Weekend Discussion: The Fight Against Binge Drinking
Let me preface this by saying that although I’m not a parent (yet, hopefully), that doesn’t mean that I don’t think about issues surrounding raising children, especially since just about everything involving raising children eventually affects the society at large.
So last week I read an article entitled:
Letting kids drink early reduces binge drinking
which of course mentioned Italy as a country in which drinking (especially wine) is introduced to children at an early age, thus removing the mystique of alcohol and making social drinking just that–social–as opposed to binge, defined as five or more drinks in one sitting.
The article talks about the problems of drinking (11 million underage drinkers), and in particular binge drinking (7.2 million) in the United States. For other international readers, the UK and Australia are also experiencing problems, and here‘s information on some other countries as well.
Immediately I thought of a New York Times article from a few months ago:
Rome Welcomes Tourism Con Brio, but Not Too Much
which resonated throughout the Italian expat blogosphere; Shelley (At Home in Rome), Elizabeth (Cross-Cultural Moments), and Tina (Pecorino e Miele) all wrote about it and got some great comments, so do check them out.
From my personal experience in Italy (although admittedly not in Italian universities), drinking just to get drunk simply isn’t a normal occurrence around here. A glass of wine (or two) with lunch or dinner is quite common, and if someone under the legal drinking age (hey, does Italy even have one?) wants a sip, it’s no big deal.
Some say, though, that even those social norms are changing and that the influence of some other, ahem, different drinking cultures are influencing Italian youth especially. Indeed in the posts and comments discussing the NY Times piece listed above, a common thread is that American study abroad students and other tourists are contributing to the corruption, if you will, of impressionable Italians.
So what do you think? There are great arguments on both sides of this issue discussed here, so I hope you’ll have a look and then come back and tell us:
Does making alcohol a normal part of the meal/family gatherings take away the intrigue that children may feel to sneak a few sips here and there? Could this be a way to fight against the kind of binge drinking that so many teens and those in their early twenties (and beyond!) take part in?
Or does it only encourage underage (and possibly a lifetime of) drinking and even pave the way to alcohol abuse?
If you’d like to share your own experiences as a child, teen, and/or parent regarding alcohol, I’d love to hear those too.
Buon weekend…e salute!
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Ryan, I’d say it took a good six months until I was comfortable with what I was understanding and feeling able to communicate what I wanted–even longer until I felt like I sounded remotely intelligent when I tried to form sentences. Be patient!
As for the mail, I got a book in the mail from the US that was mailed on September 10…today, October 9. Best of luck. Yes, luck of the draw seems to be the key phrase as I’ve had other stuff come within a week.
Luigi, thanks so much for the link! What a coincidence, eh?
And Sabine, definitely feel free to post on this–the more discussion the better!!!
Hi, I’m a new “native” fan!
I think somehow the relationship between Italians and alcohol is influenced by the “bella figura” thing: if you want to appear at your best you have to be in control. Looking wasted and throwing up on the streets is not the best thing to be known for.
Enrico
I’m a little late to the game here, but I had to chime in…Like Qualcosa, I too had a comment all ready to post, and then began reading the comments, and realized most of what I was going to say, has been said…so…I’m just going to go with it anyway.
This is actually a discussion that I have had on several different occasions with different people. I too was brought up in a home (Portuguese-American, not Italian) where alcohol was ever present. Like many of the commenters, I have many memories of being allowed a sip of wine, or a “watered down” version of whatever mom was drinking with dinner, especially on the big holidays. My cousins and I would delight in the fact that we were partaking of the “adult conversations” with our glasses of “wine” when we were as young as 10 or 11. Even before that, I have memories of eating escargot at a bar with my dad in Portugal, while he drank a beer, and now and again would let me take a sip. As has been said, alcohol was never taboo, therefore, it was never an issue. In highschool, when all my classmates were going out and binge drinking, I wasn’t the least bit interested. And to this day I’ve never gotten so drunk as to “black-out” or get sick from it. I’ve always enjoyed a social drink, but have always been the one to drink less than everyone around me. Does this mean that my parents allowing me to drink at a young age prevented me from binge drinking? I don’t know. My brother was brought up in the same household (although he is 9 years younger than me), and he definitely indulged in the binge drinking culture with his friends as a high schooler. But on the same token, even if he did indulge, he knew my parents wouldn’t be upset with him for drinking too much, therefore, he never felt the need to drive home drunk so he wouldn’t get caught out being drunk. He’d simply call home and say “I’m too drunk to drive, I’m not coming home”.
I think the commenter who said that you’d have to change the whole of the culture was closer to the solution.
It was really interesting reading all the comments/ the full discussion on this.
Enrico, you make an *excellent* point about the bella figura…the concept is usually one that annoys the hell out of me, but I suppose in this case it actually works for the better.
And benvenuto!
Karina, I’m so glad you went ahead with your comment
Another culture heard from, and more mixed results. I think we’re seeing here that, as always, it’s so hard to generalize and say “yes this works” or “no it doesn’t.” So many different factors must be considered…sometimes it amazes me that civilization has continued for so long 
Binge drinking is endemic here in Australia. It’s not only acceptable to get painfully drunk, it’s worn like a badge of honour. Everybody has a story about a six star hangover, or passing out in a bar, or coming home in a paddy wagon. Instead of being ashamed of this, we brag about it. I work for a company that tends to promote excessive drinking. We have regular awards nights where alcohol is not only provided, but encouraged. You all hit your sales targets this month? Spirits on the bar!
Unfortunately a study published here recently (sorry, but I can’t find the link at the moment) found that children who drank any amount of alcohol at home were much more likely to become binge drinkers later on than those who had none.
I agree with Enrico’s comment that it is far more likely to be the concept of ‘la bella figura’ that keeps Italians from drinking than a few sips of wine at the dinner table growing up. There are myriad cultural influences that contribute.
A positive Australian social change that has occurred over the last thirty years is the denigration of drink driving. We have random breath tests, particularly around problem times such as Christmas/New Year’s, and any driver blowing over 0.05 is charged. Drivers in their first three years of having a licence have a zero limit. Punishment includes fines, community service, loss of licence and in some cases, jail terms. Although these laws are strictly enforced by the police, they are upheld by the community. People really think that if you drink and drive, you are a bloody idiot.
I have hope that like our attitude to drink driving, our acceptance of excessive drinking overall will diminish over time. After all, during World War II, Australia had the world’s highest rate of smoking, at 75% of adults, and today I understand we have the lowest. All it takes is a complete change in attitude and an enormous social change. Yeah. Good luck with that.
Stella, thanks so much for your comment! It’s always interesting to read about other countries and how they deal with the same issues.
As has been said, I’m sure, I think *the way* children are introduced to alcohol is the most important, not necessarily the age at which it happens. If mom or dad is always drunk, well, I think studies show that alcoholism definitely runs in families. On the other hand, if mom and dad drink responsibly, I think that can go a long way in showing children the right way to incorporate alcohol into their lives.
It’s such a hard balance, and as you said, will take a great social change. Not easy, but those cigarette stats give me hope!