Again, Stanton, your points are both accurate and illuminating. The fear of creating a problem causes many parents and significant caretakers to avoid addressing important social issues with their children. That same fear precipitates ignorance and a failure of social skills that often generates the problem associated with those same issues that are being ignored.

Regretable, that...and, as you point out, most dangerous.

Blessings,
Michael

Very good site! juyhdsflad

my biggest problem with addiction was cigarettes. after quitting and going back several times, I reallized that I only become a failure when I stop trying. I do currently drink and I believe it is affecting my life in a negative way. i also go to church which there are several others who drink... i wander if they ever think they have a problem but justify it buy saying they only drink 2 a night..there is deffinatley a war going on inside of me..

Have you heard of the research of Bruce Alexander from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia? He offers a complete rebuttal of the classic addictions research based on the Skinner Box experiments-- totally amazing, check out "Rat Park" in Walrus magazine (Canada); December 2007 issue.

i agree with you in the fact that the home is where children should be exposed/talked to about the things that are sure to flood their lives such as sex, alcohol, drugs. but i have a problem with the fact that this isnt a completely accurate portrayal of families that drink together. a very close friend of mine grew up in a house that allowed drinking, and very much with a mentality "we would rather you do it here than out there". his mother took him to a wedding and allowed him to drink, he ended up blacking out and she was drunk too but decided to drive him home, thank god they were okay. now his 13 year old sister is allowed a glass of wine every night at the dinner table just like her mom. my close friend drinks beers with his dad and uncle and watches football games. seems like an okay story? except for the fact that their mother is constantly drinking and constantly drunk, their father is an awesome guy but when he drinks he becomes agressive and explosive and after much heartache i discovered my friend was the same. their family is pill popping, alcoholic, and "supportive". if the parents cant even be responsible with substances why do they get credit for having a "supportive" family unit? this support created an environment that allows substances as a part of life. this "supportive" parenting style has done nothing but to encourage drinking, of course there will be kids who will sneak out and drink because their parents tell them not to (when they have a beer in hand) maybe the best way to control this epidemic is to start with never showing your kids how to do it and showing them that you can be normal and not drink and by showing them more importantly that you do not need it to get through the day.