It seems that it was yesterday when your baby was born and you saw his little face for the first time. He has learned to walk, talk, started school and suddenly one day you realize that he is no longer your baby, that his childhood has gone too fast. How could time have passed so quickly? Your sweet little angel has grown. Almost without realizing it, he arrives at the gates of adolescence and you face words that until now had no place in your father's dictionary, hard words that can kill, like alcohol and drugs.
My daughter just turned 12, the same age as the girl who died from ethyl coma in a bottle during a Halloween party. How is it possible? At what age do children start drinking? Although it may seem somewhat distant, it is not so much. Children grow very fast and we have to start prepare now to prevent alcohol consumption in our children.
Fell collapsed
One might think that it was the first time that the girl drank and did not know how to self-regulate the consumption of alcohol, a substance to which she was not accustomed, but the police had already taken her twice to her home in a drunk state. In both cases the parents were informed of their daughter's situation and were advised to control it, but apparently the dramatic end could not be avoided.
According to the young people she had that night with, around eleven o'clock she collapsed, so she was transferred to the health center in a shopping cart, but upon arriving she had already entered a cardiorespiratory arrest. They were able to reverse the stop and was admitted, with a very serious prognosis, to the October 12 hospital in Madrid, where he died the next day. It was just a girl!
At what age do they start drinking?
Despite the restrictions imposed for the sale of alcohol to minors, young people's access to alcoholic beverages is increasing. They buy them with the help of an adult and in some establishments it is not even necessary, since they turn a blind eye when it comes to selling them to minors, especially when the children appear older.
According to the Survey on drug use in secondary education in Spain (Estudes 2014-2015), of the Ministry of Health, Almost 80% of Spanish boys and girls between 14 and 18 have tried alcohol and the average age of onset in consumption is in the 13.9 years. Consumption at 12 years, like that of this girl, consider it as an "exceptional and unique" case.
The same research indicates that the consumption of legal drugs such as tobacco, alcohol or hypnosedatives is more widespread among women and that parents tolerate alcohol consumption much more than their tobacco use.
Binge Eating
The psychology professors of the Catholic University of Valencia, Ángel Turbi and Lourdes Alapon, also point out that the problem is that the pattern has changed and the starting form is no longer progressive, but suddenly. There is a consumption of binge eating, which causes alcohol poisoning at an age at which neither your liver nor your nervous system are prepared to metabolize excessive amounts of alcohol.
Ethyl coma occurs when blood alcohol levels are so high that the person loses consciousness and does not react to external stimuli. These levels depend on weight, sex (women tolerate alcohol worse than men), whether they have an empty or full stomach, the type of drink, if they are taking medication, liver function, etc.
Why do they start drinking?
Teenagers see "positive effects" on alcohol consumption: it acts as a disinhibitor, enhances social relationships and facilitates expressiveness, improving the possibility of fun and integration within the group of friends where most consume. They learn to have fun only if they are under the influence of alcohol.
Adolescence is a stage characterized by the transgression of behaviors, the desire to try new things, to want to do the same things that an adult does, and it has a lot of influence on group pressure phenomenon. Drug use normally begins in adolescence and in a group context, in which they seek social identification, recognition from friends and avoid teasing because they do not want to drink.
There is no doubt that the way to deal with this problem is to educate them in respect for diversity, to respect the decisions and tastes of others, and above all, teach them to say "no" so they don't feel pressured to make a decision against their wishes to feel part of the group.
How to prevent alcohol consumption
Now that you have young children, talking about alcohol and drugs may sound like something far away, but it is important to educate our children to prevent such situations in the future. It is not something that is taught from one day to the next, the learning they have had throughout their childhood will influence so that they, tomorrow, be able to make the right decisions and have sufficient social skills to resist the pressure of the group to drink.
These are some of the prevention measures What can you start taking:
Establish a caring and trustful relationship with your children
Talk to your children about drugs clearly and openly
Be clear and firm about the negative effects of drug use
Help your children resist the pressures of friends to try drugs
Meet your children's friends and their parents
Find out what your children do and where they go
Monitor your children's activities
Set an example: up to a third of children have their first offer of alcoholic beverages within the family environment
Encourage your children to perform healthy, fun and interesting activities such as sports, cultural activities, etc.
Since children start dating alone, be alert to the signs of a suspected drug use
