Giving kids ‘‘sips or tastes’’ of alcohol is not the way for parents to teach responsible drinking habits according to a University of Wollongong researcher.
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Lance Barrie, research manager at the Centre for Health Initiatives, said the findings of a major new study on parental supply of alcohol mirrored some of the research undertaken in the region.
Researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre found that teenagers whose parents supplied alcohol in early adolescence were three times more likely to drink full serves of alcohol at age 16, compared to those who did not.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers followed nearly 2000 parent/child pairs over four years in a bid to provide guidance to parents on how best to moderate their child’s drinking.
At age 12 and 13, close to one in six children in the study reported being given alcohol by their parents. By 15 and 16 years of age more than a third of the sample was being supplied alcohol by their parents.
‘‘There’s a misconception that by introducing alcohol early with sips and tastes, parents are teaching their children responsible ways to drink,’’ Mr Barrie said.
‘‘But what our research shows, and what this new study had found, is that the earlier parents provided alcohol to their children, the more likely they are to drink higher amounts when they hit their mid-teens.’’
Mr Barrie said parents were often confused about how to teach their children to drink alcohol responsibly.
‘‘A lot of parents make reference to the European or Mediterranean model where children may be introduced to alcohol at the dinner table from their early teens,’’ he said.
‘‘But the difference is that the cultural norms in those countries are very different to the cultural norms in Australia.
‘‘Here there is a culture, particularly among young people, of binge drinking and drinking at levels where young people are putting themselves at risk.’’
Mr Barrie advised parents to delay the initiation of alcohol for as long as possible.
Parents should also talk to their children about the dangers and risks of alcohol and make clear ground rules.
‘‘Alcohol can have an impact on brain development when introduced at a young age,’’ Mr Barrie said. ‘‘By the mid-teens, there’s a lot of risks around binge drinking, particularly around injury, harm, violence and sexually transmitted infections.’’
