People who start drinking at 18 or later

Carlos_Ray

Firstly this is in no way meant to stereotype this particular group of people. I have nothing but respect for people, who don't drink, or who wait until the legal age. I am just interested in hearing peoples opinions on the matter.


From my experience, my friends who waited until they were 18 to start drinking ended up being the craziest drinkers out of the group. They are usually the ones that end up drinking so much that they are carried home, start fights, get sick, hook up with hideous people etc etc.

Meanwhile It appears that (in my group of friends) those of us that started drinking(responsibly, many with our parents consent) at 16, have turned out far more balanced in our drinking habits.


I didn't make a connection between age and behaviour until a collegue of mine commented on a girl saying ," She's a crazy drinker, you know the type that discover alcohol at 18 and go mental."

Do people think there is some truth behind it?

petes

Nothing to do with what age you start drinking. Some people are just dicks with drink in them.

SoulTrader

I think you may have a point regarding those whose parents introduce them to alcohol, as it instantly removes the rebelliousness of drinking. To be honest, I don't think it matters too much what age you start.

I started drinking on my 18th birthday with no objection from my parents, and am no more or less a messy drunk than my friends who were drinking at 14. In fact, 9 years later, barring the occasional bottle of wine, I hardly drink at all anymore.

Carlos_Ray

Insurgent wrote: »

Nothing to do with what age you start drinking. Some people are just dicks with drink in them.

I'd agree. Although I'am interested to know if people have come across this theory before. It was my collegues comment that really made me examine my friends situation, and it seemed to apply there.

seamus

No, I don't know what you're talking about.

However, you might be confusing correlation with causation. There's a certain subset of people with insanely strict parents. Parents who would kill them if they drank before they were 18, who weren't allowed out past 10 o'clock on the weekend (even when they were 16/17) and who were locked in their room to study 5 nights a week and 5 hours on Saturdays on Sundays.

In my experience, these people hit 18, go into college, find out all about drinking and partying and talking to women, realise that their parents now have no control over them and go absolutely bat-**** crazy.

Dravokivich

Carlos_Ray wrote: »

I didn't make a connection between age and behaviour until a collegue of mine commented on a girl saying ," She's a crazy drinker, you know the type that discover alcohol at 18 and go mental."

Do people think there is some truth behind it?

To some degree I agree with Insurgent's reponsce above.

But there's something aside at the end of your post. Take the rest of europe as an example, I've drank with many people from Spain / France / Italy were drinking is as much a part of their culture as it is ours. The main difference is the attitude towards drinking. "Kids" are brought in slowly from 16 on... beers with meals / in cafe's and such... Spirits when the go 18....

This idea is something I'd like to see brought in and accepted here.

storm2811

seamus wrote: »

No, I don't know what you're talking about.

However, you might be confusing correlation with causation. There's a certain subset of people with insanely strict parents. Parents who would kill them if they drank before they were 18, who weren't allowed out past 10 o'clock on the weekend (even when they were 16/17) and who were locked in their room to study 5 nights a week and 5 hours on Saturdays on Sundays.

In my experience, these people hit 18, go into college, find out all about drinking and partying and talking to women, realise that their parents now have no control over them and go absolutely bat-**** crazy.

My god,who has parents like that!?:eek:

consultech

Yup, I'd definitely agree with the gentle parental introduction route. When I compare and contrast friends who were brought along on this route, versus having a "first pint" etc when 18 then off to college to figure it out themselves; The respect-for-drink level isn't even close.

It's usually a parental thing. A teenager very rarely makes a conscious decision to completely flout all social teen norms. "Strict" Blanket policy parenting is lazy, and absolutely sh*t. The amount of messed up kids I've seen coming from such families is shocking, and the braindead parents are always left wondering what went wrong.

Dravokivich

storm2811 wrote: »

My god,who has parents like that!?:eek:

I did... and when / if I have kids... I'd be a parent like that too...

seamus

storm2811 wrote: »

My god,who has parents like that!?:eek:

Far more people than you think. There was a guy in my brother's class whose parents ripped all of the pages in relation to reproduction out of his Leaving Cert biology book.

When you're growing up, you meet all sorts of weird and crazy people. We tend to forget that these people too, also grow up and get married and have kids. Crazy people don't go away, you know.

consultech

Dravokivich wrote: »

To some degree I agree with Insurgent's reponsce above.

But there's something aside at the end of your post. Take the rest of europe as an example, I've drank with many people from Spain / France / Italy were drinking is as much a part of their culture as it is ours. The main difference is the attitude towards drinking. "Kids" are brought in slowly from 16 on... beers with meals / in cafe's and such... Spirits when the go 18....

This idea is something I'd like to see brought in and accepted here.

...and lose out on all those delicious binge drink taxes/duties? Unlikely.

The gov. wouldn't make anywhere near as much from alcohol sales if it wasn't such a taboo. If you compare the maturity observed in other EU countries; In Ireland 18 year olds go off the rails on alcohol, and are hooked by the time it would've otherwise become un-exciting (mid 20's), and so start drinking as a crutch, instead of for a buzz.

Bob the Seducer

Dravokivich wrote: »

I did... and when / if I have kids... I'd be a parent like that too...

Same here, didn't go off the rails when I went to college either! Neither of my parents drink so I've still never drank at home.

reallyrose

storm2811 wrote: »

My god,who has parents like that!?:eek:

I did! I wasn't allowed watch non-educational TV until I was 17 or 18. I was 18 before I saw my first episode of the Simpsons or any other American tv show. Homework was inspected every evening, bedtime was 10pm on the dot.

I went a bit mental went I left home, but nothing extreme really. After my first few mornings waking up with no memory of the night before I copped on and started drinking in a sensible manner.
I like to think that I grew up to be a nice respectable girl. A strict up bringing didn't do me any harm! :pac: And all that time spent watching David Attenbourgh turned me into a zoologist who now works for the Natural History Museum.

Earthhorse

storm2811 wrote: »

My god,who has parents like that!?:eek:

My parents were kinda like that but not as bad.

Have to say I haven't noticed that OP. If anything, the opposite; people who start drinking later in life tend to be more cautious about it and end up being quite moderate drinkers, all told.

Leeg17

I didn't start drinking until I was 17 (Still am), and have been told that I can hold drink better than most people I know, and also that they're jealous (I don't see why?). I think it just depends on the person really, some people are just dicks, some use drink as an excuse for being a dick.. I don't drink very often and at that I think it's sensible drinking. For me there's some people that go way overboard and they've been drinking well before they were 18..

storm2811

seamus wrote: »

Far more people than you think. There was a guy in my brother's class whose parents ripped all of the pages in relation to reproduction out of his Leaving Cert biology book.

When you're growing up, you meet all sorts of weird and crazy people. We tend to forget that these people too, also grow up and get married and have kids. Crazy people don't go away, you know.

:eek: That's madness!I find it hard to believe that there are people who raise their kids like that..but i suppose there is.
Thank god my parents are easy going,but not in a bad irresponsible way.

@Dravokivich,really??

Anyways,I'm gone a bit off topic here..
I don't think it's because they've waited to drink that makes them go mad,like an above poster said,some people just act the bollox when drunk,but i suppose if they've waited untill they were 18 they might just go mad on the drink for a while which could result in them acting the bollox..:pac:

cynder

from a very young age we were always allowed a sup, from age 10 a glass, from age 13 a can, age 16 i left home and went to the pubs and even to discos and have got drunk once month, from 18 till now (nearly 30) ive got drunk about 10 times and have drink here and there probably once a month.


my brother like his drink more than me and gets drunk at least once a week. my other brother likes his drink but never gets drunk.

jokettle

I didn't drink until I was 18 even though I was going out to pubs and clubs for 2 or 3 years at that stage. My parents weren't strict with drink; they'd often offer me a glass of wine with dinner or something like that. I had made the pledge at my confirmation though, and I'm not religious AT ALL but I kind of wanted to see if I *could* do it...

Once I hit 18 I had a few mad nights here and there, same as everyone, but I think my attitude towards alcohol is a more responsible one than a lot of my friends. I'll have a drink with a meal once or twice a week and I go out a lot to pubs/clubs, but I rarely feel the need to get completely hammered. Maybe that does have something to do with alcohol never being a taboo, I don't know.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents!

Cypher_sounds

Some people just cant handle their drink, no matter what age they are.

podgemonster

My parents dont drink and I didn't drink til I was 18. They never restricted me from it, it was my choice. I've had my crazy nights in college since but im no more different than my friend in that regard.

I do see people point that alot of it is due to the fact that in college you are not coming home to a cranky Mommy and Daddy.

However when it comes to not drinking I have no problem with it, compared to my friends who's nights are ruined when they can't have a drink, therefore im regularily the designated driver coz I've learned to have fun without drink and my mates have been drinking every weekend since they we 15.

Dravokivich

I started drinking when I was 16/17 as did most of my friends so I cant really make any comparison. Though I think it makes no real difference its down to the person how hey react to drink. We all started fairly young and we all drink a fair whack on a night out.

Dravokivich wrote: »

But there's something aside at the end of your post. Take the rest of europe as an example, I've drank with many people from Spain / France / Italy were drinking is as much a part of their culture as it is ours. The main difference is the attitude towards drinking. "Kids" are brought in slowly from 16 on... beers with meals / in cafe's and such... Spirits when the go 18....

This idea is something I'd like to see brought in and accepted here.

I work with/ am friends with people from Italy especially but also spain, france and Germany and they are out getting locked with us irish at the weekends. Its a fallacy that they are all really sensible.

They actually find it quite funny that some people in Ireland hold Europeans up as an example as they are just as mad as ourselves.

Dravokivich

storm2811 wrote: »

@Dravokivich,really??

Yeap... looking back now to then... I agree with it. Didn't understand when I was younger, wouldn't of been able to. But a lot of the people that would of been around my folks area then are just complete wasters now.

If I fúcked up at home, the shít got layed down to me by someone that matters. If I was to fúck up out side somewhere... who knows what could of ended up happening.

I'm happy my parents took on that responsiblity. I wasn't being "sheltered" as such. I knew the kind of shít that went on around my road / estate / over all in Clondalkin. It was all around me, but I was never in it...

I don't see a problem with being strict. It teaches responsibility. And with a couple of fists squared up... you learn about cause and affect too...

DazMarz

Went ballistic on drink myself from the age of 15 until about 18... then settled a bit. Since then, yeah... There have been nights when I get absolutely plastered and so on, but these are few and far between.

I really think that the more parents try to stamp out ''rebellious'' behaviour, the more they incite it later on (ie. lads getting to college for the first time and going fúcking batshít... I've seen it happening!).

Everything in moderation and don't try to over-censor your kids, ffs. Let them be kids!!!

UpCork

I took my first drink on my 18th birthday and I am not a heavy drinker at all. In fact I could go a couple of weeks without a drink and it wouldn't bother me. I enjoy a glass of wine with a meal or if I am chilling out at the weekend, but it doesn't rule my life.
I didn't grow up around alcohol at home and my grand mother was very anti alcohol. She saw it as bad and girls in particular shouldn't drink. My Mum, who isn't a big drinker, said to her that she was not to tell me not to drink etc as I would rebel against it (which was probably true) Mum always said that drink was to be taken in moderation and so forth and I think I was reared with a positive and good attitude towards alcohol.
I have seen through family friends and my own personal friendships how alcohol can impact on peoples lives negatively and I think that has instilled a fear in me. It is very easy to get additcted to alcohol and to use it as a crutch when things aren't great in your life etc. It frightens the life out of me what a downward spiral people can go on because of drink and for that reason I think I'd put myself in the cautious drinker category

Hank_Jones

I started drinking when I was 14 and ruined myself on the gargle for a fair few years.
Really wish that I had waited until I was older.
I certainly wasn't responsible about it though,
I learned my lesson at this stage (25),
rarely drinking and then generally just having a few when I do.

Irishcrx

storm2811 wrote: »

My god,who has parents like that!?:eek:

I have a few mates that had parents like that. In fairness though they are no differant with drink on them than any of the rest of us, sound lads maybe an exception for them..

Liam Byrne

Carlos_Ray wrote: »

Firstly this is in no way meant to stereotype this particular group of people. I have nothing but respect for people, who don't drink, or who wait until the legal age. I am just interested in hearing peoples opinions on the matter.

From my experience, my friends who waited until they were 18 to start drinking ended up being the craziest drinkers out of the group. They are usually the ones that end up drinking so much that they are carried home, start fights, get sick, hook up with hideous people etc etc.

Meanwhile It appears that (in my group of friends) those of us that started drinking(responsibly, many with our parents consent) at 16, have turned out far more balanced in our drinking habits.

I didn't make a connection between age and behaviour until a collegue of mine commented on a girl saying ," She's a crazy drinker, you know the type that discover alcohol at 18 and go mental."

Do people think there is some truth behind it?

Absolutely not. I started post-18 and I can take it or leave it, or enjoy a few without getting ridiculously paralytic and making a fool of myself.

So either you're wrong, or else you just need to hang out with more sensible / less embarrassing people.

Degag

I know that if i ever had kids, and they were 14 - 18, I'd have no problem with them having a can or two at home. It's a whole lot better than them flooring a naggin of vodka in some field somewhere.

Carlos_Ray

Liam Byrne wrote: »

So either you're wrong, or else you just need to hang out with more sensible / less embarrassing people.

Its not a matter of being right or wrong. I never made a judgement eitherway. I was just wondering if anyone else heard a statement like the one my collegue said to me. I was wondering if it was a common theory.

Looking through the posts, i think I agree with those that pointed to a very strict upbringing (rather than late drinkers) that can lead to some people going a bit crazy when they get their freedom.

sponsoredwalk

Carlos_Ray wrote: »

From my experience, my friends who waited until they were 18 to start drinking ended up being the craziest drinkers out of the group. They are usually the ones that end up drinking so much that they are carried home, start fights, get sick, hook up with hideous people etc etc.

Me too, while I'd like to agree with;

Insurgent wrote: »

Nothing to do with what age you start drinking. Some people are just dicks with drink in them.

because it sounds so pleasing it is not true from experience knowing people that this happened to. Also, the stereotype of a person rebelling to their strict parents doesn't apply to these people.

I think the stereotypes & pattern seeking will just have to stay at the door for this one :pac:

seamus wrote: »

Far more people than you think. There was a guy in my brother's class whose parents ripped all of the pages in relation to reproduction out of his Leaving Cert biology book.

That's kind of like the token person who would get sick during sex ed in class & have to leave the room holding his/her stomach in repulsion @ life's little details... :rolleyes:

reallyrose wrote: »

all that time spent watching David Attenbourgh turned me into a zoologist who now works for the Natural History Museum.

Awesome! Life on Earth

3hn2givr7mx1sc

I started drinking when I was 12/13, didn't get píssed the first few times, just a little bit tipsy. Now, at 16, I get mouldy any time I go drinking with me mates, don't get as drunk at a party at home(birthdays, Christmas, old people parties:p), but it depends who comes to it.

I know a lad who wasn't let drink or go out until he was 18, he's now a borderline alco, does cocaine, weed, E and anything he can get his hands on.

Pherekydes

storm2811 wrote: »

My god,who has parents like that!?:eek:

I did. I started drinking at 18, and I was already in the Army a year at that stage. Most of my classmates didn't start drinking until they turned 18, either. And, no, none of them went crazy on it. That's just the way things were back in the day. None of us went to college after school, so the Op can blame this whole phenomenon on the lax college morals.

Hmmm, where to put this can of worms, now?

entropi

Most of my friends as teens started drinking around 15, me the only one of the lot who didnt bother drinking...my 18th birthday comes around and my dad wanted to bring me for a pint in the pub, I refused saying I dont want to drink. My parents were liberal enough to let me drink when I was 17 if I wanted to, my brothers and sis started early.

I didnt have my first drink until 10 years later, that was last year and I still dont bother going out all that often. I never went mental on the drink when I started, have been proper drunk like 3-4 times only and never done something worth regretting (although I hear everyone should do that at least once:pac:)

Now these friends go out, get pissed and end up pissing that money up against a wall, whereas I am looking to better my life all the time.

LC2010HIS

i tried a drink or too before 18.
Minute i turned 18, didnt want it.
I dont like it really, to be perfectly honest. Dont see the need for it.
Like, i went out last weekend and people look at you queer if you say you dont want a drink. And this girl said "we are you here then?" ..dont really see why you have to drink to go out and have a laugh.
Kinda see the way people act when drunk and i dont think its a bita crack at all .. Like, one or two drinks ,grand, but why people have to do the dog on it is beyond me.

G-Money

I didn't start drinking until I was 21. I took the pioneer pledge at school and I think that was where you didn't drink until you were 16 or something. After that you could take another pledge for life but I didn't. I think I'd tasted beer around 18 or so but I hadn't started drinking. I think I was a bit intimidated or something by it, or by the whole going out scene back then. I rarely went out until I was into my twenties. I started drinking in America around the time I was 21 turning 22 and have been at it since.

I certainly made up for lost time though.

However nowadays I don't drink as much or as often, mostly because I simply can't face going into work with a hangover anymore.

Horse_box

I started drinking most weekends at 15. By the time I got to 18 drinking wasn't a big thing at all and not much changed except that I could drink in pubs legally

The lads with the strict parents who only started drinking when they were 17/18 are without doubt the craziest on the sauce out of the whole group.

Definitely a rebelious thing, with my friends anyway

mahamageehad

But underage drinking is the best type of drinking!!!!

BESman

Took the oul confirmation pledge and stuck to it fairly strictly. Didn't have a can until I was 16 and didn't go on a right session until I was 17. Fairly did the dog on it then in college. Most of my friends were drinkin since 13/14 and they're much heavier and more frequent drinkers than I am. I might have the odd pint after work on a weekday but I must be one of the few in the country that doesn't feel the need to go out every single weekend. I find it repetitive, expensive and not very enjoyable. I'm the type of person that likes a reason or an occasion to go out, like a birthday or something similar. Its much better craic I find than the regular weekend night.

segaBOY

seamus wrote: »

No, I don't know what you're talking about.

However, you might be confusing correlation with causation. There's a certain subset of people with insanely strict parents. Parents who would kill them if they drank before they were 18, who weren't allowed out past 10 o'clock on the weekend (even when they were 16/17) and who were locked in their room to study 5 nights a week and 5 hours on Saturdays on Sundays.

In my experience, these people hit 18, go into college, find out all about drinking and partying and talking to women, realise that their parents now have no control over them and go absolutely bat-**** crazy.

I think half of the teenage population reading boards just popped their cherry over that post.

I started drinking at 19. I don't drink that often and when I do I'm a very sensible drinker. I can only think of one occasion when I let my drinking get out of hand.
I really think it's the person rather than the age that creates the problem

InkSlinger67

baz2009 wrote: »

I know a lad who wasn't let drink or go out until he was 18, he's now a borderline alco, does cocaine, weed, E and anything he can get his hands on.

Thanks Baz! You knew my parents post here! :mad:

UpCork

It is good to see that there are others here who didn't drink until they were 18 either. I always was made feel like it was extremely odd and that I was in a very, very small minority.

I didn't drink until I was 18 because it would have been frowned upon at home (whilst a positive everything in moderation attitude abounded; it was made crystal clear by my Mother that she didn't approve of and would not tolerate underage drinking. Also, I just couldn't go to the hassle of getting someone to buy drinks for me.


Truth be told when I first started drinking, I didn't really like the taste. Now all I drink is wine and as I say, not that often

Horse_box

mahamageehad wrote: »

But underage drinking is the best type of drinking!!!!

I have very fond memories of my underage drinking days. Not a care in the world, drinking flagons in the fields. I miss that!

Cookie33

UpCork wrote: »

It is good to see that there are others here who didn't drink until they were 18 either. I always was made feel like it was extremely odd and that I was in a very, very small minority.

I didn't drink until I was 18 because it would have been frowned upon at home (whilst a positive everything in moderation attitude abounded; it was made crystal clear by my Mother that she didn't approve of and would not tolerate underage drinking. Also, I just couldn't go to the hassle of getting someone to buy drinks for me.


Truth be told when I first started drinking, I didn't really like the taste. Now all I drink is wine and as I say, not that often

I agree with you, i started drinking a month before i turned 18. main reason was due to looking quite young and had no fake id so i wouldnt be able to get into the clubs..

yeah the taste of alcohol isn't great for me, i dont like beer or wine so that leaves spirits - vodka :rolleyes:

Cupcake_Crisis

I dont think it has anything to do with age. Some people just cant handle their drink, no matter how long they'ver been drinking

karlog

drinking responsibly AT 16 hahahahahaha

Nemanja91

It only seems that people who start drinking before 18 are more responsible is because they know their limits by then

CSC

Didn't properly start drinking until my twenties. Was more into doing other things in my late teens like playing sport, travelling etc. to be spending all my hard earned on alcohol.

evercloserunion

It's about knowing your limits. People who start drinking at 18 have a few experiences where they don't know their limits and so drink way too much. They're doing the exact same thing as everyone else already did at 15/16, it's just more noticeable when you do it at 18 because not everyone else is doing it too.

Though for that matter I wouldn't say 18 year olds drink responsibly, for the most part.

celtic Liger

i started when i was 15. i can put away a few but if i go overboard im a ****ing mess. when im in a bar, i can drink all night. alcohol isn't my demon, its the fresh air that kills me.

Mr Benevolent

I started drinking at 23. I'm a cautious drinker, although sometimes I'll get a bit drunk. It's much cheaper when you have a lower alcohol tolerance. For instance tonight I'm already fuzzy after a single glass of champagne.