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At what age do most children first try alcohol?
The average age teen boys first try alcohol is age 11, for teen girls it’s 13. Nearly 10 million young people, ages 12 to 20, reported that they’ve consumed alcohol in the past 30 days.
Will a sip of alcohol hurt a 12 year old?
The bottom line. Giving small sips of alcohol to your child might seem harmless, but a growing body of research indicates that these early sips can increase the chances of your child drinking excessively in the future. No amount of alcohol is considered safe for children.
Should parents let their children drink alcohol?
Parents should delay their child’s introduction to drinking for as long as possible. Until the early 20s, the brain is growing and forming all the critical parts it needs for learning, memory, planning, thinking, and emotional stability. Drinking alcohol as a teen can disrupt brain development during this critical phase of growth.
What’s your child’s first taste of alcohol?
The researchers found beer or wine were usually a child’s first taste of alcohol. (Prior similar studies had reported early introduction was most likely to be a sip of hard liquor.)
What grade do kids start drinking alcohol?
But a new long-term study finds kids who had “sipped” alcohol by sixth grade were more likely to start drinking earlier and to abuse alcohol. The researchers found those who tried an alcoholic beverage by sixth grade were five times more likely than other kids to consume an entire drink by the time they reached high school.
Where do young people get their alcohol?
In most cases, their parents provided it, typically at a party or other special occasion. “For this early milestone of sipping, nearly all respondents reported obtaining the alcohol from an adult over age 21,” the researchers write. “Our study adds to the literature showing that parents are a frequently cited source of alcohol for pre-adolescents.”