MSD

I really don't understand why people think that just because you aren't 21, you shouldn't drink. I see a big connection between our country's problems with alcohol and prohibition, especially teen alcoholism and binge-drinking. In Europe, kids start having a sip of wine with dinner before they're 10. They don't drink too much, it's considered a normal part of life, and they have very few problems with alcoholism.

I very simply don't give a shit what the law says about when I should start drinking. I don't drink in public, I don't drink and drive, I don't drink enough to pass out, throw up, or lose control of myself, and nobody else should be allowed to tell me whether or not this is right.

Alcoholism is chemical dependence on alcohol, addiction to it, not how many drinks you have per day. It isn't a problem to have a few drinks per day, the problem is if you can't go a day without those drinks. At this point, you need to have people support you and go completely dry to avoid hurting yourself.

Six drinks a day sounds like a high number to me, and is probably an indication that you're increasing your intake to achieve the same effect due to increased tolerance. Then again, if I've eaten in the past 4 hours, I won't feel six drinks, and it would take at least twice that many to get me drunk. It's all relative. I think a much better indication of alcoholism is the classic questionaire: Do you frequently drink alone? Do you "top up" before hand if you think there won't be enough alcohol at a party? Do you find yourself drinking more than you used to to get the same effect? Do you black out or suffer from memory loss after drinking? etc...