Stop legislating and start teaching responsibility

I’m not all negative on stuff.

I agree with Alcohol Focus Scotland, who say that parents need to teach their children responsibility when it comes to consuming alcohol.

“Good parenting is the answer,” said Mr Law. “You would want parents to be responsible in introducing children to alcohol and I fear introducing legislation won’t solve the problem.

“Clearly, immature bodies cannot deal with alcohol like adult bodies. Parents can maybe introduce their children to alcohol by offering them a diluted drink of it at a family meal to give them a taste.

“What is also very important is that the parents act responsibly themselves by not getting drunk in front of their children.”

I don’t think it’s a huge deal if responsible parents occasionally get drunk and their kids see it, but it IS a big deal if their kids see them binge drinking regularly. There shouldn’t be an issue of letting kids and young teenagers try alcohol, as long as their parents set a good example of restraint and moderation.

Kids are going to experiment and rebel, no matter what parents do. My mother is not a drinker, and I wasn’t even into trying alcohol until I was 15 (when I had my first-ever drink). It’s my humble opinion that if parents led by example and their kids learned that everything they did had consequences, the general population WOULD experience a change in its drinking culture.

I’m glad to see an organisation being so sensible.