Underage teens given just sips of booze by their parents are more likely to binge drink in the future, new research has shown.
Six years of data found 17-year-olds given alcohol by their parents when they were younger, even small amounts, were more likely to binge drink and show alcohol dependence, a study by the University of New South Wales shows.
Parents who believed they were helping teens by supplying alcohol or supervising drinking were putting them at risk of becoming binge drinkers, UNSW Professor Richard Mattick said on Tuesday.
"At around 17 years of age children who received alcohol from their parents were more likely to be binge drinking, experience alcohol-related harms and show symptoms of dependence," he said.
The children were 15 when the parents first supplied or supervised their drinking, the study found.
"It seems the passage of time did not see moderation of consumption, but rather an increase in drinking problems," he said.
Almost 2000 children aged from 12-13 and their parents were recruited for the study into parental supply of alcohol which started in 2011.
While binge drinking among teens was an issue, another study into illicit drugs found the use of LSD was increasing.
Half of the 786 regular drug users surveyed reported using LSD in a six-month period and demonstrated an upward trend for the use of hallucinogens.
The study along with others into teenage drinking and illicit drug trends are due to be presented at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Symposium which starts on Tuesday.
