Here's A Question for Everyone

[onelilspark]

Another non-drinker here.

JMHO-Why would I want anything to do with something that has caused so much pain to so many?

I know many people drink responsibly,but I go back to the bottom line-has alcohol brought more pain to the World or more happiness?No contest.

Actually, interesting tidbit: without beer, humans would have died. The alcohol in the beer killed off toxins in the water. So you know, not totally evil.

 

[Alesia]

How often do you drink alcoholic beverages? Is it a daily routine for you? Do you 'kick back' at the end of the day with a glass of wine or a beer?

Here's why I ask...

Many of my neighbors drink openly. In fact, the one thing that really shocked me was when I took my kids trick-or-treating in the neighborhood last fall and the parents carted around a wagon filled with a cooler of beer.

I just don't "get" the whole drinking thing. Occasionally, I'll enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail, but it's not an every day or even and every week thing. It is very occasional. But my neighbors seem to drink all the time.

And we all have kids in the pre-school to middle/high school age range. What does this say to them? When they see mommy pulling a kids' wagon with a cooler of beer - it makes me really worried for when these kids get to high school. They'll have access to it which will lead to unfortunate events...

I don't know. To each his own, I guess. But I'm trying to be a responsible parent and set a good example. One stupid mistake can ruin someone's entire life...and a kid that drinks too much can lead to a mistake like that.

Thoughts? Flames?

Thanks for reading...

So in order to be a responsible parent one has to hide their drinking??? There's a word for people who do that. They're called alcoholics.

Or are you just saying that only people who drink more than you do are irresponsible?

And, for the record, it's pretty easy, not to mention pretty common, for high school kids to get alcohol, even if their parents are teetotalers.

 

[Monte Cristo]

I'll have a beer with dinner every night and then more often then not another 1 after dinner, especially if I'm watching sports. On the weekends, it depends if we go out to dinner or not with friends. If we do, I'll go through 4 pints out at dinner. If we stay home then it's the usual 1 to 2.

In the summer, out on the boat, I'll go through a 12 pack over the weekend.

My wife hardly drinks....in the summer, she'll have 1 margarita per month, maybe.

Label me HORRIBLY irresponsible. To each their own.

 

[rie'smom]

Some weeks I have a drink or a few. Some weeks I don't have a drink at all. It's not a big deal. My daughter and my older sons saw my DH and me having drinks over the years and to them it wasn't a biggie either. We always had 1 or at the most 2 during an evening and were never drunk-tipsy, yes, relaxed, yes.
81% of teen agers have reported drinking at least once.

 

[NotUrsula]

I see nothing wrong with drinking in front of children, so long as it is responsible drinking. The alcohol is in our house and monitored, but we don't lock it up. (I'm sure we would if DS started getting into it, but he doesn't care for it. It's WAY out of reach of DD2.)

My parents are European emigrants. I had no idea that there were people who had issues with children witnessing ordinary social/mealtime alcohol consumption until my Dad got transferred to coastal Mississippi and we found ourselves living on a street full of Southern Baptists. (Talk about culture shock!)

Special note: I do have issues from a safety standpoint with parents who drink at pool parties while ostensibly supervising kids -- if your kids are going to be in the water, either stay sober or hire a lifeguard. I also have issues with people who wouldn't dream of driving a car after drinking, but feel that operating a boat is different -- it's not.

 

[peimikes]

Never, though my wife and I once bought a 6 pack of beer for a recipe to steam mussles in. A year later when we sold the house we left the other 5 bottles in the fridge.

 

[Missy1961]

I like certain drinks--mudslides, strawberry daiquiris, beer, some types of wine, screwdrivers---but I don't drink every night. Alcohol makes me sleepy & I have to get up very early in the morning to get to work. But I'll have a drink or two Friday/Saturday nights, and when I'm on vacation. What can I say--I like it.

I don't have kids, but I do have lots of nieces & nephews. My sisters, brothers, sisters-in-law & brothers-in-law all drink in front of their kids. The kids see adults drinking responsibly, no-one drinks & drives, etc.

If you don't want to drink, that's fine. But please, it doesn't make someone a bad parent if they drink in front of their kids, as long as they aren't falling down drunk or drive under the influence.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

How often do you drink alcoholic beverages? Is it a daily routine for you? Do you 'kick back' at the end of the day with a glass of wine or a beer?

Yes

Here's why I ask...

Many of my neighbors drink openly. In fact, the one thing that really shocked me was when I took my kids trick-or-treating in the neighborhood last fall and the parents carted around a wagon filled with a cooler of beer.

Sounds like my kind of neighborhood! Sounds like you have some fun neighbors!

I just don't "get" the whole drinking thing.

I just don't get people who think their way is the only way and everybody else is damned.

Occasionally, I'll enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail, but it's not an every day or even and every week thing. It is very occasional. But my neighbors seem to drink all the time.

So, you do drink?

And we all have kids in the pre-school to middle/high school age range. What does this say to them? When they see mommy pulling a kids' wagon with a cooler of beer - it makes me really worried for when these kids get to high school. They'll have access to it which will lead to unfortunate events...

What does this say to them? That you can drink responsibly. That walking around the neighborhood is ok, but driving is not.

Oh, and don't worry about my kids. My college aged kids are usually the designated drivers. They know how to handle alcohol responsibly. The respect the power of alcohol and what it can do when used improperly. I would be more worried about kids who up believing their parents are hiding their drinking. That teaches kids to hide their own drinking. Kids are not stupid. They know alcohol exists, no matter what their parents pretend. They crave information. Better to get correct info from the parents than submit to peer pressure to find out the info.

I don't know. To each his own, I guess. But I'm trying to be a responsible parent and set a good example. One stupid mistake can ruin someone's entire life...and a kid that drinks too much can lead to a mistake like that.

Thoughts? Flames?

Thanks for reading...

So, only parents who refrain from drinking are responsible parents?

FWIW - We have a very close neighborhood/street.

We sit outside and have a drink almost nightly while the kids play.

We serve alcohol at birthday parties.

Most of us have had a glass of that nasty wine at Chuckie Cheese while our kids played.

Per European custom, my kids have had the occasional wine at dinner since they were in middle school.

We have a wine fridge and wine cellar that is not locked - we trust our kids and they have never violated that trust.

My kids have been masters at uncorking a good bottle of wine since middle school.

Oh, did I mention all of our kids are now in high school and college. All of them are honor roll and do not drink or do drugs. And no, we are not naive.

We enjoy a good bottle of wine. We like the taste. We are never buzzed. And we can go for weeks without a glass. It just depends on our mood. So, I guess we don't qualify as alcoholics either

But then, to the

, we we are just

v v v v v v v v v v v

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

I see nothing wrong with drinking in front of children, so long as it is responsible drinking. The alcohol is in our house and monitored, but we don't lock it up. (I'm sure we would if DS started getting into it, but he doesn't care for it. It's WAY out of reach of DD2.)

My parents are European immigrants. I had no idea that there were people who had issues with children witnessing ordinary social/mealtime alcohol consumption until my Dad got transferred to coastal Mississippi and we found ourselves living on a street full of Southern Baptists. (Talk about culture shock!)

Special note: I do have issues from a safety standpoint with parents who drink at pool parties while ostensibly supervising kids -- if your kids are going to be in the water, either stay sober or hire a lifeguard. I also have issues with people who wouldn't dream of driving a car after drinking, but feel that operating a boat is different -- it's not.

i'm so sorry! lol i would go insane!

 

[HelenePA]

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -Benjamin Franklin

I drink. Not often, we dont hide it from our kids. Why should we, we are doing nothing wrong. I am getting old though.. I use to be able to drink like a fish but bam now I'm lucky if I can finish 2 beers without falling asleep!

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -Benjamin Franklin

I drink. Not often, we dont hide it from our kids. Why should we, we are doing nothing wrong. I am getting old though.. I use to be able to drink like a fish but bam now I'm lucky if I can finish 2 beers without falling asleep!

lol wine usually makes me sleepy after 2 glasses....i'm only 25...so i'm wondering if it'll get worse when i get older lol

 

[luvmy3]

lol wine usually makes me sleepy after 2 glasses....i'm only 25...so i'm wondering if it'll get worse when i get older lol

That just means you can't stop after 2 glasses, unless of course you have children

 

[HelenePA]

lol wine usually makes me sleepy after 2 glasses....i'm only 25...so i'm wondering if it'll get worse when i get older lol

I"m only 31 so drink those 2 glasses while you can!

 

[HelenePA]

That just means you can't stop after 2 glasses, unless of course you have children

unless you want some children

 

[luvmy3]

unless you want some children

 

[N&B'smom]

I don't drink alcoholic beverages at all..

Same here.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

That just means you can't stop after 2 glasses, unless of course you have children

unless you want some children

I"m only 31 so drink those 2 glasses while you can!

lol oh no! well i better get good use out of 2 glasses while i can, then!

 

[FireDancer]

I am the exception of most of the people I know. I will drink a little at gatherings or events but I would guess my yearly alcohol consumption is about 20-30 drinks total for the year, mostly red wine.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Around here, they treat-n-drink.

As for drinking..I try not to drink every day so as not to form a "habit" (my personal preference)....

But as long as you aren't drinking to the point of intoxication on purpose on a very frequent basis, what you drink and how often is up to you.

If you like a glass of wine or a beer or scotch on the rocks to wind down from your day--have at it. If once a year is all you prefer, be my guest.

But I don't understand why people look at their own preferences, reflect on others preferences and then draw conclusions that may or may not be accurate.

And while pregnant...welll...I'm counting the days until delivery.

Yes, my kids see me drink otherwise

They also witness me put on makeup...

They see me vote....

They see me drive a car.

They know that certain things in life are restricted privileges until one reaches a minimum age. Whether they will sneak things remains to be seen. But I don't understand the logic of not drinking in front of children if the kids cannot partake when there are many things I do in front of them that they either are not allowed b/c of law, or b/c I don't feel they are old enough (makeup).

 

[Tink888]

Other than having some wine at home or a cocktail when I go out to dinner I don't really drink very much. Did my share of it when I was younger and I'm over it.

Growing up, I have seen first hand the pain alcohol causes the person who struggles with it and I've lived with the pain it causes to the people around the person who drinks too much so for the most part, I don't want to be around it.

I don't want my kids exposure to alcohol to be anything more than once in awhile and I don't want alcohol in my house to be a regular thing.

That said, I do respect other people's right to do as they please and as long as their actions don't affect me personally I don't judge. By the same token, if I'm out somewhere where people are drinking and I'm not I don't want to be bothered to have a drink, or asked why I don't drink, or thought of as a prude or anything else. I will enjoy my soda and you can enjoy your drink and we can have a good time together doing what works for us.