Parents vary in the way that they perceive alcohol issues and they will bring to the forum different values regarding its use. Some will be regular drinkers, some will be abstainers. All views should be treated with respect. Some parents will have already experienced the dilemmas involved because they have older children. Some parents may work as doctors, police or welfare workers and have first-hand experience of alcohol misuse.
Safety is the main issue.
While some parents will think that alcohol use by adolescents is unacceptable, others will have introduced their child to alcohol as part of normal family life. For most parents the main issue is whether young people learn to handle alcohol safely. The advantage of the harm minimisation approach is that it addresses this central issue. If, and when a person begins to drink alcohol they should do so from a position of strength, i.e. knowing the likely effects and having considered the potential benefits and costs. Even people who do not drink alcohol need education because they will live and mix with people who do drink.