In a recent editorial in The BMJ, a trio of scientists pointed out that there are three periods in life when the brain goes through major changes and is particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. Two of those periods are at the beginning and end of life. When pregnant women drink alcohol, it can damage the developing brain of the fetus, leading to physical problems, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. When people over the age of 65 drink alcohol, it can worsen declines in brain function that happen during aging.
The third period is adolescence. During those years of transition between childhood and adulthood, the brain grows and changes in many important ways that are crucial for that transition to be successful. When teens and young adults drink alcohol, it can interfere with that process of brain development in ways that affect the rest of their lives.
That’d be a problem, because recent research has stretched the the age at which adolescent development stops from 23 to 25. If you’re going for the medical definition, you’ll need to add a few years to your laws.
Obviously there’s a balance to be struck between 5 years old and 25 years old. The further you push it, the more likely people will use illegal means to drink, but you obviously don’t want 14 year olds to get drunk.
If your kids are going to drink, you may as well teach them to drink responsibly. You’re not going to send your kid into disability by having them try a glass of wine at a birthday. The risks are much greater when they sneak out of the house to get drunk with their friends, who have no idea how to drink responsibly.
I think my parents were smart about it, offering me small amounts of alcohol at special occasions only. None of that sweet mixed stuff, just basic beer or wine. The bitterness put me off actually drinking alcohol on my own initiative until I was at least 18 years old and capable of making my own independent decisions as an adult (legally speaking, anyway).
A glass once in a while isn’t going to harm thier development and will teach them that alcohol is to be enjoyed responsibly in moderation. No one is saying get shitfaced with your kids.
What the fuck? Prohibition until 21 keeps developing brains from being damaged
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/alcohol-harms-the-brain-in-teen-years-before-and-after-that-too-2021011521758
https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4691
That’d be a problem, because recent research has stretched the the age at which adolescent development stops from 23 to 25. If you’re going for the medical definition, you’ll need to add a few years to your laws.
Obviously there’s a balance to be struck between 5 years old and 25 years old. The further you push it, the more likely people will use illegal means to drink, but you obviously don’t want 14 year olds to get drunk.
If your kids are going to drink, you may as well teach them to drink responsibly. You’re not going to send your kid into disability by having them try a glass of wine at a birthday. The risks are much greater when they sneak out of the house to get drunk with their friends, who have no idea how to drink responsibly.
I think my parents were smart about it, offering me small amounts of alcohol at special occasions only. None of that sweet mixed stuff, just basic beer or wine. The bitterness put me off actually drinking alcohol on my own initiative until I was at least 18 years old and capable of making my own independent decisions as an adult (legally speaking, anyway).
Which is totally legal here as long as the 14 year old is under supervision of a legal guardian.
A glass once in a while isn’t going to harm thier development and will teach them that alcohol is to be enjoyed responsibly in moderation. No one is saying get shitfaced with your kids.