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Irish teens have first taste of booze in the house, research finds
CHILDREN first develop a booze habit in the family home, not in secret drinking dens, research has shown.
Making boozing a “normal’ activity around the dinner table means too many children consume alcohol before they reach 15.
And there is a dangerous culture in Ireland which means becoming a drinker is regarded as inevitable.
A study spearheaded by Drinkaware shows early education can reduce teenage alcohol abuse.
The charity’s Sheena Horgan said: “At 15 years and younger the age of the first drink in Ireland is unacceptable.
“There is no place for alcohol in childhood.”
The study followed 500 teenage students for three years. Researchers wanted to establish if education about drink had the power to change attitudes.
Early teenage years are a crucial period where lifelong habits and attitudes are formed. The children were taught evidence-based alcohol education at their schools. By year two it was clear lessons had been learned.
There was a 20% increase in knowledge about the impact of alcohol on mental health and strong awareness about the physical effects.
Four out of 10 of the group admitted to researchers they had already consumed booze before the study began.
Most of those who had tasted it had their first drink at home or in someone else’s house.
Professor Sinead
Mcgilloway of Maynooth University in Co Kildare helped track the students’ attitudes to alcohol.
She said: “The findings raise questions about how parents portray and model the drinking of alcohol in the home.”
The study also showed students who took part in the Drinkaware programme were more likely to be turned off booze for good.
As the study entered its second year of lessons, a bigger proportion of the students had decided they would delay starting to drink for as long as possible.
Ms Horgan said: “What’s emerging is a clear rationale for earlier evidence-based prevention at Junior Cycle so young people have the knowledge and skills to shape current and future behaviours around alcohol for the better.
“Primary prevention, stopping it before it starts, requires changes in attitudes, knowledge and behaviour.”
Primary prevention requires changes in attitudes & behaviour SHEENA HORGAN YESTERDAY
500 How many youngsters took part in the Drinkaware research
40% How many admitted they had drank alcohol before study began