New Study: Giving Teens Alcohol Doesn't Teach Responsible Drinking

Are you one of those parents who believe that giving their teens a bit of alcohol now will prevent heavy drinking later on? Many moms and dads think that a careful and gradual introduction to drinking, made under their watchful eye, will keep their kids from seeking it elsewhere, and help them develop smart, moderate habits heading into adulthood.

While this logic may seem to make sense, new research, published in the medical journal The Lancet Public Health Journal, says exactly the opposite.

The Australian study—the first to examine parental supply of alcohol and its long-term effects—tracked more than 1,900 Australian teens through six years of their adolescence (roughly from the time they were 12.9 years old until they were 18.9 years old—18 is the legal drinking age in Australia).

Each year from 2010 to 2016, both the teens and their parents completed separate questionnaires that included the following information: How the teens accessed alcohol (through parents, non-parental sources, or both), binge-drinking levels (that is, drinking more than four drinks on a single occasion during the previous year), incidence of alcohol-related harm, and symptoms of alcohol abuse. In the study’s final two years, the teens were also asked questions about symptoms of alcohol dependency or alcohol use disorder.