Sunday, September 11, 2005

   Underage drinking
[This is a rant. My reasoning shall be irrational, strongly worded and more than likely over-generalized. This rant is targeted at no one in particular.]

Underage drinking. „² Topic brought to you by, Gaia¡¦s General Discussion Forum.

Background: Some 14 year old mind fart makes a topic in the GD about Alcholic Beverages. First thing that pops into my head. ¡¥This kid is spouting crap to look cool and earn ¡§non-conformits¡¨ conforming net cool points.¡¦ Thus the follow rant has been inspired.

[Rant begins here]

Why do underage minors feel the need to drink? Let¡¦s look at the commericals. Parties, trendy night clubs. Pretty people having a good time. That¡¦s how alcohol is marketed to us. TV and movies to ¡Vcertain extent- show us alcohol in rose colored shot glasses. There are some programs however that do show you the side affects or the dark sides to drunkness. But, I say in general¡K it¡¦s shown as ¡§cool¡¨ or drunks are shown as tipsy moments where silly things happen and that alcohols are fluffy clowns with a shiney nose.

Another factor? The parents. I don¡¦t think the parents of these children honestly sit them down and explain things to them. Sure there¡¦s anti drug and alcohol programs in the public schools¡K but that¡¦s not enough. Sit them down, talk to them¡K Don¡¦t talk down to them. Respect the kid and have a discussion with them like they were another adult. Tell them that drinking is a privillage and not a right¡K tell them all the health risk involved with binge drinking¡K and the laws are in place to protect them not to punish. If they want to drink, they¡¦ll have to wait and earn that privillage to drink. If the parents do enjoy a drink¡K and keep liquor in the house. Lock it up. What about beer? Don¡¦t buy a lot of to where it¡¦s in your fridge as a tempation to the kid.

Of course there¡¦s always the friends¡K Don¡¦t let them go to a friends house if you know their parents don¡¦t lock up their liquor. And be careful about older friends your teenager might have¡K just sniff them out. Don¡¦t forbid and don¡¦t demand. And trust them a little bit¡K do what you can but trust that they can make the right decision. Just don¡¦t knowing thrust them into situations where there¡¦s alcohol in their reach.

Sure¡K there¡¦s plenty of ways for them to alcohol¡K just do what you can¡K.while you still can.

Why do you drink? Do you want to get drunk? Why do you want to get drunk? You¡¦re a TEENAGER. How bad can your problems be? There¡¦s actually a very small minority of what people had to deal with. Shut your trap and quit being pseudo-emo. Suck it up and just face your problems. You can¡¦t run away from them. They¡¦re still going to be there when you sober up and you¡¦ll have a lovely migranine to add to all of this.

Does anyone look forward to being sloppy drunk? Does anyone really enjoy not having that control over your own body?

Drinking does not make you cool, it does not make you mature.

Underage drinkers are idiots. It¡¦s not worth increasing your potential of making yourself more effed up.

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