Reply #17: My parents never did, but we were always served alcohol at [View All]

[Lydia Leftcoast]

parties with relatives after the age of 14 or so.

As a result of being able to drink in the presence of our elderly relatives, we never thought of drinking as something daring or exciting. How exciting is it for a teenager to sip wine in the presence of a room full of adults who don't mind? Not very, let me tell you.

Of the three of us, one brother and I are light social drinkers, with two-drink limits. The other brother doesn't drink at all.

I find American attitudes toward alcohol to be extremely unhealthy. On the one hand, getting drunk is considered wonderful and daring and kind of funny, but alcohol is absolutely forbidden if you're under 21.

In my family, having a glass of wine with dinner and/or a mixed drink beforehand were fine in the context of parties with relatives, but getting drunk was considered stupid, crude, and despicable.