and find very creative ways to drink. trust me I know cause I did it myself. instead of investing in education you make the teens the guilty ones but the parents r the one who needs to be in charge, the risponsibility should be on the parents, what you r going to do when you caught minor who drink? they r minors, what jail time? as I see it this is just gov excuss not to give funding for education.

Years ago there were no such problems ,people dont change but the times and their challenges do.You need targets and ideals,without them not everybody can navigate their way. I am not religious but seems to me that there are are a few answers there, but not only.

We have a few of those around here who can't control themselves from steamrolling over our social fabric. PS: Teachers, check your kids' water bottles - chances are.................

the violence among teens does not stem from increasing alcohol consumption since it was already long prevalent before this increase. The violence stems from the cultural and socio-economic background of these teens. In short, as unPC as it is to say, ALL Israelis know who cause the violence and most of the accidents in Israel- ARSIM! and those of us in Israel know what ARSIM are and do... They simply need to be re-educated just like their parents were when they came here, ie to value hard work and education rather than showing off their cars, knives, fists and misogyny!

There should be a law; no selling of alcohol to minors. I have seen kids buying alcohol in supermarkets & at kioks.This must be banned now.If we adults dont protect our kids, who will? PS; alcohol must also be banned in the IDF.

maybe.. just maybe.. Israelis drink to forget.. to sleep a little better at night.. they might have a conscience after all..

their houses as well as in the parks, beeches etc. is illegal and is punishable by Law.

What's next, tearful stories about your nocturnal enuresis? Poor dear.

#8, generally you are correct, but there is (or at least has been) one major exception. In New Orleans, you could carry alcoholic drinks in "go cups" (cups not made of a breakable material) from bar to bar, within the Vieux Carré or French Quarter. I am not sure if this is still permitted, but I took advantage of that rule myself in New Orleans during trips there during the late 1970s.

Bom bom :-)

and the huge smuggle of liqueur, the 30's full with stories. it didn't stop people from drinking shift it to underground smuggling.

Good post Nadav, I agree with you. You forgot to add, ARSIM wearing their thick gold chains around their necks !!!

#8 So true plus the drinking age is 21

I would say about 80% of Russian men in Russia, and ditto in most of eastmost Eastern Europe are alkies. When you get out of the bigger cities and into smaller towns and villages it's closer to 99.9 percent I would say.

Not tell whether I had a frontal labotomy or a bottle in front of me.

King Solomon gave only ONE reason for heavy drinking that is acceptable to Y'hovah. If the person drinks a lot because of a HEAVY HEART, that is allowable and not counted to the person as an irremedial sin. Drunkards who are unrepentant go to hell, unless they drink because of a heavy heart. I think the reason drunkards who do not repent and change, go to hell after death is because most drunkards do not provide for their own, an eternal death penalty offense to the Lord. That is my guess. Drunken-ness caused ancient Israel to be invaded by Assyrians and cease to be a nation (Northern Kingdom) and be dispersed among the nations as the lost tribes. Their Sunday sabbath and calf worship was also an offense to the Lord. Judah was spared for a time, but their sins became a stench in the nostrils of Y'hovah, too, eventually and they lost their nation, too. The nation is restored to Judah (tribes of Judah, Levi, and Benjamin), so don't spoil it with drunkenness.

I have lived in England for many years and trust me, we don't want this alcohol problem in Israel. I have seen what it can do and every weekend the scenes in the 'party' areas of cities are not pretty.

one of my children's teacher explained to me how most of the children in school have no contact with thier parents , either they are divorced or both working all day and have no time for them , or busy socialy ,were they prefer to spend thier time with neighbours AND friends instead . so what do you excpect from the youth

There's a midrash about Noah's post-flood vineyard and the consequences of his subsequent drunkenness. It speaks of four animals: the lamb, the lion, the monkey and the pig. Just a little alcohol leaves us more relaxed and content, like the lamb. A bit more, we become more boisterous and aggressive, like the lion. We drink yet more, we make fools of ourselves, like the monkey. And if yet more, we end up in our own filth, like the pig. Youngsters simply don't have the maturity to handle liquor. Nor do many adults. Its sale needs to be taken out of the corner store, which has an economic incentive to sell. The large grocery store close by sells only beer and wine at regulated hours, and only to those 21 and older. Don't think the religious are free of this problem. I was at a shabbat dinner at the U of Haifa in summer 2005 during which there was a lot of liquor and one of the hosts moved well into "monkey" stage - and he was reading Torah the next day!

All stricter limits will do is increase the amount of alcohol-based crime.

Greetings from Hawaii - 1 - I believe the "drinking age" in the U.S. is set by state and local law rather than Federal law. 2 - Prohibition came as a result of widespread alchol problems in our country (not the first time, either). Otherwise it wouldn't have passed. No "bunch of biddies or preachers" could've otherwise shoved it through. 3 - Prohibition didn't just cause loss of respect for law in our country. The U.S. now has as much lower alcohol consumption and alcoholism rate than, say, Europe and the U.K. Plus we here in Hawaii are close to Asia, and know how much more they -- especially the men -- tend to drink there. (And yes, we Americans also attend church more than in Europe and the U.K., is that bad?) Hope the above is useful. Best wishes for your continued success, and to blend our warm ethnic greetings, Shaloha!

It's excellent that this issue is brought up. Alcohol does is not only a major health threat, it plays a major role in violent crimes, domestic violence, suicides and work related accidents. Alcohol related illness exerts a heavy toll on the health system as well. Children growing up with parents who abuse alcohol run a great risk of being neglected, becoming alcoholics themselves, developing depressions, anxiety and other psychiatric disorders. In short, alcohol abuse affects everyone and drains public funds. In Sweden, where alcoholism is a major problem, there have been several effective strategies implemented: Age limits 20 for buying, 18 for drinking in pubs/discos. Alcohol is only sold in licensed shops, heavy taxes are imposed and school children are being educated about alcohol and its dangers. There are government mandated alcohol policies and a zero tolerance policy regarding drunk driving. Being a country in the “alcohol belt” Sweden has come a long way. Israel still has a chance to turn this trend but action is needed now, on all levels.

This article is correct in blaming the kiosks for supplying underage children with alcohol. As far as education goes - many schools already have alcohol awareness programs but they seem to be missing the mark. How about putting responsibility for children drinking back on parents. Yes - how many parents turn a blind eye to their children's undesirable behavior because they are too tired or overwhelmed with life themselves to deal with it? Why must the school or the army be made responsible? Parents need to be educated about the problem and how to deal with it. Organizations like El-Sam do amazing work but very few parents take advantage of the programs they offer.

This is net new. We say where ever you find alcohol you find Jews and where ever you find lamb meat you find Greeks.

What if all whiskey sold to young people had to contain so little alcohol content that it would take an enormous amount before it could have a deleterious effect? Manufacturers of those beverages would be subject to fines if they ignored this, including, of course, those who sell it.