Great post This reminds me when my step daughter was diagnosed with ADD and had to take Ritalin ...I am like what the heck, she was just a hyperactive creative little kid or people doctor shopping down here in the South to get oxycodone.. .
Not sure Heroin is a good example here. Alcohol is ubiquitous and can be purchased legally. I wasn't 'exposed' it was part of a long tradition where getting drunk was shunned.
And plenty of kids grow up in modern, non-religious families, in close proximity to all the above, yet never touch a drop. I find it astonishing that adults believe most teens think that way (as per your post). Surely you don't?
Funny when my step daughter turned 18 her and her friend wanted to try cocaine, so I said fine talked with a co-worker and said you can do it as long as you do it in my house.. She never did it again, not that I am aware of they both became sick.
My own personal opinion is that ADD (as a medical 'flaw') is bull. It's a behaviour, not a biological state. I have the same issues with Aspergers (and even moderate to high functioning Autism). They are expressions of different intellect and personality, not flaws.
Actually alcohol is a mild form of heroin to your brain, just like caffeine is a mild form of cocaine/ meth / speed to your brain. . .
Alcohol is not at all ubiquitous. I live in the west, in a big, modern city (well, near one at least), and I could go to a year's worth of social functions and not see a single bottle that wasn't collecting dust in someone's china cabinet. All depends on who you mix with. We tend to mix with cultural non-drinkers (non-whites) and white folk who're health fanatics - they don't even drink coffee, much less grog.
But that's only one experience of youth. Ask your average Chinese American what their youth was like.
They are all drugs....some are illegal that's all. Generally the legal ones don't cause deaths in droves but can be just as powerful. People are not dying in droves by going to Starbucks yet one can die from over consumption of caffeine.
Well I agree that race is not the issue...though there is evidence that some races don't metabolize alcohol as well as others. Oklahoma Indians aren't known for alcholism ..as they have a culture not at odds with Oklahoma Culture.. That basically means they own a lot of stuff in Oklahoma and the nations have money and invest it wisely. Reservation Indians in other states have a huge problem with alcoholism due to (in my opinion)the despair and lack of hope they feel in their isolated lands. That said, I'm a wine drinker and look forward to my wine after dinner. I can do one glass a day but would rather have two.
not sure what legality has to do with it. if something isn't a threat to your kids, why would you need to 'shield' them from it? do you shield your kids from alligators in Norway?
Despair is an excuse. People living in cardboard boxes on the streets of Calcutta don't drink or do drugs.
I was a cool dad.. I always figured you going to do it fine, let me be there to stop you if it gets to bad. Because I couldn't be a hypocrite, I did every drug under the sun. . .
Drinking can be used for self medication for problems like depression. I tend to think that well adjusted people are not as susceptible to alcohol or drug abuse. Addiction could be linked to a chemical imbalance in the brain.
My position is NOT shielding kids from alcohol but providing knowledge and a good example of how adults responsibly use it.
Do they have the money to even consider it? We give money to poor people who don't have a clue how to work and where work is scarce. They cash the government check and buy liquor. You can say it's a bad excuse but really it's an isolated and destructive culture that children are brought up in and see as normal.
I also enjoy the very occasional glass of red. It's not often though - because I'm always driving, and always around kids Seriously, while I find it pleasant, the trade off isn't good enough to make it a regular event. The buzz is very short lived, but the negative effects on other activities (like driving!) lasts for hours. Seems a very poor deal. Consequently I restrict it to situations where there are no kids and no driving, and someone else is paying . All three conditions being present at one time is as rare as hens' teeth.
Anyone can access alcohol if they're determined - without or without money. Some just make their own. But yes, it is a product of culture, not poverty.
I enjoy wine, red and dry but it makes me drowsy. Which I love as I head toward the bedtime hours. But I don't partake or even want it until I'm shut down for the day and I have no planned tasks to tackle. Usually that's after supper.
For me, that would be like teaching my kids how to avoid alligators in Norway. Again, it would be shielding from something which isn't a threat. If you send the message that alcoholism is a real threat, they will believe that it is - both real, and a threat. They will take away the message that they are susceptible to this big and real threat. If you don't see the connection between a belief in your own lack of power to resist, and actual use/abuse, I suggest you learn a little more about the mechanics of these things. When we send the message 'moderation' (instead of modelling the choice to abstain), we're effectively sending the message that we're powerless to resist.