How can you not miss this headline, "A Stocked Bar For Holidays Can Be Introduction To Addiction". According to a survey done by SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), 650,000 underage drinkers were given alcohol by their parents or guardians. On the surface this sound horrible; giving your kids booze is despicable. Right? If you think about this statement, it can be turned another way. All these parents knew that kids are going to drink, why not show them an appropriate way to drink. A glass of wine with dinner or a couple of beers watching a football game. I doubt these parents gave them alcohol with the intention that they get hammered at Billy's pool party.

If you really look at the data that they are pulling this from, it tells a different story. It is partially extracted from this document, "Underage Alcohol Use:Findings from the 2002-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health", published by the US Dept of Health and Human services. Upon further reading it mentions that more kids get alcohol from someone else under 21 or from an unrelated person over 21. If they were 18-20 years old, they were more likely to buy it themselves. This fact is also interesting, "Among current drinkers aged 15 to 17, those who paid for alcohol when they last used alcohol consumed an average of 6.1 drinks, and those who did not pay for alcohol consumed an average of 3.7 drinks." So if you get it free from Mom you drink less than if you buy it from the bootlegger. I'm sorry that was a totally biased and unfair statement on my part.

I also like this quote from Mike Kent of Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s premier drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers (or so the article/advertorial claims).
"Many parents of our clients who come to rehab to battle an addiction to alcohol or drugs never imagined that a holiday tradition such as beer while watching football, a hot toddy before dinner, wine with dinner or rum spiked eggnog to sip on throughout the day could be the precursor for their loved ones journey in addiction".
Did you know that Narconon is run by the Church of Scientology? If Wikipedia says so it must be true.
Addictive behaviours can be harmful to anyone; family, friends, children or oneself. It does not matter if it is to alcohol, drugs or video games. Addictive behaviours is a real mental illness and not as a result from a lack of willpower. If you or someone you love has a problem contact Alcoholics Anonymous or contact your local public health office. Do not call the toll-free at the bottom of a misleading newspaper advertorial.