Letting Kids Taste Alcohol Promotes Binge Drinking Later

Children who taste alcohol before sixth grade may be more likely to start drinking by the time they enter high school, according to a new study.

Researchers surveyed 561 middle school children in Rhode Island over a period of three years and found that the ones who were allowed to sip alcohol before the sixth grade were more likely to drink, and get drunk, by the time they began high school.

These early sippers were also four times more likely to get drunk or binge drink by their first semester of high school compared with their peers who abstained.

According to the study, many of the kids in the study reported that their parents were the source of alcohol.

"We need to be very careful not to assume that early alcohol consumption will somehow protect children or teach them how to drink safely," said Kristina Jackson, a co-author of the study and a researcher at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

"Our findings underscore the importance of advising parents to provide clear, consistent messages about the unacceptability of alcohol consumption for youth," Jackson said.

She said offering your child a sip of your drink is not advisable, as it may send the wrong message. It may suggest to young people that drinking is okay, especially when alcohol is offered by a parent.

"Younger teens and tweens may be unable to understand the difference between drinking a sip of alcohol and drinking one or more drinks," Jackson added.

The study was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.