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I'm so discouraged...
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 305030" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Legal drinking age in Australia is 18. Once you're 18 you can go into any pub or club and drink at the bar. You can go into any grog shop and spend up big.</p><p></p><p>Cigarettes - legally purchasable once you're 18. You're supposed to be asked for ID if there's any doubt because a shopkeeper selling to anyone under-age can be prosecuted.</p><p></p><p>Drugs - a problem. In our village the local (suspected) drug dealer lives across the road from the primary (elementary) school. In country towns it's a similar story (in this, we resemble a classic coastal country town). Trying to protect your kids from access to drugs - almost impossible if they want to get drugs, to stop them from getting them. I know with various family members whose kids have got into drugs, their parents were not able to prevent, and the drug influence was despite everything the parents could do, it was not due to neglect, or turning a blind eye. The drug influence comes from outside, from peers who use drugs or push them. Kids get into drugs initially, because it's the cool thing to do. Our kids aren't into sex as much as US teens (from what I gather) but the drug problems here are just as bad, if not worse. Our kids DO have sex while under age (age of consent is 16, here) but there is far less peer pressure to have promiscuous sex; most of our sexually active kids are serial monogamists.</p><p></p><p>From what I gather about DS19 - he's a social misfit, even in his own peer group. On the fringe, a bit on the outer. Using whatever money he has to buy friends, to buy favours. This often involves (with this sort of social problem) an older kid buying cigarettes & alcohol for those under-age. In turn, the under-age kids will procure other things (ie drugs). If DS19 got into drugs initially because the others were doing it, plus the supplier needed another customer (especially someone easily manipulated) well, the problem is bigger than that now. Once someone discovers that drugs make him feel more confident, be seen as more cool - they keep using. I'm certain that's what happened with my oldest sister's son who ended up doing hard time in jail for prostitution, drug possession and robbery (all to pay for his habit).</p><p></p><p>So socially, it's difficult for a parent to control the legal actions of someone under their roof who isn't breaking the law. Example - once my kids were legally old enough to drink, they could buy their own spirits and bring them home. Similarly, difficult child 1 not being allowed to have caffeinated drinks was something we could no longer enforce. As long as they didn't break the law, there really wasn't much we could do. Legally adult, legally permitted to do this. Of course, while driving OUR cars we could insist on NO alcohol intake for the previous 12 hours. Australian driving laws for provisional drivers are - NO alcohol whatsoever. They even have to be careful of cough mixture!</p><p></p><p>Our kids cannot "go for their drivers licence" until their 17th birthday. They have to have driven (with a fully licensed supervising driver) at least 150 hours (in NSW) as well as having demonstrated proficiency in a long list of driving requirements. Once they pass their test, they spend a year on red P plates (P = Provisional drivers) which requires the red P to be displayed and also limits then to below a certian speed limit. Any accidents or infringements - they lose their licence.</p><p></p><p>After a year on red Ps, they go to green Ps for the next two years. This varies from state to state and constantly gets stricter.</p><p></p><p>No P-plate driver can have ANY alcohol in their system and we have random breathalyser patrols as well as mandatory testing in the event of ANY accident (even if it's not your fault).</p><p></p><p>So our novice drivers are older than in the US, by a fair bit. But our drinkers are younger. Sex is less a problem, drugs are just as bad if not more so. Binge drinking under-age is a huge problem, especially when old-enough 'friends' buy the alcohol for their young friends outside. it's also a way for an over-age drinker to afford more alcohol - a 16 year old will wait on the street corner and say, "I'll give you fifty bucks to buy me a slab of beer, you can keep the change." Some idiot parents will even supply their under-age kids who are going to a party. Cops will prosecute parents they catch doing this, they're clamping down increasingly.</p><p></p><p>Does that help flesh out some of the differences for you? Trish's son is unfortunately fairly typical of Aussie problem teens.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 305030, member: 1991"] Legal drinking age in Australia is 18. Once you're 18 you can go into any pub or club and drink at the bar. You can go into any grog shop and spend up big. Cigarettes - legally purchasable once you're 18. You're supposed to be asked for ID if there's any doubt because a shopkeeper selling to anyone under-age can be prosecuted. Drugs - a problem. In our village the local (suspected) drug dealer lives across the road from the primary (elementary) school. In country towns it's a similar story (in this, we resemble a classic coastal country town). Trying to protect your kids from access to drugs - almost impossible if they want to get drugs, to stop them from getting them. I know with various family members whose kids have got into drugs, their parents were not able to prevent, and the drug influence was despite everything the parents could do, it was not due to neglect, or turning a blind eye. The drug influence comes from outside, from peers who use drugs or push them. Kids get into drugs initially, because it's the cool thing to do. Our kids aren't into sex as much as US teens (from what I gather) but the drug problems here are just as bad, if not worse. Our kids DO have sex while under age (age of consent is 16, here) but there is far less peer pressure to have promiscuous sex; most of our sexually active kids are serial monogamists. From what I gather about DS19 - he's a social misfit, even in his own peer group. On the fringe, a bit on the outer. Using whatever money he has to buy friends, to buy favours. This often involves (with this sort of social problem) an older kid buying cigarettes & alcohol for those under-age. In turn, the under-age kids will procure other things (ie drugs). If DS19 got into drugs initially because the others were doing it, plus the supplier needed another customer (especially someone easily manipulated) well, the problem is bigger than that now. Once someone discovers that drugs make him feel more confident, be seen as more cool - they keep using. I'm certain that's what happened with my oldest sister's son who ended up doing hard time in jail for prostitution, drug possession and robbery (all to pay for his habit). So socially, it's difficult for a parent to control the legal actions of someone under their roof who isn't breaking the law. Example - once my kids were legally old enough to drink, they could buy their own spirits and bring them home. Similarly, difficult child 1 not being allowed to have caffeinated drinks was something we could no longer enforce. As long as they didn't break the law, there really wasn't much we could do. Legally adult, legally permitted to do this. Of course, while driving OUR cars we could insist on NO alcohol intake for the previous 12 hours. Australian driving laws for provisional drivers are - NO alcohol whatsoever. They even have to be careful of cough mixture! Our kids cannot "go for their drivers licence" until their 17th birthday. They have to have driven (with a fully licensed supervising driver) at least 150 hours (in NSW) as well as having demonstrated proficiency in a long list of driving requirements. Once they pass their test, they spend a year on red P plates (P = Provisional drivers) which requires the red P to be displayed and also limits then to below a certian speed limit. Any accidents or infringements - they lose their licence. After a year on red Ps, they go to green Ps for the next two years. This varies from state to state and constantly gets stricter. No P-plate driver can have ANY alcohol in their system and we have random breathalyser patrols as well as mandatory testing in the event of ANY accident (even if it's not your fault). So our novice drivers are older than in the US, by a fair bit. But our drinkers are younger. Sex is less a problem, drugs are just as bad if not more so. Binge drinking under-age is a huge problem, especially when old-enough 'friends' buy the alcohol for their young friends outside. it's also a way for an over-age drinker to afford more alcohol - a 16 year old will wait on the street corner and say, "I'll give you fifty bucks to buy me a slab of beer, you can keep the change." Some idiot parents will even supply their under-age kids who are going to a party. Cops will prosecute parents they catch doing this, they're clamping down increasingly. Does that help flesh out some of the differences for you? Trish's son is unfortunately fairly typical of Aussie problem teens. Marg [/QUOTE]
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