[Vision2020] Minor Consumption of Alcohol

[TIM RIGSBY]

Donovan states that:

"As any person with a brain knows, anti-alcoholic
policies are established to prevent minors from being
intoxicated, hurting themselves, others hurting them,
or preventing possible brain damage or death. It is
not meant for the purposes of preventing communion.
Alcohol is not a BAD thing when taken in small doses.
Millions of children consume alcohol in communion, in
medicine, and other religious practices everyday with
positive effects."

Well Donovan, according to the World Health Organization,
            "All children and adolescents have the right to grow up in an 
environment protected from   the negative consequences of alcohol 
consumption and, to the extent possible, from the promotion of alcoholic 
beverages."

So by allowing alcohol to be consumed in mass are we not promoting alcohol 
consumption?

WHO continues with,
           "Young people are more vulnerable to suffering physical, 
emotional and social harm from their own or other peoples' drinking."

Granted this could be argued that WHO is reffereing to binge drinking, but 
without the explicit definition of what "their drinking" means, we can 
assume that any amount of alcohol poses a threat to young people.

And more from WHO,
           "The health and wellbeing of many young people today are being 
seriously threatened by the use of alcohol and other psychoactive 
substances. From a public health perspective, the message is clear: there is 
no scientific evidence for a safe limit of alcohol consumption, and 
particularly not for children and young adolescents, the most vulnerable 
groups."

THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR A SAFE LIMIT OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION.  So 
does this mean that a little sip of wine could be a safe limit?  According 
to WHO, there is not safe limit of alcohol consumption.

WHO seems to think that children and young people are the most vunerable for 
alcohol use.  Does it seem appropriate then for children to consume wine at 
mass at a young age?  I know how I got hooked on the sauce in high school, 
it started at Catholic Church.  Nothing better than Father Carlos' cheap red 
wine.  Then again, maybe the wine was around to take advantage of young 
boys, ooh that was a low blow.

Tim

World Health Organization, 
http://www.euro.who.int/AboutWHO/Policy/20030204_1

P.S. Donovan, you state that 50-80% of Americans beleive in the same values 
and principles as Christ Church.  Did you make this number up or is there 
research behind your claim.  Generally speaking when people make claims in 
the nutrition field, the product they are promoting is bogus.  Could this 
idea be applied to your claim of 50-80% as well?  Or is there peer reveiwed 
research to support your claim?  Just a couple of questions about your 
information thats all.

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