Kids and Supervised Drinking

It’s a hotly debated topic among many parents. Is it okay to give your children sips of alcohol?
While research has shown there may be negative consequences among kids 12 and older, experts say little is known about how the practice may affect younger ones and according to data cited by one of the study authors from the Addiction Research Center at the University of Michigan, by age 8 about one-third of children have had a taste of alcohol. This new research focused on an on-going study looking at risk factors for early onset alcohol use. 452 boys and girls were interviewed All were 8 or 10 years old at the start. Their parents were also questioned. The data showed two main things First, children who sipped alcohol before age 12 reported that their parents were more approving of kids tasting alcohol and more likely to drink themselves. Their parents echoed the same sentiments. Second, young children who sipped alcohol did not appear to be at increased risk of behaviors like problem drinking, drug use or delinquent behavior


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