Sir, - A letter to your paper from a very sensible and well-adjusted young girl, not afraid to voice her opinion (October 27th), has prompted me to write. Her reference to one of our well-known and very popular television personalities and her objection to his tendency to mention alcohol consumption as the way to celebrate contestant's winnings was commendable. Her healthy attitude is good to see in one so young.
The drink culture in Ireland is becoming ever more worrying. We are affectionately known as a nation of drinkers, but the reality is that we have a problem with alcohol. Our children are "taking to the sup" as young as eight or nine and we know that the earlier a person begins to experiment, the higher the likelihood of dependency. "Detox" clinics are opening their doors to children as young as 14 and 15 - alcoholics before they reach the legal age for alcohol consumption! Alcohol is the most abused drug in our country today and yet society seems to accept, condone and even encourage it! Our children are taking to drinking excessively because they are being let. Maybe it is time for a change of attitude and an introduction of proactive anticipatory strategies to combat alcohol abuse.
By nature, "growing up" involves rebelling, challenging and experimenting. Children have a need to be liked and accepted as "one of the gang". Parental control in the face of all this is not easy to achieve - not easy, but necessary. We want to believe we can trust our children to make the right choices in every situation. The reality is, however, that in many situations children see only their immediate wants and desires and act on those. When in a situation where temptation to experiment is huge, they do not foresee the possible consequences, they just "go for it".
We cannot condemn them for this - they are just children. They have not yet developed the ability to foresee consequences. As adults we must begin to recognise this and begin to limit our children's freedom to situations where we know they can cope, until they develop the ability to choose for themselves with an awareness of consequence.
Where alcohol abuse is concerned, the reactive approach of introducing ID cards in order to prevent alcohol being sold to people under the legal age for consumption has not worked. We need to acknowledge that young children are experimenting earlier and earlier and employ a preventive approach in order to avoid experimentation becoming abuse and addiction. Maybe introducing young people to the substance in a controlled environment rather than letting them loose to their own devices would be a start.
If teenagers are eager to experiment, allow them but in a supervised setting. Teach them how to drink to enjoy it rather than to abuse it. Model the habit of a healthy approach to drinking. Talk to them about alcohol and discuss its enjoyment as well as the many consequences of its abuse. We must not continue to condone alcohol abuse among our young people, or blame the Government for not implementing corrective strategies. We must start taking responsibility. Our youngsters deserve better. They deserve from us our love and concern, our genuine interest in their wellbeing and positive action! - Yours, etc.,
Orla Farrell, Loreto Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.