want my DC to have a better childhood. My DD will be 15 next year so things might change, but she’s a million miles away from asking for booze now.

MumWifeOther · 31/07/2025 23:27

Also - I was definitely drinking at this age and going to nightclubs. Do I want my children to follow my path? Absolutely not. I was so lucky not to have gotten myself into serious trouble in my younger years due to reckless drinking. I actually think my parents weren’t strict enough.

Brunettesmorefun · 31/07/2025 23:28

Zero of course.

MumWifeOther · 31/07/2025 23:28

okydokethen · 31/07/2025 23:26

None.
I drank a lot as a 15 year old - with my parents knowledge and I want my DC to have a better childhood. My DD will be 15 next year so things might change, but she’s a million miles away from asking for booze now.

Exactly this 👏🏽 hate this “never harmed me” attitude. Would I really want to take that risk again with my kids? No.

Nomorechocs · 31/07/2025 23:28

The difficulty lies with summer birthdays. A 15 year old just finished year 11 whose birthday is in August is going to parties with mates from the same school year who will turn 17 in September. There will be alcohol and so sending with a couple of beers seems a better choice than them drinking whatever they can find.

SunnyViper · 31/07/2025 23:31

ThatLoudBear · 31/07/2025 20:33

4 pack or a bottle of wine.

😱

Morningsleepin · 31/07/2025 23:33

I'm curious about the magical thinking of parents who believe that if they buy their children alcohol that is all they will drink.

ratty289 · 31/07/2025 23:34

Momtotwokids · 31/07/2025 20:45

None and you ask that question? What kind of parent are you?

Maybe one that understands totally forbidding something makes it much more appealing to impressionable teenagers? Much better to have an open and frank conversation about it, explain the dangers and offer it in moderation. The alternative is they do it anyway, lie about it and end up in dangerous situations.

ScrollingLeaves · 31/07/2025 23:39

Dramatic · 31/07/2025 20:29

If your 15 year old was going to a party (supervised by parents at the house) how much alcohol would you allow them to take with them?

None.

Original poster
Dramatic · 31/07/2025 23:40

Sorry I posted this and then promptly forgot to come back and check 🤦

Anyway, situation is it's a 16th birthday party, early September so the birthday girl is one of the oldest in the year. My daughter will have only been 15 for a couple of weeks as she's the youngest in the year. The parents have said they don't mind kids bringing their own alcohol and I'm very aware that if we don't provide any she might end up getting some from other sources which obviously we then can't control.

OP posts:
Princessconsuelabananahammock9 · 31/07/2025 23:43

Where is the control coming from? Of course she can drink other alcohol there. Why would buying her some make her unable to drink more?

Bloodylovecheese · 31/07/2025 23:44

spoonbillstretford · 31/07/2025 20:43

At 15 it wasn't often but I'd swig neat vermouth at parties and smoke Consulate. DD2 only goes to a few parties a year. I was out drinking twice a week at sixth form college.

Consulate cigarettes ..blast from the past! My mothers' favourite. I passively smoked 40 a day through her in the 70's 🤣
2ltr bottle of woodpecker cider not vermouth though !

Lavender14 · 31/07/2025 23:44

The other issue is you can buy her alcohol and then she drinks that as well as the other alcohol that will be there and has more than you'd want her to have. You can't control this either way. I think this is where parents can inadvertently end up putting other parents in shitty positions rather than looking at the ages and demographic of who's actually going to be at the party they're hosting.

Ladamesansmerci · 31/07/2025 23:47

Lol at all the people saying none. Most teens at some point drink underage. It's far better to try and teach a healthy attitude towards alcohol and know it what they're having, than risk them going crazy and getting someone older to buy them a whole bottle of vodka.

I'd personally get them a couple of VKs or two weak ciders 🤷

Idk what childhood y'all were living on this thread, but I vividly remember girls bringing vodka disguised as water on school trips, and people drinking frosty jacks in fields. Teens have been drinking underage since the dawn of time.

There is a difference between encouraging it Vs letting your child and their friend have can of cider whilst supervised in the house.

Pinepeak2434 · 31/07/2025 23:48

Zero

Original poster
Dramatic · 31/07/2025 23:49

Lavender14 · 31/07/2025 23:44

The other issue is you can buy her alcohol and then she drinks that as well as the other alcohol that will be there and has more than you'd want her to have. You can't control this either way. I think this is where parents can inadvertently end up putting other parents in shitty positions rather than looking at the ages and demographic of who's actually going to be at the party they're hosting.

This is true, I suppose the fact the girl is probably the first to turn 16 means most kids there will be younger (as far as I'm aware it'll just be kids from their school). I know plenty of people are saying none but it's just unrealistic to be honest.

OP posts:
KaleQueen · 31/07/2025 23:51

Fucking hell. Yes ‘kids’ do drink at 15/16 but for a parent to actively encourage it ‘yeah we don’t mind if you bring your own alcohol’
I would be saying no you’re not going tbh. The parents sound unsafe.

PreciousTatas · 31/07/2025 23:59

ratty289 · 31/07/2025 23:34

Maybe one that understands totally forbidding something makes it much more appealing to impressionable teenagers? Much better to have an open and frank conversation about it, explain the dangers and offer it in moderation. The alternative is they do it anyway, lie about it and end up in dangerous situations.

Show quote history

Does that only work with alcohol?

Just wondering why alcohol is the one mythical thing you absolutely can't forbid as it will make a teenager want it more.

Not class A drugs, beastiality or necrophilia.