What is, in your opinion, the cause of so much teen drinking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a whole study for you, OP

https://report.nih.gov/NIHfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=21


And while it is still a problem, teen drinking has actually DECLINED quite a bit.

https://www.responsibility.org/get-the-facts/research/statistics/underage-drinking-statistics/

When I read the OP, I was like WHAT? Kids drink WAY less than when I was a teen in thr 90s. Jesus, who here didn't have a near death experience with Boons Farm- Strawberry Hill, Mad dog 20/20 (Orange Jubilee anyone), or some if those Mickeys malt liquor? And how did anyome even stomach aristocrat??

I'm pretty laid back with my teen and drinking. He can drink in the house, it has never been taboo. He's just not interested. Hes not a nerd, but is a good student and plays 2 varsity sports. On Saturday night he had about 5 friends over, they all came with their cords, computers, and game consoles...loaded up on junk food at Giant and played video games all night in my basement. This is all after playing a brutal football game in the driving, cold rain.

I
If the boys had expressed interest in having a few beers, would you have given them a 6 pack of Bud to go along with the junk they were eating? I somehow highly doubt that. You may not care if your HS son had wine at Thanksgiving dinner or a small glass of champagne on New Years Eve but you almost certainly wouldn't be comfortable with him lounging around with his pals, knocking back a few beers after a hard game...

I didn't drink as a HS teen beyond the special glass of holiday wine or champagne. The HS kids that I hung out with weren't into drinking.

But when I got to college age that changed. I would say that most college age kids drank at parties when I was in school. And studies suggest that that hasn't changed.

No, I would not do that, I could get in huge trouble. Am I morally opposed? No. Would I "allow" my son and a friend to drink some beers at our house if his friend had like minded parents-yes (and there are like minded parents out there). My son and his friends are simply not interested. The seem to be into sports, video games, and girls.

Also, my son has uber on his phone linked to my credit card. He has unlimited, unquestioned access to uber for him and his friends if even a drop of alcohol (or God forbid drugs) are in his system, but he's never even had to use that.

I think it's grest, but it definitly was no where near my HS experience and what kids, and in particular athletes were getting into.

Yes, I think that HS kids tend to be involved in a fair amount of structured extracurricular activities including sports. A lot of their socializing takes place at school and within the context of those activities.

It may sound silly, but I also think boys who are into gaming are either not going to be that interested in drinking/getting drunk especially while they are gaming (whether they are geeks or jocks).

They get a rush from being good at gaming and they get good at gaming by having good, quick reflexes. Drinking messes that up.

If the boys are gaming with each other, they do not want to be buzzed or drunk and they will be irritated and not want to game with a buddy who is buzzed or drunk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a whole study for you, OP

https://report.nih.gov/NIHfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=21


And while it is still a problem, teen drinking has actually DECLINED quite a bit.

https://www.responsibility.org/get-the-facts/research/statistics/underage-drinking-statistics/

When I read the OP, I was like WHAT? Kids drink WAY less than when I was a teen in thr 90s. Jesus, who here didn't have a near death experience with Boons Farm- Strawberry Hill, Mad dog 20/20 (Orange Jubilee anyone), or some if those Mickeys malt liquor? And how did anyome even stomach aristocrat??

I'm pretty laid back with my teen and drinking. He can drink in the house, it has never been taboo. He's just not interested. Hes not a nerd, but is a good student and plays 2 varsity sports. On Saturday night he had about 5 friends over, they all came with their cords, computers, and game consoles...loaded up on junk food at Giant and played video games all night in my basement. This is all after playing a brutal football game in the driving, cold rain.

I
If the boys had expressed interest in having a few beers, would you have given them a 6 pack of Bud to go along with the junk they were eating? I somehow highly doubt that. You may not care if your HS son had wine at Thanksgiving dinner or a small glass of champagne on New Years Eve but you almost certainly wouldn't be comfortable with him lounging around with his pals, knocking back a few beers after a hard game...

I didn't drink as a HS teen beyond the special glass of holiday wine or champagne. The HS kids that I hung out with weren't into drinking.

But when I got to college age that changed. I would say that most college age kids drank at parties when I was in school. And studies suggest that that hasn't changed.

No, I would not do that, I could get in huge trouble. Am I morally opposed? No. Would I "allow" my son and a friend to drink some beers at our house if his friend had like minded parents-yes (and there are like minded parents out there). My son and his friends are simply not interested. The seem to be into sports, video games, and girls.

Also, my son has uber on his phone linked to my credit card. He has unlimited, unquestioned access to uber for him and his friends if even a drop of alcohol (or God forbid drugs) are in his system, but he's never even had to use that.

I think it's grest, but it definitly was no where near my HS experience and what kids, and in particular athletes were getting into.

Yes, I think that HS kids tend to be involved in a fair amount of structured extracurricular activities including sports. A lot of their socializing takes place at school and within the context of those activities.

It may sound silly, but I also think boys who are into gaming are either not going to be that interested in drinking/getting drunk especially while they are gaming (whether they are geeks or jocks).

They get a rush from being good at gaming and they get good at gaming by having good, quick reflexes. Drinking messes that up.

If the boys are gaming with each other, they do not want to be buzzed or drunk and they will be irritated and not want to game with a buddy who is buzzed or drunk.

Yes, I can absolutely see that about gaming. My own kids enjoy athletics and gaming and neither one of them seems too interested in drinking alcohol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. I want to add, that the examples of my family and friends are just that. There are plenty of people who are serious alcoholics back home and in every country, I suspect. I am not saying that people in Europe don't have serious alcohol problems. Many, many do.

Your examples here and in Europe are something I never encountered, starting with your party that you ended. Your experience is your unique experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. I want to add, that the examples of my family and friends are just that. There are plenty of people who are serious alcoholics back home and in every country, I suspect. I am not saying that people in Europe don't have serious alcohol problems. Many, many do.

What country in Europe?

Europe is a big place with many different countries, cultures and drinking cultures.

Methinks you are romanticizing Europe and your youth quite a bit.

I will reveal too much if I say which country and be recognized. But, not Northern Europe. And you are probably right about me romanticizing, but not Europe, rather my own teen years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. I want to add, that the examples of my family and friends are just that. There are plenty of people who are serious alcoholics back home and in every country, I suspect. I am not saying that people in Europe don't have serious alcohol problems. Many, many do.

Your examples here and in Europe are something I never encountered, starting with your party that you ended. Your experience is your unique experience.

You as a teen and a parent(of teens maybe) have never seen a parent/police break up a party? You never had teen friends drink and sneak drinks to a party? What am I doing wrong then? Or are you saying that I should have let the party go on after I saw kids drinking alcohol they snuck in, just confiscate what I found?

[Anonymous]

Lack of judgement and self-esteem, coupled with lack of supervision.

[Anonymous]

Teens don’t have a fully developed frontal cortex to control bad impulses, and instead they are thrill seekers. Boys’ brains mature even later than girls’ brains.k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. I want to add, that the examples of my family and friends are just that. There are plenty of people who are serious alcoholics back home and in every country, I suspect. I am not saying that people in Europe don't have serious alcohol problems. Many, many do.

Your examples here and in Europe are something I never encountered, starting with your party that you ended. Your experience is your unique experience.

You as a teen and a parent(of teens maybe) have never seen a parent/police break up a party? You never had teen friends drink and sneak drinks to a party? What am I doing wrong then? Or are you saying that I should have let the party go on after I saw kids drinking alcohol they snuck in, just confiscate what I found?

You are talking about a parent, not police. Never had parents breake up the party for us, growing up, or for my teens. The parents were either absent or don't care, thus the party location. Maybe it happened to you, because there was an expectation of a party and not a family celebration.
Btw, you said "DD texted them in her invitation that I will be home and will be checking". You understand that it serves as a warning to find a better way of sneaking alcohol in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WEAK.SPINELESS.PARENTS.

That's the answer to the question. The ones who provide the booze/drugs and have no boundaries and think they gave birth to their best friends.

Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Parents in denial.
Parents who aren't present (physically/emotionally).
Parents who think "I'd rather they drink at home where I can control it."
Parents who want to be seen as cool.

[Anonymous]

The binge drinking between US and European teens is about the same. You just think the European system is better because it is European - kind of like a British accent sounds smarter. Its not. Teens do risky things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents in denial.
Parents who aren't present (physically/emotionally).
Parents who think "I'd rather they drink at home where I can control it."
Parents who want to be seen as cool.

This exactly.
Kids need to feel loved by their parents.

[Anonymous]

Main cause? If you had parents like some of these DCUM posters you’d want to be blotto’d too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many times this has happened to friends, even to me, adults are there, no alcohol in the house, checking bags, you organize a great party, you hire a police officer and they know this and still bring it.

Wait what? I got stuck on this part. This is not common in my experience at all.

DP, this was( an maybe still is) a thing in Potomac and Bethesda. I think maybe MoCo police officers stopped doing it. But, yes, wealthy parents do this. I presume that this is an extra gig. I know lawyer parents who did this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WEAK.SPINELESS.PARENTS.

That's the answer to the question. The ones who provide the booze/drugs and have no boundaries and think they gave birth to their best friends.

Yikes.

Why are you resurrecting an old thread? This was my thread from long ago. I never gave a single kid a drop of alcohol. I provide boundaries, I never hired police to watch, and they snuck alcohol, which I detected right away. I am in no way pretending to be my kids' best friend.