First Drink

A recent study shows that most children get their first full drink of alcohol from their parents. And children are getting their first drink at increasingly younger ages. What does this mean:

  • Younger = Riskier: The younger a child at first drink, the greater the likelihood of alcohol abuse problems later in life. From the article: "Also, When kids drink at the age of 12 or 14 they are at increased risk for many problems - car crashes, risky sexual behavior, academic failure, illicit drug or tobacco use, among others."
  • Parents are the First Teachers: According to a 2005 Roper Youth Report, 74 percent of children ages 13 to 18 cite their parents - not advertising or any other outside influence - as the No. 1 reason why they choose to drink alcohol or not.
  • Kids Can't Understand The Risks: Kids 12 and up are incapable of understanding the risks involved. They are concrete thinkers, which means they see right and wrong in nearly absolute terms. If their parents give them alcohol, they are more likely to see alcohol as allowed, safe and even potentially harmless. They learn through their environment.
  • For Children of Alcoholics, The Problems are Greatest: For a child growing up in an alcoholic home, there are few risks greater than alcohol. Understanding and perceptions around alcohol are already distorted; drinking at home only makes a bad situation much worse.
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