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On the news here, a few days ago, I heard about a father that teaches his underage children how to drink sociably, at home, during meals, events, etc. He's some sort of expert (I forget which) and cited his research that proclaims the way to combat the "binge drinking" scenario above, is to take the mystique out of drinking and make it mundane. (My words, not his.)
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I have a real problem with this one - it doesn't take the novelty out of drinking - it makes them into hardened drinkers. Imagine the damage to a child's liver if it is allowed a steady flow of booze from a young age. By the time it is an adult it's liver will be pickled. My observation of these sort of people is that by the time the kids can drink legally, they are so used to it that it takes more to make them drunk and sick so they are a danger on the roads. I didn't let mine drink at all. We had seen alcohol abuse in people close to us. When they turned 16 I said that if they wanted to they could have an occasional beer or cider at home only and celebratory champagne, without exception they turned me down - I have since found out that they sampled every liqueur we had in the house already to see which ones were the least distasteful and concluded that they all tasted like rubbish.
Then at 18 I made a big show of the fact that they could drink legally and still no takers. Now as older people two of them don't drink at all. The other two are moderate drinkers and responsible drinkers, except the eldest who can get a bit silly at parties, but then he won't drive and it doesn't take much for him to fall asleep. What I hate though is that none of the men in my family ever get hangovers but I do, I hate that, if I party I have to sleep through the next day, always been that way, so I never have more than an occasional glass of wine (or a beer with steak).