Children and alcohol - the debate is back on...again
Posted by Jared Birbeck on Thursday, August 13, 2009
Another story out today about binge drinking and another story telling parents that if they let their child drink at home they are sending them on the path of alcoholism and binge drinking. Just one sip will do it according the headlines. Professor John Toumbourou has come out and said that parents that let their shild sip champagne at a relatives wedding, or have a glass of wine at dinner are setting that child up for binge drinking.
Apparently, early exposure to alcohol enables the child to drink more, still walk in a straight line and not fall down. Not only that, it tells the child that alcohol is ok and therefore sets the child up for binge drinking and alcohol abuse.
There is some truth in it no doubt. As a child I was exposed to alcohol. I had a much greater ability to drink without falling down than my friends. I had a period of binge drinking. But so did my friends who didn't drink until 18. We all had a period from about 17 through to 20 of binge drinking. I continued to 'binge drink' in the strictest sense for another 4 or five years. I would have nothing to drink during the week and then go out Friday and Saturday nights. Good times.
Now as an avid homebrewer and fine wine lover I still technically binge drink. Nothing during the week followed by a few on the weekend, but I don't ever get drunk. I simply don't enjoy it. Alcohol is something to be savoured. Fine beers and fine wines.
Professor John Toumbourou said that his research proved the European model of educating children about alcohol from an early age as a model for reducing binge drinking was wrong. Europe as a region has one of the highest alcohol intakes in the world. But, there is no doubt there is a wealth of information out there that supports the position that it does work. Look at the United Kingdom as a start point. A BBC news story from 2001 showed that over a quarter of UK 15 and 16 year olds admitted getting drunk more than 20 times in their lifetime. Compare this to France, Portugal and Italy where the results were less than 5%. In Italy it was less than 2%.So, is the Professor suggesting that the French, Portuguese and Italian children saying they have been drunk far fewer times because they have developed a resistance to it? They don't feel as drunk because they can handle it better than their English counterparts?
There is a problem in Europe. There is a high level of dangerous drinking. However, when it comes to binge drinking, that problem appears to sit in Scandenavia and the United Kingdom and Ireland. In fact, the Eurobarometer survey 'Attitudes Towards Alcohol' shows that the nations commonly connected with alcohol education at a younger age are those with the lowest binge drinking. That is, there is a very high proportion of people that have 1-2 drinks on days were a person has a drink.
By way of comparison, Ireland had 35% of respondents having more than 4 drinks, and 36% with 3-4 drink with only 26% having one to two. Italy is at the other end of the scale only 2 % having more than 4 drinks, 9% having 3-4 and a whopping 71% having 1-2 drinks. Italy also reported 17% as having less than 1 drink copared with Ireland's 2%. Hard to refute those figures.
Even if we break those figures down into demographics, the 15-24 year old age group, the group most likely to binge, it still shows that 46% are likley to have only 1-2 drinks. Looking at the survey results, there are lower levels of alcohol abuse in countries such as Italy, Portugal and Spain, with Germany and France sitting somewhere in the middle but still at the lower end of the scale.
Statistics are funny things. You can make them tell any story you want if you know how to use them. Personally, I will be letting my kids try alcohol at home. A sip here or there. Craft brewing is an art and so much of it comes down to taste. It's also worth noting that craft brewing is not about producing cheap booze to get drunk quickly. It's about producing a product that is to be savoured and enjoyed. I want my children to learn that lesson. I grew up in a house that enjoyed wine and beer, but it was still a means to an end. In my house, that end never comes into it. It is about flavour. I can't remember the last time I got drunk. I can't remember the last time I drank for the sake of drinking. Yet I produce a reasonable amount of beer regularly.
My passion for fine beers has also rubbed off on my older siblings and even my father. I produce beer as a gift and they are enjoyed and savoured in limited amounts. My father has just one a night and keeps coming back for more.
Compare craft brewing with the output of the larger brewers. The beers produced at the larger breweries, the mass produced lagers and ales including low carb options, are produced for mass consumption. I like to consider them the solo of beers. They are light on the fizz (and the flavour) so you can slam them down fast. Perhaps to fix binge drinking in Australia we should look at supporting the craft brewing industry. And rather than trying to stop children rinking before they are 18, try and educate them about the flavours in alcohol. Teach them to savour and enjoy the drink, not the results it can give.
Apparently, early exposure to alcohol enables the child to drink more, still walk in a straight line and not fall down. Not only that, it tells the child that alcohol is ok and therefore sets the child up for binge drinking and alcohol abuse.
There is some truth in it no doubt. As a child I was exposed to alcohol. I had a much greater ability to drink without falling down than my friends. I had a period of binge drinking. But so did my friends who didn't drink until 18. We all had a period from about 17 through to 20 of binge drinking. I continued to 'binge drink' in the strictest sense for another 4 or five years. I would have nothing to drink during the week and then go out Friday and Saturday nights. Good times.
Now as an avid homebrewer and fine wine lover I still technically binge drink. Nothing during the week followed by a few on the weekend, but I don't ever get drunk. I simply don't enjoy it. Alcohol is something to be savoured. Fine beers and fine wines.
Professor John Toumbourou said that his research proved the European model of educating children about alcohol from an early age as a model for reducing binge drinking was wrong. Europe as a region has one of the highest alcohol intakes in the world. But, there is no doubt there is a wealth of information out there that supports the position that it does work. Look at the United Kingdom as a start point. A BBC news story from 2001 showed that over a quarter of UK 15 and 16 year olds admitted getting drunk more than 20 times in their lifetime. Compare this to France, Portugal and Italy where the results were less than 5%. In Italy it was less than 2%.So, is the Professor suggesting that the French, Portuguese and Italian children saying they have been drunk far fewer times because they have developed a resistance to it? They don't feel as drunk because they can handle it better than their English counterparts?
There is a problem in Europe. There is a high level of dangerous drinking. However, when it comes to binge drinking, that problem appears to sit in Scandenavia and the United Kingdom and Ireland. In fact, the Eurobarometer survey 'Attitudes Towards Alcohol' shows that the nations commonly connected with alcohol education at a younger age are those with the lowest binge drinking. That is, there is a very high proportion of people that have 1-2 drinks on days were a person has a drink.
By way of comparison, Ireland had 35% of respondents having more than 4 drinks, and 36% with 3-4 drink with only 26% having one to two. Italy is at the other end of the scale only 2 % having more than 4 drinks, 9% having 3-4 and a whopping 71% having 1-2 drinks. Italy also reported 17% as having less than 1 drink copared with Ireland's 2%. Hard to refute those figures.
Even if we break those figures down into demographics, the 15-24 year old age group, the group most likely to binge, it still shows that 46% are likley to have only 1-2 drinks. Looking at the survey results, there are lower levels of alcohol abuse in countries such as Italy, Portugal and Spain, with Germany and France sitting somewhere in the middle but still at the lower end of the scale.
Statistics are funny things. You can make them tell any story you want if you know how to use them. Personally, I will be letting my kids try alcohol at home. A sip here or there. Craft brewing is an art and so much of it comes down to taste. It's also worth noting that craft brewing is not about producing cheap booze to get drunk quickly. It's about producing a product that is to be savoured and enjoyed. I want my children to learn that lesson. I grew up in a house that enjoyed wine and beer, but it was still a means to an end. In my house, that end never comes into it. It is about flavour. I can't remember the last time I got drunk. I can't remember the last time I drank for the sake of drinking. Yet I produce a reasonable amount of beer regularly.
My passion for fine beers has also rubbed off on my older siblings and even my father. I produce beer as a gift and they are enjoyed and savoured in limited amounts. My father has just one a night and keeps coming back for more.
Compare craft brewing with the output of the larger brewers. The beers produced at the larger breweries, the mass produced lagers and ales including low carb options, are produced for mass consumption. I like to consider them the solo of beers. They are light on the fizz (and the flavour) so you can slam them down fast. Perhaps to fix binge drinking in Australia we should look at supporting the craft brewing industry. And rather than trying to stop children rinking before they are 18, try and educate them about the flavours in alcohol. Teach them to savour and enjoy the drink, not the results it can give.