Parents should have had a booze talk with two-year-old Cheng Cheng. Many of us have heard of him, the world’s youngest alcoholic, known as ‘Little Winebibber’, who shuns milk in exchange for alcohol in China. He first tasted wine on his father’s chopsticks at the age of 10 months and now, he downs bottles of wine and beer in minutes – faster than his parents. Cheng Cheng’s taste for alcohol is extreme yet not uncommon: underage drinking is literally everywhere.
Have the booze talk with kids at age 9
Every day in the United States, more than 4,750 kids under the age of 16 have their first full drink of alcohol; furthermore, the average age at which young people (12-17 years-old) begin to drink is 13 years old. Underage drinking is estimated to account for between 11% and 20% of the U.S. alcohol market and even the lower estimate of 11% represents 3.6 billion drinks each year.
Most of us, at some point, have engaged in similar behaviors. Regardless of the repercussions, alcohol poses a far greater threat to children than many parents or peers care to admit. If you have a 9-year-old, it’s time to have a booze talk – at least according to a new report on underage binge drinking.
Beyond hangovers
A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics states that alcohol is the substance most frequently abused by children and teens. But the true picture is much darker: drinks are linked to the leading causes of death and serious injury, such as accidents, homicides and suicides.
According to Dr. Lorena Siqueira, the co-author of the report, adolescents can face “serious consequences — including death — with their first episode of binge drinking,” mainly due to their smaller frames and their lack of experience with alcoholic beverages.
When children start to think positively about alcohol
Researchers recommend talking with children about drinking before they take their first sip – and before they turn 10. Being exposed to ads for alcoholic beverages, watching role models use alcohol, and even seeing the adults around them drinking causes kids to start thinking positively about booze between the ages of 9 and 13.
In 2014, half of twelfth graders and one in nine eighth graders reported having been drunk at least once in their life, the report found. These kids are influenced by what they see in the world around them, stated Dr. Bennett Leventhal, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. But are parents ready to talk frankly with their kids about alcohol at such an early age?
Do you think having the booze talk with kids at age 9 is weird? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
If alcohol is your vice, the Pavlok can help you kick your bad habits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEp9yODNjy4
Nine Year-Old Kids Are Ready for the Booze Talk
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