Can parents supplying alcohol to their children reduce binge drinking?

Researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) have published an article titled “Parental supply of sips and whole drinks of alcohol to adolescents and associations with binge drinking and alcohol-related harms: A prospective cohort study.” The researchers found no evidence that parents supplying small amounts of alcohol reduced binge drinking in later years. In fact, the authors found an association between parents supplying sips of alcohol with increased risks of adverse alcohol outcomes. Parents who supplied full drinks saw an increased risk of adverse outcomes. This finding builds on similar previous research which has come to similar conclusions. The best advice for parents is to delay the onset of alcohol use in young people, in order to minimise the risk of alcohol related harms.

Go to “Parental supply of sips and whole drinks of alcohol to adolescents and associations with binge drinking and alcohol-related harms: A prospective cohort study.” (Full text article is paywalled)

Go to the NDARC news article “No evidence that parents supplying alcohol to adolescents has a protective effect, new report finds.”