Children drink less if they have good parents: Young people’s alcohol intake has fallen in past decade because of stronger families

Daily Mail

By Matt Hunter

July 1, 2016

The number of children drinking alcohol has fallen significantly partly because of good parenting.

The Institute of Alcohol Studies found strong parenting was one of the main factors behind the fall in underage drinking.

Parents today are less likely to drink alcohol in front of their children and more likely to tell them off for drinking, the report found.

Mothers and fathers also have stronger bonds with their children than before.

In 2003, 61 per cent of children had tried alcohol – which had fallen to 38 per cent in 2014, the latest year for which figures are available.

One factor explored was the number of hours 12- to 15-year-olds spent online socialising with friends.

The average amount of time online per week rose almost 25 per cent – from 13.7 hours to 17 hours – between 2003-2014.

There is not conclusive evidence yet that the increase in hours spent on the internet has caused youngsters to drink less.

But the report did find that underage drinking is ‘clearly less socially acceptable than before’.

And an increase in the cost of alcohol has also helped reduce the number of young drinkers.

Bottles of beer and cider are now proving too expensive for many under 16s because of low wages and higher taxes, the report found.

Katherine Brown, the director of the institute told the Guardian: ‘This report takes an important first step towards understanding why underage drinking has fallen, which is critical if we are to maintain the welcome progress of recent years and prevent a reversal of this trend.

‘It’s terrific to see that better parenting skills and improved family relationships may be contributing to the fall in drinking among children and young people.’

The report called ‘Youthful Abandon’ also found a significant fall in the number of under-18s being given specialist treatment for alcohol.

Despite the findings the campaign group Alcohol Concern warned that drink was the leading ‘risk factor’ in deaths for both men and women between 15-49. A spokesman for the group called on the government to take action to stop these ‘preventable deaths’.

New data shows the number of adults dying because of alcohol rose 4 per cent last year to 6,830 deaths – up 13 per cent compared with 2004.

The figures come six months after the chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, called for better advice on alcohol consumption.

A spokesman for the Department for Health said drinking among school-aged children is at the lowest level since records began but admitted that more work was needed to change behaviour in adults.