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Treatment for addiction takes many forms and depends on the needs of the
individual. In accordance with the American Society of Addiction Medicine, we offer
information on outcome-oriented treatment that adheres to an established continuum of
care. In this section, you will find information and resources related to evidence-based
treatment models, counseling and therapy and payment and insurance options.
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Parents may want to think twice before letting their children taste alcohol.
A report by the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University found that children who have sipped alcohol by the sixth grade are more likely to consume a full alcoholic beverage, get drunk or drink heavily in high school than nondrinkers.
“Our findings that early sipping is associated with elevated odds of risky behaviors at high school entry dispute the idea of sipping as a protective factor,” the study’s authors concluded. “Offering just a sip of alcohol may undermine messages about the unacceptability of alcohol consumption for youth.”
The purpose of the study was to predict whether minor alcohol consumption at a young age was linked to future drinking problems.
The report, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, evaluated web-based surveys involving 561 middle school students in Rhode Island. Most of the students were female and 32 percent were nonwhite.
Nearly 30 percent of the group sipped alcohol by the fall semester of sixth grade. Many participants said their first taste occurred at their own home in the presence of an adult. Some students said their first experience with alcohol came at a special gathering, such as a wedding.
For many, the first taste of alcohol involved beer or wine. Just 3 percent of students reported drinking distilled spirits.
The average age when participants reported taking their first sip was between 7 and 8 years old.
The study indicated that 26 percent of students who sipped alcohol by the sixth grade went on to consume a full drink by the ninth grade. Just 5.5 percent of nondrinkers went on to have a full alcoholic beverage by the ninth grade.
However, Dr. Kristina Jackson, study co-author, told CNN that less than 10 percent of students who sipped a drink reported getting drunk by the ninth grade.
Jackson said it is important the child knows when drinking is acceptable. She does not advise parents to offer their child alcohol, as it may send the wrong message. Young people may fail to recognize the difference between drinking a sip and drinking multiple beverages.
Parental Absence Associated with Childhood Drinking
Parental absence may also lead to alcohol consumption during childhood.
A study published in Archives of Disease in Childhood found that children in the United Kingdom who experienced parental absence due to death or separation were more likely to smoke or drink by age 11.
The findings also indicated:
Drinking was more common than smoking among the group.
More boys than girls reported having tried alcohol.
Children who experienced parental death and chose to drink were more likely to consume enough alcohol to feel drunk.
The child’s age at the time of parental absence did not influence the results.
The authors assessed data on 10,940 children from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study. Researchers oversampled children from socially deprived areas or regions with large amounts of ethnic minority families.
“Consequently early life might be an important time to intervene in order to prevent the uptake of risky health behaviors,” the authors concluded. “Health behaviors established earlier in life are known to track into adulthood.”
Nearly 8 million people aged 12 to 20 reported drinking beyond just a few sips in 2015, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This age group drinks 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States.
Children and teens drink for various reasons. They could turn to alcohol to cope with peer pressure or stress. Many underage people want to try alcohol but do not realize the consequences of drinking.
Using data from 2006 to 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that underage drinking is a factor in the deaths of 4,358 people under the age of 21 each year.
Drinking also affects academic performance, impairs judgement and interferes with brain development in teens.
Medical Disclaimer: DrugRehab.com aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.
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Jackson, K.M. et al. (2015, March 30). The Prospective Association Between Sipping Alcohol by the Sixth Grade and Later Substance Use. Retrieved from Retrieved from http://www.jsad.com/doi/full/10.15288/jsad.2015.76.212
Lacey, R.E. et al. (2016, October 10). Parental absence in early childhood and onset of smoking and alcohol consumption before adolescence. Retrieved from Retrieved from http://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2016/08/24/archdischild-2016-310444.full
Wallace, K. (2016, October 7). Kids allowed sips of alcohol are more likely to drink in high school, study says. Retrieved from Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/07/health/sipping-alcohol-kids-drinking-impact-parents/
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