Drinking and trick-or-treating

kaydee77 · November 2014

Is it normal for parents to be drinking while taking their kids trick-or-treating? When we were out tonight, we saw people pulling coolers of beer in wagons, several parents drinking beers, and also bottles of vodka being passed around! I can't imagine doing this while out with my kiddo. Yes, I like to drink, but I at least waited til we got home to crack one open lol. Does this happen in your area? Am I behind the times?

michelle7482 · November 2014

Yup

MomToNeeners · November 2014

I'm sure it is where I live but I'm not okay with it. I'm a nurse and a paranoid parent. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. But my DD has a lot of behavioral issues and I need to make sure I'm on top of things. Maybe if she was asleep I would have a drink but other than going out and her being with a babysitter or fam, nope!

mcgeeva · November 2014

Yep I had a glass of wine while I walked the neighborhood. There was no driving around and I was by no means drinks. We have neighbors that were driving their grade school kids around in gold carts with a bottle cracked.

MomToNeeners · November 2014

I very rarely drink and I'm a lightweight. Like 3 shots and I'm drunk lightweight...

MomToNeeners · November 2014

Well I'm talking about alcohol in general. I don't drink wine or beer. The OP mentioned beer and vodka.

JENandJEH · November 2014

MomToNeeners said:

Well I'm talking about alcohol in general. I don't drink wine or beer. The OP mentioned beer and vodka.

But even that doesn't mean shots. Last year, some good friends and I had Baileys and coffee while taking our kids ToTing in the rain. I can assure you that we were not sloppy drunk and were still perfectly able to care for our children. I agree with the poster above about setting a healthy example as opposed to pretending it is completely taboo.

smileybabyboy · November 2014

Yes, they were doing it here too.

shannm · November 2014

MomToNeeners said:

I very rarely drink and I'm a lightweight. Like 3 shots and I'm drunk lightweight...

How does 1-2 beers or mixed drinks over the course of an hour or two = three shots?? I'd be drunk after three shots and I don't consider myself a lightweight. My guess is that most parents doing this aren't acting like 17 year olds and taking multiple and frequent shots.

dufferoo · November 2014

I always thought drinking while trick-or-treating was trashy (as well as being technically illegal). But this year my daughter's friend's mom brought over hot spiked cider, so we gave it a whirl and it was pretty darn fun! So I see both sides. Really, though, the spirit of Halloween is a little bit reckless, so I think parents being "bad" is a little appropriate.

alrighthamilton · November 2014

We drank with our dinner before, but there were plenty of parents drinking while trick or treating. My aunt, who came with us, said that in her neighborhood the parents used to take shot glasses along. They would go to doors and get a shot of liquor while their kids got candy. This was 30-35 years ago, when my cousins were young, so I guess drinking while trick or treating is an ages old tradition.

MomToNeeners · November 2014

Before I became a nurse I was a bartender. Just because you mix it with something doesn't make it any different in how the body processes it.

ashiscute · November 2014

I really think it's odd that you think no parent could drink responsibly in front of their children. Your opinions on alcohol are really unhealthy.

There's a huge difference between throwing back 3 shots at dinner compared to making a pitcher of margaritas for everyone.

MomToNeeners · November 2014

I have a child with behavioral issues that is sometimes destructive. I'm also a nurse. If anything would happen, I don't want to be impaired at anytime. That is my choice, and not the choice of others. Just because you don't feel buzzed or drunk does not mean that you aren't impaired. If something happened and you had been the only person responsible for the child or children you would be nailed to the cross just like you ladies are trying to do to me. I'm done here.

BabyNewbury2012 · November 2014

Parents were doing it in our neighbourhood too! And dang I was PISSED! BUT only because I didnt think to do it myself lol!!!! Its all in fun, im pretty sure no one is getting hurt.

Beevol · November 2014

MomToNeeners said:

Before I became a nurse I was a bartender. Just because you mix it with something doesn't make it any different in how the body processes it.

... No.

Public Health PSA:

What you mix the alcohol with or more importantly the ratio of alcohol to other food/liquid is one of the top determining factors in how your quickly your body processes the alcohol and thus your blood alcohol level. Beer is usually 4-8% Alcohol By Volume (ABV), wine is generally 9-15% ABV, for hard liquor divide the "proof" in half to get the approximate ABV (40 proof is close to 20% - really it's 1 proof is 4/7 of a percent not 3.5/7, but half is way easier to calculate).

The more food and other liquid in your stomach when you drink, the slower that alcohol hits your blood stream. The liquid you consume as part of that alcoholic beverage, whether it's the other 92-96% of the beer or it's orange juice with your vodka, counts and makes a difference. A shot of rum on an empty stomach will wreck you faster and harder than a glass of wine had over 30 minutes with dinner, even though they technically have the same amount of alcohol in them.

Consuming alcohol, especially red wine etc, regularly but in moderation has been linked to numerous positive health outcomes and is considered normal and healthy in American society. It's important as parents of children that we role model healthy behavior. Having a glass of red wine with dinner is not as important to model for kids as finishing all your broccoli, but it's still a good thing for kids to know what drinking in moderation, as an adult, looks like.

When your kids are 18 and in college you want them to make a better choice and not take 4 shots in 10 minutes and end up in the hospital getting their stomach pumped (if they're lucky - a kid in my high school's graduating class died from alcohol poisoning because his friends didn't want to get in trouble by calling 911 when he got sick).

As for having a beer one night a year while walking around your neighborhood in a costume asking strangers to give your kid candy? Sounds like fun to me! I am 8 months pregnant, so I escorted DD sober. Maybe next year?

shannm · November 2014

MomToNeeners said:
Before I became a nurse I was a bartender. Just because you mix it with something doesn't make it any different in how the body processes it.

Oh good lord, please tell me where you work so I can avoid that hospital.

It is about the speed at which you drink the drink. Three shots in an hour vs three cocktails over three hours is a HUGE difference!

DawnJM25 · November 2014

I had a glass of wine before we went out. DH was working so I had the kids by myself so I didn't have enough hands to take a drink with me. Otherwise I would have!

skibunny59 · November 2014

I never noticed it before until last year where I saw a number of parents with coolers while their kids were trick or treating. I'm pregnant so I couldn't really drink this year anyway but honestly, I could take it or leave it. I had a really fun time trick or treating without drinking but I think it would also be fun with drinks.

michelle142 · November 2014

People do it, but it's not exactly legal. Open intoxicants laws and all that jazz.

jennyelf · November 2014

I don't remember it being the case when I was a kid (but maybe I just didn't notice). I did notice it with other parents when we were out with kiddo and was surprised, but mostly due to open container laws. I don't really drink, so it's not something that appeals to me, but if that's what other parents want to do, meh.

lana22 · November 2014

that sounds fun. maybe next year...

Ya Never Know · November 2014

I've never seen that here. It probably doesn't occur because it would likely violate one of our many stupid bylaws. I wouldn't oppose it. As long as parents are responsible about it, I wouldn't see why it's a big deal.

Drinking and trick-or-treating

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