[Publius]

Coming from an Italian family, I was drinking at the age of 11. Wine with meals, unless it was my mother's homemade pizza, for which we all had beer.

It was no big deal. And it was why I never got into the experience of just getting drunk. It was good training for adulthood.

[Army Air Corps]

Your personal experience sounds like that of most of the kids in largely German communities in central Texas.

[Lorianne]

I noticed this right off. In college, kids who had been allowed an occasional alcholic drink at home by their parents never got into the binge drinking thing.

Kids who were forbidden, the biggest binge drinkers.

I remember a friend of mine visiting was shocked that my parents’ liquor was out in the open and not in locked away. She said “Do they leave it out like that when they’re gone and you’re home alone?” Of course, they did, and none of us kids ever drank anything. It wasn’t because we were goody twoshoes ... it just never occured to us. We didn’t have to be sneaky.

In contrast, 3 out of 5 of my friend and her siblings, who grew up in a strict teetotaler household, are now alcholics.

[GOPsterinMA]

Yes! Ma - my Calabrese Nonna gave us wine at dinner - including when she made her own pizza (thick crust sheet style). I was amazed when my friends were so hell-bent on “scoring” 12-packs and drinking in the woods.

I concur, it was good training for the future!

[Still Thinking]

Zackly. My Dad would let me have half a beer when I was about 8-9 and my own when I was about 10. Never turned into an alky, and more importantly, never even considered sheepledom!

[codercpc]

Every year my sisters boss gives her a couple of bottles of homemade dandelion wine for Christmas. The stuff is NASTY!

We have now made it a Christmas Eve tradition to each have a glass of that wine. We also make the children over age 12 partake with us. We are only talking the equivalent of a shot glass full for them.

The reason behind it is simple, we figure that if they actually get that glass down, they will not drink alcohol for at least the next year! They can't stand the stuff.

So far it has worked. My 18 year old son left for college this year, and on his own requested a "dry" dorm. Meaning that any one who comes home after drinking can be kicked out. My husband and I were shocked, and when we asked him why he chose that dorm his answer was "The last thing I want is some stupid drunk waking me up at 3:00 in the morning."

BTW, I live in Wisconsin, and I do drink socially.

[geege]

Same here.....we would have red wine in our Pepsi at the big Sunday table.....now....Pepsi and red wine...blaaaaaa