From the author: I am publishing an article that I wrote 12 (!!!) years ago, when very often schoolchildren’s journey from school to home began with a stop at a beer stall. Since then, laws have been passed that have introduced serious restrictions. Question to the experts: has the situation changed radically in your opinion? Do you have to deal with this problem today? Well, in fact, all your thoughts on this topic will be VERY interesting. Thank you in advance. Don't drink beer, kid, you'll become a little goat. “Beer makes you lazy, stupid and powerless.” Bismarck The path home from school for some teenagers has long begun with a stop at a beer stall, and on weekends, relaxing with a bottle of beer, they repeat the words of adults, is generally a “sacred thing.” And they don’t have time to notice how such a prank and a kind of “show-off” to seem to adults, develops into a vital necessity and the real impossibility of doing without this doping. What in the language of doctors is called “dependency syndrome.” Children and adolescents have a somewhat remarkable quality - the ability to live in the present, without looking back at the past and without rushing into the future. So confidently, rejecting all extraneous arguments and obeying the reality expressed in bright television advertising pictures, a new generation of those who “follow Klinsky” is born and grows up. Born, largely thanks to the tacit consent of his own parents, teachers and statesmen of Russia. “We sing a song to the madness of the brave.” Only doctors, like a prayer, repeat the words about the dangers of beer for a growing body and conduct all kinds of research, the results of which seem to frighten them alone and, not finding another reader, go to the table. Even today, the diagnosis of “dependency syndrome” is not inevitable for all of these children. Whether it will ever be delivered or not depends on many related factors. First of all, this is the age at which systematic drinking of beer begins. For fifth-graders, the risk is almost close to 100%. The frequency of systematic intake plays a role. Drinking a half-liter bottle of even weak beer at least twice a week is a reliable way into the life of an alcoholic. It is impossible to overestimate the psychological factor, no matter how hard you try. At the age of 13-15 years, life priorities are formed and the so-called formula of life, behavioral reaction and stable analogies are developed. This is the basis of psychological dependence. “There is almost always a chance to get out of a state of addiction,” says one of the most experienced psychiatrists-narcologists at a teenage drug treatment clinic, “only for teenagers who, excuse me, were formed as alcoholics, this chance is very small and you will have to pay an incredibly high price for it. Having been drinking beer since childhood, the boy has little idea of ​​how he can otherwise spend his free time - for him, rest is associated with alcohol. As a rule, by the age of 18, a social circle has already been formed, and these are the same guys with whom you drank together. It's not easy to break out of it alone. Often there is not even the opportunity to look at the world with absolutely sober eyes, there is no time to think about where you are going. The reason addiction is so strong is that when you don’t drink, the thought that persists and dominates in your head is when you will drink, where, with whom.” Of course, growing up plays a positive role in the lives of young beer lovers, if despite everything the platform has been preserved, certain conditions have arisen, there is work, the circle of friends changes, addiction itself may remain a thing of the past, but not everyone will be so lucky. There is a card on the narcologist’s table. with a medical history of a certain Imyarik. First appeal in 2000. He was 13 years old then. A concerned mother brought her son in after she noticed he was drinking a bottle of beer every weekend. He was observed for three years. During this time, he graduated from school with grief and entered a vocational school. He continued to “indulge” in beer. Doctors do not have the right to carry out forced treatment in such cases, and Imyarek himselfOf course, he didn’t consider his behavior out of the ordinary and, according to him, didn’t need help. It’s surprising that he showed up at the dispensary at all. “The worst thing is that parents often cannot cope with their child at this age and under such circumstances. Moms admit that they are afraid to say an extra word. The irritability of an alcohol-dependent child and adolescence are an explosive mixture, says a narcologist. In this case, as they say, there would be no happiness but misfortune would help. Recently, Imyarek, by the way, who dropped out of vocational school and already drinks one and a half liters of beer a day every day, after an accident, ended up in the hospital. There was a forced, rather long stop. His sober gaze fell first on his crying mother, then on the life around him, and he agreed to undergo treatment. On the one hand, there is nothing to talk about yet, on the other hand, this is at least some chance for him, for his mother and for the doctors. Surely, during the treatment, Imyarek will be asked more than once the question of why he actually started drinking. “From idleness and permissiveness” - this was the answer I heard from a 15-year-old young man with whom I talked at the stall. “Well, you must admit, if they didn’t sell, we wouldn’t drink,” he noted philosophically, answering my question whether it was too early for him to make such purchases. It turns out that the future of the nation is in the hands of sellers from beer kiosks. There has never been a law prohibiting the sale of beer to minors. Beer is not recognized as the alcoholic beverage it really is. I remember the last election campaign in Tver and the speech of the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Russia G. Onishchenko, who came to Tver. He once again expressed hope that deputies of the State Duma will consider the alcohol situation in the country and adopt an appropriate law. “The number of beer consumers in the country is 12 times higher than the figures of 10-12 years ago, and the growth in beer consumption is due to adolescents and women of childbearing age,” he stated. Russians not only have no experience in resisting colorful advertising, but also have a different mentality from the Western one. Imagine a German burgher. A man who scrupulously counts pfenings. From time immemorial, money in the West has decided a lot. There the son knew what he wanted. He must have a certain status and earn more than his father. If you drink a lot, you will earn little. And the broad-minded Russian people, along with the historical questions “who is to blame” and “what to do,” always tried to pose the question “do you respect me.” The main thing is not money - the main thing is ideals, which are almost non-existent today. As for Russian legislators, for them the opinion of all medicine, which was repeatedly expressed by G. Onishchenko (his voluminous article dated June 12, 2001 in the Teacher's Gazeta is significant) does not seem to be authoritative , therefore, there is no point in waiting for the law and they will lament that it does not exist. Probably, we can do at least a little - decide for ourselves, as adults, what we want for our children. Do you need proof that beer is harmful to children and teenagers? Do you want to verify this from your own experience and the experience of your children? Let's listen to the narcologists a little more. “What frightens us most is the indifference of parents,” they told reporters after conducting a survey in schools. Beer consumption at an early age, even in small doses, is a slow, but well-oiled and already running mechanism that leads to alcohol dependence. Once you start, your body will gradually require a larger dose and stronger drinks. A number of symptoms of addiction in adolescence are not pronounced, but when they become noticeable, it will be too late to sound the alarm. At the age of 18, patients come to us complaining of weakness, sweating, trembling in the hands and disturbing dreams, including hallucinations and psychosis.” In the best case, with the consent of the patients, treatment can begin, but these guys already have a lot of lost opportunities behind them. Doctors recommend that parents initially establish trusting relationships in the family and bear.