Drinking =/

good to hear it all worked out nicely

I've never seen what the big deal about drinking is, either way. Where I come from, people drink a lot more and at a younger age than in America, not just because you only have to be 18 to buy it here. If I go out on a Friday or Saturday night, I fully expect to meet at least one group of 12 or 13 year olds drunk out of their faces wandering the streets, it's just the way it is here.. If you'd asked that question to a typical group of Scots, they would have probably told you to go along, have a few drinks and stop drinking when you start to feel sick and make sure you have somebody you trust around you.

That's the most important bit of advice for anybody going out drinking, especially if you don't have a house to drink in. Never abandon drunken friends outside. And never feel that you can't go home. Anything your parents throw at you for coming home drunk is nothing compared to ending up in hospital or passing out and freezing to death (which happens far too regularly in this part of the world). I should know, I've been dumped into my house by friends while trashed and ended up cuddling the toilet passed out in my underwear, only waking up to throw up again a couple times. My parents were far from impressed, but I'm very thankful that my friends took me home and made sure I was safe, and I'm sure my parents were too.

Basically what I'm trying to say, in a fairly roundabout way, is that if and when you do go out and get drunk, remember that the most important thing is not impressing anyone, or keeping out of trouble. It's keeping yourself and your friends safe. Don't hesitate to go home or phone your parents if something goes bad. They might be angry, but they should admire your responsibility and be thankful that you kept safe.

Never do anything you don't want to, and never think that you can't call your parents if something goes wrong. Enjoy yourself and good luck

 

good comment. you should never feel presured into anything. i wouldnt let it happen to me either. but i aint all for warning people away from alcohol. people have to make thier own decisions and others have to respect it. be that drink or no drink. i myself love to have a drink. its a huge part of my social life when im out with my friends. i tend to usually go overboard and regret it the next day. i can tho guarantee i had fun duringit which is the point of the nite.

like kettleoffish said here in scotland unfortunatly alcohol has become a bit of an issue. clearly we didnt bother to think about the consequences before hand. but he is rite when he says to have friends around that u can trust. i usually have a guy that watches my back when we go out. he really is great and its cos he has seen me get into bother before.

my sister hates alcohol. she wont touch it. she also seems to make comment bout people getting drunk or even having just a few. she is now a bit pushed away from people because of it. so for those that dont drink, dont hold it against those that do.

 

Ok, so to respond to some people about my comment earlier. I'm not saying the only way to bond with others is with alcohol, but most pople who have been drunk with friends have probably grown closer to them because of it.

Honestly, People make such a huge deal about drinking... The drinking age SHOULD be 18 because that's the age they expect men to serve in the army if there's a draft. There are plenty of things that stunt development. If you're going with that argument you need to argue that caffeine should be only for people 21 plus as well because caffeine stunts your growth and there are many more people addicted to caffeine.

That's not saying that you should drink to get drunk all the time. Just dont make a big deal about it when you DO drink. I think it's fine to get drunk every now and again, and it's absolutely fine to just drink casually too. Teaching Abstinence has never worked for sex, and it wont work with Alcohol. Scaring people away from trying something is a bad idea. Experiencing for yourself is the only way you truely learn what you do and do not like. The legal reprocussions are really not that great for underage drinking in the US. The worst that will happen to you for a first offense is that you have to attend an AA meeting, and you might not get your license on time. Those things are really not a big deal. What's worse is if you're caught at someone else's house by the cops, whoever provided the alcohol or the house can get in trouble. That means parents are liable if you're drunk in their house. And you will NOT get in trouble legally if (and that's a big IF) you need to get an ambulance or something. So long as you know the risks you're taking, you can do anything. If you absolutely dont want to face those risks, dont do it. But dont go around telling others what they should and shouldnt do.

Life shouldnt be all about being afraid of the outcome of everything you do, but rather knowing the outcome and taking the chance. Life is too short to fear things.

 

Both worked for me.

No. You can be jailed and have to pay a fine. A huge deal to me.

That has to be the one of the most reckless quotes I've ever heard.

Yes, when it may negatively affect them and myself.

You shouldn't live your life in fear, but you shouldn't live in stupidity and at the cost of others. My life is too short to deal with drunk drivers.

 

Drink. Life's too short to live on the safe side(In my opinion) And it's not even that bad of a thing to do
Plus loads of underage people do it.

 

just to soften Chip's blow. Indeed, life may seem too short, but lets not try to make it shorter. Right? I'm glad to hear nothing serious happened at the after party. Just make sure, later on in life, that when you do drink, IF you do drink, you do so RESPONSIBLY! Know your limit, and just make sure that before you go to sleep or start doing something you drink a good cup or two of water. A good idea is to swap to non-alcoholic drinks half way through the night. Now, this might just be me but whenever I do drink, which is an occasional thing, I never drink alot. Just a bit every now and then. I can tell when it starts to get to me, and I am aware of everything about me when I do drink. Maybe that's just because I haven't gone off my face before. In any case, I don't support underage drinking, but it does happen. Just make sure when it does, you don't get hurt in the process. Have fun, but stay on the safe side.

 

I say treat booze with the respect you'd treat any other hard drug. Use carefully, in moderation and always with the right mindset and in a good setting. If you don't trust yourself to drink responsibly, don't.

I trust myself to do so. I also trust most of my friends. However, there are buddies of mine that are irresponsible, and amongst the group of friends I have the collective group shames them any time they are doing so. We watch out for each other.

 

I honestly think you should decide on your own.

We all have to make our own mistakes and learn from them one way or another.

:/