Teach them to drink responsibly while they still want to hang out with you when you’re drinking. Prohibition until 21 just encourages binge drinking.
Can confirm. I grew up in the Carribean and I was allowed to drink beer and wine at a very young age. My mother taught me how to drink. I was definitely prepubescent, which is important because I hit puberty at ten. She explained that drinking can make you feel sick and that if I felt my nose feel funny I needed to stop and drink water.
Binge drinking and being fall down drunk is seen a something stupid, embarrassing, and something that only alcoholics do. I still find it strange and embarrassing when I see people racing to unconsciousness. What is the point of being blackout drunk before 9:00pm? We used to party until the sun came out, then we’d get breakfast and go to bed.
What the fuck? Prohibition until 21 keeps developing brains from being damaged
In a recent editorial in The BMJ, a trio of scientists pointed out that there are three periods in life when the brain goes through major changes and is particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. Two of those periods are at the beginning and end of life. When pregnant women drink alcohol, it can damage the developing brain of the fetus, leading to physical problems, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. When people over the age of 65 drink alcohol, it can worsen declines in brain function that happen during aging.
The third period is adolescence. During those years of transition between childhood and adulthood, the brain grows and changes in many important ways that are crucial for that transition to be successful. When teens and young adults drink alcohol, it can interfere with that process of brain development in ways that affect the rest of their lives.
Pro tip: Get them started early by drinking during pregnancy.
A few times ago, I was drinking beer in the street in front of an American coworker. He was a bit shocked and I said “of course you can drink wherever you want, it’s the land of the free!” and I loled. I thank the internet for teaching me about weird customs all around the world. The end.
I didn’t learn about that law until my 21st birthday. To me having a glass of coniac especially on special occasions was pretty normal. We also had red wine with pasta, and martinis when my parents decided to break out the shaker. Oddly enough I don’t really drink alcohol outside of social settings now and even then I drink the same glass over the course of hours.
Who knew, you can establish a healthy relationship with alcohol with your kids if you don’t treat it like some Forbidden fruit.
Who knew drinking alcohol when the brain is still very much in development is totally healthy!!!
Oh wait
In a recent editorial in The BMJ, a trio of scientists pointed out that there are three periods in life when the brain goes through major changes and is particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. Two of those periods are at the beginning and end of life. When pregnant women drink alcohol, it can damage the developing brain of the fetus, leading to physical problems, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. When people over the age of 65 drink alcohol, it can worsen declines in brain function that happen during aging.
The third period is adolescence. During those years of transition between childhood and adulthood, the brain grows and changes in many important ways that are crucial for that transition to be successful. When teens and young adults drink alcohol, it can interfere with that process of brain development in ways that affect the rest of their lives.
Linked paper: https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4691
We’re talking a small glass of wine with a meal. We’re not handing them a bottle of Jack and going “chug chug chug!”
𝕯𝖎𝖊𝖘𝖊 𝕶𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖐𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖎𝖘𝖙 𝖓𝖚𝖓 𝕰𝖎𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖚𝖒 𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝕭𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖗𝖊𝖕𝖚𝖇𝖑𝖎𝖐 𝕯𝖊𝖚𝖙𝖘𝖈𝖍𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉
