My childhood in the 1970s was marked by high gas prices and inflation. In particular, I remember coffee prices being very high and my parents often reusing the coffee grounds. To entice customers to eat out, restaurants would often advertise a "bottomless cup of coffee". In my naivity I used to believe that a "bottomless cup of coffee" meant you could drink as much coffee as you wanted before it ran out of the 'bottomless' cup.

Mary W.

My mother used to tell me not to drink soda in the morning or I would get a stomach ache. I held this belief until I was in college and even told my girlfriend not to have her morning diet coke because of this.

Keith

when I was little, I called coke and pepsi "Black Juice"

can I have a refil on the black juice?

When I was little, I believed that most alcahol tasted wonderfully sweet. I was dying to try it and I thought it was unfair that grown-ups wouldn't let me drink it.

Caitriona

My mom told me that a glass of water has gone bad when you can se bubbles in it. To this day, I have big problems with drinking bubbly water, even if I'm very thirsty and there's no fresh water in sight.

Liz

Since adults liked to drink alcohol so much, I figured it must be the most delicious drink ever. When I had my First Communion at 7 years old I took a sip of the wine and was horrified. It was the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted! I could barely make myself swallow the sip. After that I really didn't know why anyone would voluntarily drink alcohol. Now I know better.

Kim

That you had to be a male to drink beer.

andrei gaspar

My Grandfather told me that to make beer the companies poured it in a huge open-air vat and waited until the devil came and jumped through it. Then they bottled it and sold it. Guess what I still don't drink!

TLW

i used to believe that root beer was made with root juice and beer

tm

About the age of 7, whenever my mum drank tea/coffee, i asked her if i could have some and she used to reply

"no, if you drink tea or coffee you will turn black"

Obviously believing this to be true i didn't drink tea or coffee for bout 10 years,

until one day, when i decided to take my chances and made myself some tea!! now i love the stuff!

ZAF

When I was 7, upon approaching a soda machine with my mom, I was told that Fresca was alcoholic. It turns out she did not want me drinking things with aspartame in them.

jacki

I used to think that tea grew on trees already in mugs!

Anon

Up until I was about 6 or 7, I used to think that, instead of entering the prize codes that I would find on my soda bottle caps on the internet, you were supposed to say the code out loud, and the prize would just apper in your hands. I never tried my theory, though, because I thought my parents would be mad, since I thought the prizes would cost money, and the money would dissapear.

Marie

My mum told me that if you put too much concentrate in the glass for orange squash then I would get worms. Funnily enough i drink weak squash, and get laughed at by my friends.

Sophie

I used to believe, that robinsons tropical fruit juice,that is a horrible green was poison and I would never drink it when offered.

Laura

When i was little, i went to my uncle's house. I asked for some lemonade, but he told me not to drnk it because it made you small by shrinking you. i belived it had something to do with the bubbles, and the gas that somehow made you small. I told myself i'd never drink it again, but of course being little, i just forgot, and i've drunk it ever since!!

psychologically-damaged child

I used to think that drinking coffee would make you taller. My dad's parents were both short, and pretty much all he drinks is coffee. So when I was four, I started making coffee for him and myself. It's not working...I'm 5'3" and done growing...

Jessica Aspra

my family always used to go to this comic book/cafe place before they got sued. i always got chocolate milk, and the waitresses and my parents had me believing that they had a chocolate cow in behind the counter making it.

amie

when i was little my cousin told me that if i drank the fizzy drink 7-UP i would grow 7 inches ... so yes i drank bottles and bottles of the stuff but never grew!

Anon

Drinking exactly 3 litres of sunny delight made you turn orange.

Anon