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Does it detect alcohol? EDIT: As the father of three daughters, I'm much more concerned with my daughters consuming too much alcohol, which puts them into a co

Does it detect alcohol? EDIT: As the father of three daughters, I'm much more concerned with my daughters consuming too much alcohol, which puts them into a compromised state of decision-making. I know those drugs exist, and have been used, but alcohol is much more prevalent, much more socially acceptable, and just as effective at reducing decision-making ability, and ultimately, the physical ability to resist unwanted advances.

Mountain_Skies 5y ago
Have you helped them get an understanding of how alcohol effects them? In many jurisdictions, even if it is illegal for a minor to purchase alcohol, it is legal for them to drink at home under the supervision of their parent or legal guardian. Lots of parents are horrified by the idea of letting their teen drink at home but it's an opportunity to help them learn their limits, understand how it affects their behavior, and removes the mystery and taboo from it. I'm not talking about having them do keg stands. Wine with dinner once a week and occasionally other types of drinks goes a long way teaching them how to deal with alcohol in a responsible manner. Obviously you want to control this because even adults sometime have trouble finding and abiding by their limits but you want them to discover this while still at home rather than during their first semester away at college.
- ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
  Anecdotally, and to reinforce your point, people in my family and a lot of my friends have been drinking since childhood and all of us have a normal relationship to alcohol. That being said I'm pretty sure every teenager will get way too hammered at one point or another, it's a quintessential teenage experience.
- jmt_ 5y ago
  A lot of people "learn how to drink" in college, often through trial and fire. Many of us have a few stories of getting too drunk in our early 20's and learning those consequences the "hard way". Considering how likely it is for any given young college student to engage in drinking/partying after leaving home, getting that knowledge in the safety of their parents home, ideally through experiences less harmful then maybe expected through learning the "hard way", guided by the more-experienced parents, what you suggest makes a lot of sense to me. For example, some people find it nearly impossible to stop drinking when they start, or they may have an alcohol intolerance leading to inebriation with much smaller amounts of alcohol - great information to know before going into an environment like college.
- _ph_ 5y ago
  I second that. It is pretty inevitable that teenagers get to experiment with alcohol, it is best to do that in a safe environment. My mother told me back then, that if I have to get drunk (and sooner or later one will get, especially when inexperienced and getting carried away), please do that in safety at home. While one shouldn't exactly encourage drinking, responsible drinking is part of our culture so allowing that for teens at the appropriate age (in Germany 16 and above) at home is the best way to give them the necessary experience and also being able to give advice where needed, as this then isn't a "taboo" topic.
DaltonCoffee 5y ago
If alcohol was tasteless, and a few milliliters could incapacitate someone to the point they risk being date raped, you'd have a point.
- jmt_ 5y ago
  GP has a very valid point. We've all seen college students too drunk. Too much alcohol could easily be consumed at, say, a party, leading to someone sexually assaulting the drunk individual. Yes, GHB will "knock out" someone in a way different from alcohol, but considering how ubiquitous alcohol is and how hard it can be for many people to cut themselves off before getting too drunk, I too would personally be more afraid of a college student getting too drunk over getting administered GHB or similar. Not to downplay date-rape drugs, but I just don't think they're nearly as common as alcohol.
  - meowface 5y ago
    Yes, but if the issue is detection, one can detect that they're consuming alcohol long before it would incapacitate them to that degree. They can't do that for GHB. I am aware they wrote that facetiously, but the issue really is about detecting things you don't want in your drink, not changing people's choices about what they want to consume.
- TameAntelope 5y ago
  Spoken like a man who hasn't paid $5 for access to the jungle juice at a house party hosted by a friend of a friend.
worewood 5y ago
It is much harder to unknowingly consume it in the amounts needed for that, though. The solution for that is proper education about its effects and about knowing their own limits. "When to leave the party" is knowledge everybody should have.
programmarchy 5y ago
You don't need an app to detect alcohol because you can taste it, unlike GBH.
- ianhawes 5y ago
  GHB is not tasteless; my understanding is it is incredibly salty.
Epiphany21 5y ago
Serious question: Have you ever had an alcoholic beverage made with hard liquor? Alcohol has a very strong flavor/burn. Even half an ounce of cheap vodka, the "flavor-neutral spirit", will throw off the taste of a glass of soda. Grain spirits with even more ethanol like Everclear are even harsher. There are cocktails that can mask the taste of alcohol well, but not entirely.
- prometheus76 5y ago
  You're looking at this from the "is it tasteable?" standpoint, and I am looking at this from a probability-of-risk standpoint.

Mountain_Skies 5y ago

Have you helped them get an understanding of how alcohol effects them? In many jurisdictions, even if it is illegal for a minor to purchase alcohol, it is legal for them to drink at home under the supervision of their parent or legal guardian. Lots of parents are horrified by the idea of letting their teen drink at home but it's an opportunity to help them learn their limits, understand how it affects their behavior, and removes the mystery and taboo from it. I'm not talking about having them do keg stands. Wine with dinner once a week and occasionally other types of drinks goes a long way teaching them how to deal with alcohol in a responsible manner. Obviously you want to control this because even adults sometime have trouble finding and abiding by their limits but you want them to discover this while still at home rather than during their first semester away at college.

ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
Anecdotally, and to reinforce your point, people in my family and a lot of my friends have been drinking since childhood and all of us have a normal relationship to alcohol. That being said I'm pretty sure every teenager will get way too hammered at one point or another, it's a quintessential teenage experience.
jmt_ 5y ago
A lot of people "learn how to drink" in college, often through trial and fire. Many of us have a few stories of getting too drunk in our early 20's and learning those consequences the "hard way". Considering how likely it is for any given young college student to engage in drinking/partying after leaving home, getting that knowledge in the safety of their parents home, ideally through experiences less harmful then maybe expected through learning the "hard way", guided by the more-experienced parents, what you suggest makes a lot of sense to me. For example, some people find it nearly impossible to stop drinking when they start, or they may have an alcohol intolerance leading to inebriation with much smaller amounts of alcohol - great information to know before going into an environment like college.
_ph_ 5y ago
I second that. It is pretty inevitable that teenagers get to experiment with alcohol, it is best to do that in a safe environment. My mother told me back then, that if I have to get drunk (and sooner or later one will get, especially when inexperienced and getting carried away), please do that in safety at home. While one shouldn't exactly encourage drinking, responsible drinking is part of our culture so allowing that for teens at the appropriate age (in Germany 16 and above) at home is the best way to give them the necessary experience and also being able to give advice where needed, as this then isn't a "taboo" topic.

DaltonCoffee 5y ago

If alcohol was tasteless, and a few milliliters could incapacitate someone to the point they risk being date raped, you'd have a point.

jmt_ 5y ago
GP has a very valid point. We've all seen college students too drunk. Too much alcohol could easily be consumed at, say, a party, leading to someone sexually assaulting the drunk individual. Yes, GHB will "knock out" someone in a way different from alcohol, but considering how ubiquitous alcohol is and how hard it can be for many people to cut themselves off before getting too drunk, I too would personally be more afraid of a college student getting too drunk over getting administered GHB or similar. Not to downplay date-rape drugs, but I just don't think they're nearly as common as alcohol.
- meowface 5y ago
  Yes, but if the issue is detection, one can detect that they're consuming alcohol long before it would incapacitate them to that degree. They can't do that for GHB. I am aware they wrote that facetiously, but the issue really is about detecting things you don't want in your drink, not changing people's choices about what they want to consume.
TameAntelope 5y ago
Spoken like a man who hasn't paid $5 for access to the jungle juice at a house party hosted by a friend of a friend.

worewood 5y ago

It is much harder to unknowingly consume it in the amounts needed for that, though. The solution for that is proper education about its effects and about knowing their own limits. "When to leave the party" is knowledge everybody should have.

programmarchy 5y ago

You don't need an app to detect alcohol because you can taste it, unlike GBH.

ianhawes 5y ago
GHB is not tasteless; my understanding is it is incredibly salty.

Epiphany21 5y ago

Serious question: Have you ever had an alcoholic beverage made with hard liquor? Alcohol has a very strong flavor/burn. Even half an ounce of cheap vodka, the "flavor-neutral spirit", will throw off the taste of a glass of soda. Grain spirits with even more ethanol like Everclear are even harsher. There are cocktails that can mask the taste of alcohol well, but not entirely.

prometheus76 5y ago
You're looking at this from the "is it tasteable?" standpoint, and I am looking at this from a probability-of-risk standpoint.