New Member...^^;;

[Mei Ling]

Hello, I'm Mei Ling. You can call me Mei for short and...just played Lunar: Genesis/ Dragon Song. I like Jian's character, personnaly... ^_^

...He can stand on his head! *shot*

Okay, I'm done. Nice to see everyone here~~

[Sonic#]

I wish I could stand on my head. I've tried before, but it hurts. ^_^ I don't quite have the balance for it.

Welcome to the board, though!

[phyco126]

Welcome to the forums! May you have many nights of fun!

[Mei Ling]

Welcome to the forums! May you have many nights of fun!

I can't drink beer! I'm only 14! o_o

...if That's what you mean. ^^

I wish I could stand on my head. I've tried before, but it hurts. ^_^ I don't quite have the balance for it.

Keep practicing...Hee hee. For starters, why not an exercise mat?

[phyco126]

Well, where I come from it's perfectly legal for 14 year olds to drink beer, as long as you never got caught .

[Alunissage]

Breaking the law is still breaking the law even if you don't get caught. And a disturbing number of people who start drinking in their early teens become alcoholics later in life.

[Mei Ling]

Oh dear. That's so sad. ><;

We can't drink in the pub here, anyway. Strict. Very strict. Those who drink in the pub will go to prison and such. >_<

[phyco126]

Heh, I'm not going to argue with Alunissage on that one. I mean, look at all those college/university kids that died last year, and the year before last. 'Tis a shame really.

[Asmodean]

:: looks at previous posts ::

...and on a more CHEERY note.

HI!!

Welcome to the boards. It can be a very magical place here.
Except when other posters that will remain nameless are around. JENNER!

Good times.

I'm Asmodean the local Court-Bard/Human Torch of the group.

WHOOT! My first time post as the Court-Bard/Human Torch of Lunar-NET.
I can SO multi-task!

[Dragonmaster Lou]

Breaking the law is still breaking the law even if you don't get caught. And a disturbing number of people who start drinking in their early teens become alcoholics later in life.

Meh, it all depends on how you're introduced to it. Given as how many, if not most, American teens are introduced to alcohol by sneaking behind their parents' backs and getting plastered on the rare occaisions they can get the booze, yeah, it's no surprise they become alcoholics.

European kids, especially in countries like France, Portugal, Italy, etc., tend to be introduced to drinking responsibily by their parents and under their supervision, as in you can have a glass of wine (sometimes watered-down, depending on the age of the kids, although I've never seen kids earlier than their teens given anything more than a "finger dip" of booze to drink) with meals, perhaps the odd toast on special occaisions, etc. I don't think they are more likely to grow up to be alcoholics than someone who waited until they were 21 to drink -- at least, that's the pattern I've seen with my own relatives, both here (family of Portuguese immigrants) and back in Portugal.

Admittedly, I didn't drink when I was a teen, but that's mostly because I didn't like the taste of alcohol back then, despite my parents being okay with me trying it under their supervision. Even now, I'm not a huge alcohol fan, although I will have the odd drink every so often.

[phyco126]

Well, actually, my dad used to let me have drinks of his beer when I was a child. We (My sister and I) where also allowed wine for the new years. My personal beliefs where that the harder you try to keep it from your kids, the harder they will try and succeed to get it.

[Asmodean]

...WELL I TRIED TO DO THE HELLO THING! BUT EVERYONE IS JUST GOIN' ON ABOUT THE BOOZE!

...personally I've never had any, that's where my whole sXe thing comes in. It's a personal choice really.

GOOD TIMES!

I've also given up candy, soda, and beef.

ST. Patty's Day will NOT be any fun without my Corned Beef.

:: sigh ::

[Dragonmaster Lou]

Well, actually, my dad used to let me have drinks of his beer when I was a child. We (My sister and I) where also allowed wine for the new years. My personal beliefs where that the harder you try to keep it from your kids, the harder they will try and succeed to get it.

Exactly. Better to have a little with your kids and teach them to enjoy it responsibly than to let them get trashed at some random party during high school behind your back.

[Kizyr]

I don't buy it.

I've refrained from alcohol my entire life. Most everyone in my family has refrained from it their entire lives. We simply don't drink, no need, no desire. Though, it's considerably different in that there's a religious injunction forbidding alcohol.

It's hardly a matter of self-control; it's pretty damn easy not to do something. Usually the 'introduce a little at a time' argument I hear voiced by folks who want to legitimize drinking as a minor. I rarely hear it from parents. KF

[Mei Ling]

Hmm, it actually depends on self control, I guess. If you keep on drinking, you will start taking it as a drug or something. A little is fine, but sadly, not too much. It's a nice experience to taste A BIT of it, but not too much... >_<;; Well, for me, that is. I drank a BIT myself during new years. (and got drunk... XD )

[Alunissage]

I think what they're getting at is removing the secretiveness and cachet of the forbidden. In that context alcohol is just one way to break the rules you know you're supposed to be following. I actually knew one family where the mother got her daughter drunk around age 12 so that she would know what it felt like to be plied with drink. It's not something I would have wanted my mother to do -- and as much as I dislike the taste of alcohol it'd be pretty difficult -- but presumably Lisa's mom felt that that was better than leaving her daughter ignorant, knowing that she was likely to attend parties and such (unlike me). And she might have thought that Lisa wa smore likely to try it if she didn't know what it was like, even if she knew it was a bad idea.

Just out of curiosity, Kizyr, how is medicine with alcohol in it treated, like Nyquil? Is it allowable for that purpose, or do you avoid all cough medicines and such with alcohol?

[Kizyr]

Just out of curiosity, Kizyr, how is medicine with alcohol in it treated, like Nyquil? Is it allowable for that purpose, or do you avoid all cough medicines and such with alcohol?

Medicines are generally accepted. For the same reason that morphine as a painkiller after surgery is acceptable, and anaesthesia is likewise acceptable for surgery, but not for recreational use. That much is a pretty clear-cut issue, though there are minor disagreements (e.g., what if you have the option between a strong medicine with alcoholic content, and a slightly weaker one with no side-effects?).

On the other point, if you treat alcohol like it's some strange and wondrous thing to hold off on 'til a certain age, then you build up an allure to it. If you treat it like my family does--somewhere between poison and piss--then there's no mystery. I just don't like how most folks treat alcohol consumption like some sort of right, something that's inevitable that they'd better get used to or else; if you don't believe it's inevitable to drink, then it's pretty damn easy to avoid. KF

[Dragonmaster Lou]

On the other point, if you treat alcohol like it's some strange and wondrous thing to hold off on 'til a certain age, then you build up an allure to it. If you treat it like my family does--somewhere between poison and piss--then there's no mystery. I just don't like how most folks treat alcohol consumption like some sort of right, something that's inevitable that they'd better get used to or else; if you don't believe it's inevitable to drink, then it's pretty damn easy to avoid. KF

I can agree with what you're saying there. Personally, I view alcohol as a privelege, not a right, and one that you forfeit if you don't partake of it responsibly (and choosing not to drink at all, for whatever reason, counts as "responsible" in my book). I for one didn't really start drinking until I was 21 by choice (with the exception of the odd glass of champagne at weddings and New Years). But like anything else that requires responsibility, kids need parental guidance to teach them to be responsible about it. Hence in your family's case, where alcohol is a total no-no, or in my family's case, where it's like, "It's okay to have a glass of wine with a meal, or a drink or two for celebration every once in a while, but not okay to get plastered," it's perfectly reasonable. It's the families that make alcohol out to be a "wonderous thing," as you put it, that are more likely to have kids (and adults once they grow up) drinking irresponsibly because of the lure of the forbidden fruit that only adults can consume.

Granted, even with proper "alcohol education," some kids end up irresponsible -- it's human nature, after all. Still, removing the "adults-only forbidden fruit" status does go a long way towards limiting that problem.

[Roas Atrades]

First, hi and welcome, hope you enjoy yourself in everything Lunar.

Now, booze

I never drank as a teen. I had plenty of opportunities, but since it was technically illegal for me to do it, I decided why should I need to?

I didn't even drink in college until I turned 21. Now, since my B-day is in January, I did not return to college that year until after X-mas break. One week back, I got a call from my buddies that weekend.

"Hey Roas (they used my last name, but we'll just use Roas, heh), come on over and have a drink with us," they said.

Now, I was 21, and being that it was legal, I suddenly had no problem going over to my friend's room and having some beers with the boys (Note: I am a mutant and do not suffer from hangovers. I am only very hungry the next day). And from that point on through out my college career, I always drank myself silly with my friends. Now, I went to school on an inclosed campus, so when I went boozing with my friends, only walking was involved, so there was never any problem of getting around. And in my senior year, everyone came to our dorm, so the farthest I went was next door to my best friend's room, or down the hill to another friend's place for the bigger parties.

Now, I had a good time in college drinking, because for me it was a social thing. I basicallly used it to hang out with all my friends while doing various activities. But once I left college, drinking has become an extremely small part of my life. I did alot of it in college, but since then I've maybe gotten truly plastered twice in the past four years since my graduation, both times being mini reunions with college pals.

So, as I see it, drinking can be done responsibly if the relationship between parents and children is open and honest. My parents never told me not to drink, they didn't have to because they had made sure I knew the good and bad aspects of alchohol. They trusted me to make intelligent decisions concerning substances, and I did.

Knowledge is power

[Dunkleheit]

I prefer my frumentum in my muffins. Muffins rock.