It is generally assumed that giving children small amounts of alcohol at home during early adolescence will teach them to drink responsibly and in moderation later in life. But, the study from America’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) suggests that exposure to alcohol at an early age could augment a child’s risk of developing dangerous binge drinking habit through his or her adulthood.
The NIAAA study researchers found that young people who had their first taste of alcohol before the age of 15 were more likely to develop alcohol dependency in later life, contrary to the common belief of parents that allowing kids to drink will make them more responsible drinkers in later life.
“We can see for the first time the association between an early ‘age of first drink’ and an increased risk of alcohol use disorders that persists into adulthood,” said Deborah Dawson, a research scientist at the NIAAA and co-author of the study.
To reach their findings, Deborah Dawson and fellow-researchers studied data collected over three years from more than 22,000 young Americans. The researchers first divided the men and women studied into three groups: those who were first exposed to alcohol under the age of 15, between 15 and 17 and 18 or over, and then compared their drinking habits with the development of alcohol problems.
After analyzing the data, Dawson and colleagues found that study participants, who drank alcohol, even in small doses at dinner time, before the age of 15 were more likely to become alcohol-dependent as adults.
The study's findings suggest that any teenage exposure to alcohol, especially before the age of 15, may cause changes in the developing brains of adolescents that can raise the person’s desire to drink in later life.
According to Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, the brains of adolescents are more susceptible to be influenced by factors such as what they eat, drink or smoke. Several researches have already shown that the brain develops really dramatically in early adolescence, and the kids’ brains are very adaptable and changeable, she said.
Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman and president of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, says that a teenager who reaches age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol or taking drugs is most certain never to indulge in these activities.
Dr Edel McAndrew, a clinical psychologist who practices in Manchester and Ireland, said, "Some parents try to introduce alcohol under their supervision but it is 50:50 whether that young person will develop a slow-to-moderate drinking habit which is socially acceptable or go on to develop more serious problems."
In order to avoid developing uncontrollable craving for alcohol one should try it at the age of 18, the researchers suggest.
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