How wonderful, yes parents dont ban children (how young?) from dirniking at home or take drugs for that matter. And when your children bring home someone of the opposite sex, dont ban them having supervise sex either! Be responsible parents, put your daughter on the pill as soon as she is of age and oh yes, dont forget the injection against cervical cancer so that when she becomes promiscious, she will be protected against all kinds of sexual diseases. And remember to give your early teenage sons condoms. Have we covered everything? Oh and dont forget the pyschologist and the depression pills. When they are middle aged, they can then act their second childhood since they were deprived from being a child years ago, that is if they managed to live for that long. Hopefully uder supervision, they wont overdose on the drugs, be free of sexual diseases / HIV and not contract liver diseases from alcohol abuse. Thank God for wise parents who teach them the way of the Lord.

VirginiaDore, bribieIsand, Australia

I looked at the website of Alcohol Concern. They are funded by the Department of Health. So much for being a charity. Just another bunch of New Labour apparatchiks testing reactions to a policy aimed at controlling the citizens of this country to an even greater degree. It is us, the taxpayer that funds the "research" of this bunch of interfering prigs.

Simon, Medway,

Sorry to disappoint Dave in Leeds but here in Richmond it is legal to serve alcohol to your child in your own home if the child is under 21, and we DO have problems. The debate here is about the growing alcohol abuse among teens, and the number of parties being thrown by parents in their homes for children other than their own (quite illegal). This has resulted in at least two crashes involving drunk teens with resulting deaths. Oh well, the Queen visits here on Thursday. . .maybe she can enlighten us a bit.

Jackson, Richmond, Virginia

Being an American citizen, I can say with experience that enforcing a ban would do no good. The prospect of doing something 'dangerous', like drinking while underage is very appealing to kids and teens alike. I wish the US had enough common sense to recognize the importance of teaching our children, early on, the responsibility of drinking. To tell young people that something is 'for adults' is to give them motivation to get more of it. That is why we have an endless number of alcohol related injuries and worse yet, fatalities. Don't make that mistake!!!

Heather, Wilmington, NC, US

I think it is a good idea if teenagers were taught how to drink a glass of wine or small bottle of beer in a responisble manner with their Sunday dinner. There is a big differnce between that and encouraging kids to binge drink.

Luke Nicolaides, London, UK

I am 47 and grew up in a house where wine was used for cooking meats (especially rabbits) and whiskey and brandy were kept for "an emergency" - as a young child I sometimes threw up at night and somebody once recommended preparing a drink of warm water, lemon juice, honey and a few drops of brandy or whiskey to be given to me about ten minutes after I threw up to help me get better. Believe it or not this really used to help. I thus grew up associating wine with cooking and high alcoholic content drinks with medicine. I could never bring myself to drink socially let alone bilge drink.
I used to suffer period cramps and in my twenties somebody recommended drinking rum and hot water for this. This was effective but I could never get used to the taste of "neat" rum and hot water on their own so I used to lace it with sugar and/or honey.
I think such knowledge and attitude ,rather than laws as such, could prevent alcohol abuse.

Marina, Dingli, Malta

I have 3 children and when they were in their early teens mild alcahol was never denied at parties and they did not require any supervision [unlike their friends]. Ironically now they are all in their 20s and 2 of them are teetotal.

keith, leeds, UK

In most of the US, parents could have their children taken away for giving them alcohol if they're underage (under 18). And take a good look - we don't have ANY problem with underage drinking & alcoholism - that plan works SOOO good, right?

Uh, right...

I think we've proven it for you. Stupid idea - good that it was shot down.

Tony, Riverside, CA, USA

I think it is a good idea if teenagers were taught how to drink a glass of wine or small bottle of beer in a responisble manner with their Sunday dinner. There is a big differnce between that and encouraging kids to binge drink.

Luke Nicolaides, London, UK

I am 47 and grew up in a house where wine was used for cooking meats (especially rabbits) and whiskey and brandy were kept for "an emergency" - as a young child I sometimes threw up at night and somebody once recommended preparing a drink of warm water, lemon juice, honey and a few drops of brandy or whiskey to be given to me about ten minutes after I threw up to help me get better. Believe it or not this really used to help. I thus grew up associating wine with cooking and high alcoholic content drinks with medicine. I could never bring myself to drink socially let alone bilge drink.
I used to suffer period cramps and in my twenties somebody recommended drinking rum and hot water for this. This was effective but I could never get used to the taste of "neat" rum and hot water on their own so I used to lace it with sugar and/or honey.
I think such knowledge and attitude ,rather than laws as such, could prevent alcohol abuse.

Marina Xuereb, Dingli, Malta

Quite right as well. All the countries who do have children having a drink with parents at home don't have the problems we have. So their solution was to go the opposite way. Why is the only solution people come up with in this country to prohibit things? The problem isn't people having a drink under the watchful eye of their parents it is those unsupervised ones having unlimited amounts.Maybe if we had bars like those on the continent where the whole family could go and have a meal and a drink until late things would improve. Instead in this country children are not welcomed or have to be out by 9pm and most pubs are full of young people. Contrast that to Greece where you see families ranging fromtoddlers to grandparents all sitting down at 10 o'clock for a leisurely meal and a drink. Guess which country has less problesm with teenage drinking, pregnancies, drug -taking and which also has more respect for elederly people?

Dave Proctor, Leeds,

People who look younger than 25?! Thats ridiculous. This country is getting ridiculous.

Andrew, Newcastle,

The change needed is to attitudes, not to legislation. A ban would just create a bigger challenge to those under-age drinkers who drink for a dare or to show off. A public clamp down on the current binge culture would send a strong message to the young, but sensible drinking does need to be learnt in the home, and parents should teach by example.

Rosemary Guiot, Leamington Spa,

I remember from my days in school that we were told the key to avoiding alcohol abuse was to be in an environment where alcohol was consumed, and consumed responsibly. allowing your child (age 5-15) half a glass of wine with a Sunday meal not only demonstrates resposnsible consumption but by allowing them to take part in it enshrines from an early age the concept of responsible drinking.
Forbidding alcohol only adds an additional motive for children to drink, and without appropriate supervision or the presence of responsible adults to put the act into context it will very rapidly lead to abuse.

Robert McGuiness, London, England

Alcohol was freely available at home as I grew up and we even had a bar at the school I went to. I believe that this taught me a far more responsable attitude by not making it special or exciting, just normal. Banning things usually has the opposite effect.

Tim, mADRID, sPAIN

Yes, I agree with Richard from London. Stop this nanny state nonsense from prevading our lives.
Sorry, I've gotta go. I've bought a bottle of tequilla and I'm teaching my five year old how to make the perfect Margarita. He finds that Aladdin is even more enjoyable after two or three.
UK - we are not an alcoholic national. Everybody sing: Oh tequilla, tequilla rules the waves, blah blah blah blah blah blah ...drunken hoodies...

sam, edinburgh, scotland

Thank the Lord that yet more nanny state nonsense has this time been prevented from pervading our lives. The anti-smoking nazis have already triumphed with their intollerant demands.... never considering the very good and workable compromises. One gets the distinct impression that many of these do-goody "health" organisations see evil in most pleasures, and therefore feel the need to ban them. Their driving motive is not health, it is getting their own way.

Richard, London, UK

What?? Excuse me?? Did I read this correctly? Raise the legal drinking age in the home from 5 years old to 15 years old? So - as a "responsible" parent I can sauce up my 6 year old to better be able to cope with school etc.?? Any recommendations on a particular brand of Scotch, Rum or Sherry? Is a good Lager better than a pint of Ale? Or maybe I could train my kids on various wines? A joint of some dynamite Hawaiian-grown weed might go really well with a glass of 1978 "Petit Sirah" to put an 8 year old on the right track!. Oops - I forgot: I live in the USA, where consumption of alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal, be it in the home or elsewhere. Oh well - at least we have our guns!!

Michael, Boise, Idaho/USA

I am absolutely convinced from experience that children learn to use acohol sensibly in the home. If they grow up regarding it as something to accompany meals and are able to share in that, they are much less likely to become binge drinkers.

Geoff Nield, Nottingham, Notts

It is absolutely preposterous to think that parents should allow their children to consume alcohol at such a tender age. With evidence that alcohol consumption among children has proliferated, let us remind ourselves that such an insidious pleasure is also the cause of the countless physical and mental detrimental effects.

Phoon, KL, Malaysia

Children should be brought up in the presence of alcohol, of course, its education like everything else.

If the government put cctv in every home they would be able to moniter "young persons" alcohol consumption. . .

Grrrr

Nonplussed , London, Londinium