12-year-old alcoholics

[AB Asks]

Children as young as twelve are being diagnosed as alcoholics prompting worries that a generation could be permanently scarred from these teenager's antics. This latest claim over binge drinking comes as figures from the NHS show that everyday 15 boys and girls under 16 drink themselves into A&E. It is worried that the figures aren't showing all the problems caused by alcohol from pregnancies to teenagers being involved in violence. What do you think? Why do Britain's teenagers feel the need to drink themselves into hospital?

[Octavius]

A general lack of parental responsibility, discipline and guidance.

Or to take an idealistic view, it can�t be the parenting, so it must be the Government/the breweries/the off licence/the school/teachers/social services/the police/local government/anyone else who they can blame except themselves*

*delete as applicable

[saxy_jag]

I've sat here for twenty minutes trying to think of a way of saying this without offending anyone or giving out the wrong message, and I can't, so I'll just say it.

Too many parents set a bad example. Drinking's fine. Drinking when you're under 16 is OK, as long it's at a sensible and responsible level. But our parents are the first and often most influential role models we have in life, and if they give out the message that it's OK to drink as much you like, when you like, get legless (get laid?), then all the laws and all the educators in the land aren't going to persuade kids otherwise.

Maybe all kids who wind up drunk on hospital trollies should be made to go and do a stint at a hostel for the homeless (one of the 'wet' hostels, where most of the clients are alcoholics), or made to visit a casualty department at a time when they're actually sober. Maybe then they would see how ridiculous and stupid they've been.

[saxy_jag]

pa__ul, when mine were still living at home and came in drunk, I'd go up with the hoover early next morning.

"Sorry, luv, but I do have to get the cleaning done, you know."

Helps to sing loudly whilst you do it, of course.

Was I a wicked mother, or was I a wicked mother?

[Lonnie]

As Octavius says, bad parenting.

You can't blame anyone else.

[Pippa68]

Where are they getting the booze from? if it's from home then yes, blame the parents. If it's from Off Licenses then blame them ;o)

[MrBen5]

Hmmmi agree with auto Octavius. Its a lack of discipline and parental responsibility.
But as usual the adverts on tv will be blamed.
Or the price of alcohol will be increased again.

Why dont the government crack down on these shops that are selling the alcohol to youngsters?
One idea would be to have an alcohol licsense. Whereas if you wanted to buy alcohol from an off license, you need the card.
I know it wont stop it altogether, but it will minimise it...

[wigglebum]

I think its a case of teenagers wanted to grow up too quickly and show that they're adults, which obviously they are doing the opposite.

I used to drink as a teenager but have grown out of it.

The more they make an issue out of teenagers drinking, the more they will rebel and drink more. Its down to themselves and no one else.

Kids will always find away to get alcohol so no point in blaming anyone but themselves!!!

[lector]

Community Structure disintegrated after WWII -

Traditional industries died - the Spirit ebbed out of communities. Village life / Valley Life changed forever -

New Garden Cities were built - souless and lifeless - no tradition -

Massive social change - both parents working / kids dumped on minders

Undermining of the forces of Law and Order - liberal judges

Disintegration of religious influence -

Politicla Correctness -

Revolution in communications -

Media

Constant changing in delivery of education -
(today's enjoyment of mobile phone videoing of bullying etc)

Politicians - lack of morals, acceptance of sleeze -

What chance have the kids got? .......

Childhood fun 'taken away' from them;

Forced by society attitude to grow up quicker at an earlier age -

By age 9 have matriculated in sex education,but not mastered (or should that be mistressed or personed or unigendered or omnigendered) the three R'S

Time for the revolution!

[legend758duo]

ive seen the usual schemey groups on holiday here in tenerife .
all scallys with their brood of snotty nosed asbo kids.
one girl was only 14 and her mum bought her a bottle of blue wkd to drink walking down the street.

I MEAN AFTER ALL SHE WAS 14!!!!!!

and they wonder why brits get a bad name .

[Octavius]

Well Legend758, it would appear from lectors liberal-assed namby pamby whingey whiney reasons for teenage alcopop over-indulgence that you can�t �

Blame it on the sunshine
Blame it on the moonlight
Blame it on the good times, or the boogie.

Clearly it is not the mothers fault, nor the 14 year old�s, ergo it must be the escatological manifestations of which we find in our interpersonal relationships. Whether that be due to the dominance and technology of both the biosphere and the memesphere � or even, heaven forbid, the mediasphere remains to be seen.

I would suggest that if the 20th century was a struggle between the ideologic absolutism and the technological absolutism, then the 21st century is about the orchestrations and indoctrination of the mediaspheric influence in our current times.

And therefore one must conclude that blame clearly lies at the feet of ITV (Holiday Reps exposed/undercover/under the influence) and Channel 4 (Hollyoaks & HITC)�.and Heat Magazine (various �celebs� falling out of nightclubs etc). I mean, WHAT else can it be????

[Goodsoulette]

I was getting drunk at 12 or 13 down the park. Certainly regularly at 15 or 16. How often do they have to be drinking to be considered an alcoholic? I'm not saying that it did me no harm but so often we here things like this and I think they sensationalise it. I think from a very early age children are pressurised to grow up and act older, they have to be dressing like teenagers, they should be having sexual relationships, they should be drinking, children stop being kids so early these days.

[Pippa68]

My 14 year old has just started smoking ~ well to be honest I am not sure if he has only just started, but there you go ;o)

Neither Mr P or I smoke, and have gone over the implications of smoking too. Whether he starts drinking or not remains to be seen, but I certainly don't think we are to blame for the smoking.

[Octavius]

Yes Pippa, no doubt you have explained everything as every good parent should and you would hope that your 14 y/o gets the message or at least loses interest before any long term damage is done. If there was any long term damage or your 14 y/o developed say..... asthma, then who would you blame? Yourselves for not being tougher or your son for being easily led? Or would you just blame government/society/tobacco industries or newsagents ? (This is not any criticism by the way, just interested in your viewpoint.)

This question is about the extremism of alcohol �abuse� to the point of alcoholism at a very early age. I am not saying that children of a certain age at least should be denied alcohol (temptations of the forbidden fruit etc) but that with parental or guardian support the knowledgeable enjoyment of alcohol in moderation and with limitations to prevent damage and/or illnesses is a culture that we could encourage?

[Pippa68]

Quite simply I blame my son for being easily led, Octavius. I don't think I could be any tougher on him than I am right now..how tough is tough?

I don't blame the tobacco companies..and if it was alcohol I wouldn't be blaming the breweries.

I would like to place some blame on the shops selling their wares, though. I found out that he managed to buy cigarettes without proof of age ~ and once I find out which shop it is they are in for the high jump.

[Octavius]

Quite right too, they are breaking the law. But with fake ID�s easily available or an older friend at hand to buy them for you, like alcohol it�s a temptation that is hard to resist when peer pressures prevail. Social education and etiquette comes down to parenting (with subsidiary and academic information from schooling) and when these vices are abused to extremes then either the child is to blame, or the parents. Or should we just shrug our shoulders and blame society as a whole? If a 14 y/o old enough to accept responsibility for his actions, is a 12 year old, or a 10 year old?

I drive a flash fast fuel guzzling carbon emitting anti-green planet destroying vehicle. Is that my fault, my parents fault, my companies fault, the guy who sold me the car, the people who made it, the society who says my car is really cool, or the government for letting me buy it and drive it?

[Pippa68]

Ahh..the blame for that lies with the government, of course. After all, if we had decent public transport you wouldn't need a car ;o)

[Gef]

So this is just a Daily Mail column then.

[lector]

See above for a perfect example ....

why do you some ABers have to get personal with their comments and disguise rude words therein .... and then continue to pontificate ---

O tempora, O mores!

Pueri pueri, pueri puerilia tractant

[SarCaustic]

As a teetotal teenager from my perspective I think that society as a whole is to blame for excessive teenage drinking. The majority of teenagers today seem to think that fun is inextricably linked to the amount of alcohol in their bloodstream. Alcohol is potrayed on TV as an integral part of life and an essential ingredient in enjoying oneself - or at least that's how it seems to me - so it's no wonder that teenagers are so eager to join in. I suspect that parenting also plays a part, but i couldn't comment on that from my own experience.

I get a few standard responses from people my age when I tell them I don't drink (I'm 18). I usually a get a series of questions like "not at all?", "why not?" and my favourite, "how do you have fun?" and more often than not they usually look at me like I'm worse than an alcoholic! To their credit, once they get over the overwhelming shock of accepting the fact that there's a teenager in Britain who doesn't drink, many people praise me for my sobriety.

Just to go back to the parenting issue, the first reason why I don't drink is due to religion. I am a muslim and it was my parents who first told me that I should not drink because it is "haraam" or forbidden in Islam and that drinking alcoholic beverages is a sin. While the religious forbiddance, which my parents explained to me along with the dangers of drinking to excess may have stopped me from thinking about drinking initially, more recently I realised that I just didn't want to drink anyway. I don't feel the need or desire to. I'm a naturally extroverted person and nothing about alcohol appeals to me whatsoever. The point is that I made my own choice. My brothers all had the same warnings from my parents and yet they all drink. I think it's all too easy to blame the parents when the fact is there is no single reason but a combination of reasons that teenagers decide to drink and more specifically to drink in excess.