If alcohol initiation frequently begins in the family circle, specialists advise to respect an age limit.
It was not until 1956 that alcohol was prohibited in school canteens for those under 14, and it was not until 1981 that this measure was extended to high school. Previously, it happened that wine or cider was served to minors. If today, practice is prohibited in schools, children taste alcohol with their parents and this even before they are 18 years old. According to figures of ESCAPAD 2017, OFDT shared by the government site drugs.gouv.fr,, 85.7% of 17 -year -olds have already experienced alcohol and 30% of these consumptions take place in the presence of parents. This initiation even begins the most frequently with the family, often between 5 and 10 years, advances the government site.
According to Lindsay Squeglia, researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina, there is, in fact, a certain confusion on the right way to teach young people to be responsible for their consumption. “We have long thought that if we teach his children to drink, they would not have any problems with alcohol. Research carried out in recent decades have really shown that it was not true,” she said to National Geographic. Children or adolescents authorized to consume alcohol by their parents would, on the contrary, tend to drink more abundantly.
A study published in National Library of Medicine explains that three risk factors can be controlled by parents: the supply of direct alcohol to their children, their favorable attitudes compared to this consumption and their own consumption. If parents drink in front of their children, they consider this action as a standard. It is also advisable to discuss it with your children so that they understand the effects and risks as well as to establish clear rules.
Lindsay Squeglia then advises to delay the initiation to drink as much as possible, in particular to protect the development of the brain still in progress. “For each year when a child delays his alcohol consumption, the probability that he has problems during his lifetime is reduced by 14%. Our main message is: delay, delay, delay,” explains the specialist.
Ilana Waserscztajn, clinical psychologist, highlights the importance of age and physical and psychological maturity. We must also clearly distinguish the fact of tasting by soaking the lips and the fact of really having a drink: “We can experiment around 11-14 years in my opinion, but obviously, today, at 14, it is not just a taste,” she said to Magicmaman.
For Laurent Muraro, general coordinator in Entraid’Addict, with France Assos Healththe limit would be around 13 years old: “Before 13 years, the protective prohibition is essential (…) However, even among the youngest, it is important to explain why this prohibition is posed, in order to give it meaning. After 13 or 14 years, a strict prohibition on alcohol could generate in adolescents a desire for transgression”. Repeat and repeat that alcohol is dangerous for health and to consume obviously in moderation.