Parents, think again before offering your child a sip of beer at your summer barbeque. A new study from Brown University found that kids in 6th grade or younger that were allowed to sip alcohol were five times more likely to have a full drink of alcohol by the time they were in 9th grade. Compared to teens who had not sipped alcohol when they were children, they were four times more likely to get drunk or binge drink. The study, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, reports one-third of the students said they sipped alcohol by 6th grade, with most saying they got the alcohol at home from parents or another adult. Researchers say these findings dispute the idea of sipping as a protective factor, and that offering even just a sip of alcohol may undermine messages that underage drinking is not acceptable.
Most research suggests that kids who aren’t allowed to drink at home, and have higher levels of parental supervision, are much less likely to drink outside the home in high school and college.
Some tips for parents to remember:
- Be clear with your kids that you disapprove of underage drinking
- Limit access to alcohol in your home and ask other adults to do the same
- Think about what your kids hear. Sometimes we unintentionally send kids the message that we need alcohol to cope with problems or have a good time
- Set rules ahead of time for parties and make sure an adult is home to check up on them
- Talk early and talk often! DrugFreeAZKids.org has some great ways for parents to get a conversation going about the dangers of underage drinking for 4-6th graders, 7-9th graders and 10th – 12th graders.
