Fair enough then...perhaps quoting who you were directing it at may avoid confusion?

In any case, back to what cam was saying...sure common sense dictates that you dont do this and that around your children it but I think the children need to be protected in some way. It's not fair on them that you may be smoking around them or using recreational drugs, they dont have a choice in the matter.

Edited by user 10 August 2009 02:10:39(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

As I've said already, parenting is not done by some book where everything is an absolute right or wrong. Families on the continent grow up around alcohol and learn to respect alcohol. If you respect alcohol then statistically speaking you are less likely to go out and binge drink in the park with your friends when you are 15. That is obviously not going to work for every single family, but it does work for large numbers.

Telling your kids "alcohol is bad, stay away from it" and they are going to go "oooh, I wonder why it's so forbidden, lets give it a go." And because they are a teenager they are going to be quite reckless and drink a large quantity because the effects don't hit you immediately. And so they could end up needing their stomach pumped.

Again, it works on the continent. They have a much more mature attitude to alcohol and don't have the huge binge drinking issues that the United Kingdom has.

Since you are so keen on quoting from the bible, here's a story from it for you. God made man. And then he nicked a rib and made woman. And God said "yo homies, every here is free for you to help yourself to. Well...except this one tree, the tree of knowledge. Don't eat the fruit from that tree." "Why not?" "Coz I said so, and I'm clearly smarter than you." "Hmmmm." God then goes away. Eventually, Eve thinks his back is turned and so grabs the fruit and takes a bite because you just have to know why this is forbidden. I mean if it's forbidden, it must be good. That's human nature.

Honestly, there's a point where debate stops being a debate and starts becoming both sides repeating the same thing over and over. So until someone else chirps in, I'm done with this thread.

They would say it's bad. But they aren't the ones parenting your child, right? If you listen to everything they say, you're an idiot and your child will be so sheltered from real life that they won't be able to function independently in society.

Steph, you were an idiot whether we were getting along or not. Of course I would give my child one pill. You don't understand what the people here say to you, and you just get mad and say the same thing over and over again.

I'm trying to debate, just like everyone else here. But when you get involved, it kind of ruins things because you're impossible to debate with. MAKING YOUR TEXT BIG AND RED JUST MAKES YOU LOOK STUPID. You are 20 fucking years old, grow up.

Edited by user 10 August 2009 03:20:10(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Which is EXACTLY what you were doing to me.

Anyway, back on topic, the proffessionals obviously are going to be right, and they are right. Drink and drug's are bad for you. But the point is, are you going to make the choice for yourself, and make a judgement, or are you going to do what people say the whole time. Because one day, the people that are telling you will get it wrong.

Yes, there was a smear campaign and it was pretty over the top. The people just lapped it up because they were generally too blithe and ignorant to know otherwise. It could have been different during Nixon's term in office when he had commissioned a study into the effects of weed following the 60's and a commision set up for it came back saying that it should be legalized. The obvious thing was to tear the report up because Nixon hated hippies and launch the highly idiotic war on drugs. Thus it continues and shows no sign of ending.

There should be a law about it, even if it's not taken seriously by 50% of people. If anything it will raise awareness.

This is essentially what the whole topic comes down to for me. Yes, drugs can indeed have a serious impact on your life. I mean you can die if you take too much aspirin. Ultimately though, what I do to my body is my choice and it should not be restricted by anyone. Educate people on the risks and then ultimately treat adults like adults and let them make up their own minds.

I do not want to live in a nanny state where I'm molly-coddled from risk by the government because "Big Brother knows best". The concept of freedom is very important to me, and an important aspect of freedom is the ability to make my own mistakes.

Edited by user 10 August 2009 12:08:29(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified