Dear all, I don’t know what you got up to in your youth, but I do remember the odd party where someone (perhaps even me) had one too many and a bit of a hangover set in afterwards. But what if it’s your own children? What if your little one is throwing up from alcohol?
If this hasn’t happened to you yet (or you haven’t noticed it), just reading the first paragraph and imagining the situation will probably have stirred up some emotions. Phew, that uncontrolled world out there can really give you a fright sometimes.
Hangover: How would you deal with it if it happened to your own child?
Do you have an immediate instinct about how you’d handle it, or are you thinking: OMG, no idea how I’d react? How did your parents deal with situations like this when they caught you doing something similar?
The good news first: Gen Z drinks significantly less than our generation did back in the day. Binge drinking as a hobby doesn’t seem to be such a big thing anymore. My personal impression is also that far more protein shakes than mixed drinks are being sold to young people over the counter.
Had one too many? It can happen
But what if it does happen to your child? If they’ve overestimated their limits and end up vomiting? How important is it to you that your child is honest with you – does that play a role in how you look after them?
You know me, and through this column you’ve already gained a few insights into how we deal with teenagers, and I’d at least like to offer you the option of showing compassion.
If your child is feeling unwell, if they can barely stand up, then you’re allowed to be completely honest and say: “Oh my God, you poor thing” and also things like “When I’ve got a hangover, I actually feel like I’m going to die, I know how it is, it’ll be fine again, patience, patience.”
If this sort of thing doesn’t happen all the time, you can go to social services
And then you can make them some broth or buy a Coke and pretzel sticks at the petrol station to show: Hey, I’m here for you. You know full well how stupid it was to drink so much, and now you’re in a right mess, but I’m here for you and I trust that you’ll stay away from it for now.
If you’re currently clenching your fist in your pocket: all this applies, of course, if it’s the first time it’s happened! Or, indeed, very, very rarely. Because then you’re showing your child that they can always come to you with anything. And anyone who knows what a hangover feels like knows that’s actually punishment enough.
Everything has its limits: drinking shouldn’t become a hobby
HOWEVER, if getting drunk purely for the sake of drinking becomes your child’s hobby, then that is of course a different matter and – if it hasn’t happened long before – you are naturally entitled to have a serious talk with them. That the brain is still developing, that alcohol causes damage which is irreversible, etc.
However, I assume you have already discussed these issues anyway. That alcohol can lead to addiction, that it is a cell and nerve toxin, that it is very bad for the liver, that it weakens the immune system, that it leads to increased risk-taking and poorer sleep, that alcohol poisoning is no laughing matter and, if in doubt, the stomach must be pumped…
Until then, I simply hope that incidents like this don’t happen too often, but that they’re perhaps just part of growing up – and that common sense prevails in the end. But now, of course, I’m interested in your opinion: have you ever had a case like this? How did you react? Or how do you think you’d react if something like this were to happen?
