A recent study published in the Journal of Studies of Alcohol and drugs concluded that children who had sipped alcohol by 6th Grade were five times more likely to have a drink by high school and four times more likely to binge drink or get intoxicated. Evidently allowing our children to taste or try alcohol in our presence sends the wrong message. Kids are not mature enough to know when drinking is acceptable and when it is not. Younger adolescents might not know the difference between a sip and having a drink or two. Some kids are getting the message that drinking alcohol is okay, especially when it is provided by a parent.
