Why parents may be fuelling teen drinking

When’s the right time to let your teen have a taste of alcohol? The answer, apparently, is 18 – the legal age for being able to take your first sip of wine or pint of lager in a pub – according to a new study.

Results from an American analysis have revealed that parents who allow their youngsters to drink watered-down alcohol in a bid to foster a responsible attitude to drink are wrong. Instead, it’s more likely to lead to them becoming heavy drinkers later on, says the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

A survey of 22,000 youngsters over three years followed those who’d had their first alcohol below the age of 15, between 15 and 17, and 18 or over. Authors behind the report found teenagers who’d consumed their first drink at an earlier age were more likely to turn to alcohol at a later age more frequently than their counterparts.

The authors have now urged parents not to let their children drink at all until the age of 18, because it’s thought a teen’s developing brain is

affected long-term and forges a link between alcohol consumption and pleasure. Deborah Dawson, a research scientist at the NIAAA, said: ‘We can see for the first time the association between an early ‘age of first drink’ and an increased risk of alcohol use disorders that persists into adulthood.’

A recent survey found Britain’s teens were amongst the worst in Europe in the drinking league – 54 percent admitted binge-drinking within the previous month.

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