The article above refers to the recent changes in alcohol consumption laws in Milan. Milan has always embraced wine as part of the local culture – children and young adults included. The easy going attitude of Italians to their younger population drinking is about to change, but these new laws have not been welcomed by all – especially not the bar tenders who feel they have effectively been asked to police Milan's young people.
“In a country where for centuries wine has been part of local culture – and prohibition would be unthinkable – the ban has come as a shock.”
But how will this change in policy impact on the children who it is designed to help? Children as young as 11 years old are experiencing alcohol related problems in Milan. The idea is that if alcohol is not so freely available that younger people will not develop so many problems, but what about the children who are already experiencing problems?
In a country like the UK, where alcohol has never been part of the growing up experience, at least not in local cultures across the board, we often discuss if relaxing the drinking laws so alcohol is not such a mystery until late teenage years would halt the binge drinking we see devastating teenage lives – do you think this would be the case or has culture just changed too much in recent years for relaxed drinking laws to work in any European country?
Fascinating article and it shows some determination to attempt to halt the increase in under age drinking in Milan.....why only Milan?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I don't think it will work as the Italians are not known for their adherence to laws they don't 'like' or they think infringe on their lifestyle and having relatives living in Rome, I know what their attitude would be - a most Italian shrug of the shoulders.
Much depends on what else they do to support young people who have already succumbed.
Personally, I don't think allowing youngsters to experience a little alcohol early in life does that much harm and potentially, as the French have found, it develops a much healthier attitude to alcohol in later life - prohibition never works!