Under-18s should be banned from having ANY alcohol: Warning that attempts to introduce children to drinking risks turning them into an alcoholic in later life

Parents who give their children small amounts of alcohol in the belief they are instilling a sensible attitude to drinking may unwittingly be giving them a taste for booze, a psychologist has warned.

Aric Sigman said adults needed to realise that alcohol was more damaging to the young brain and body.
Studies showed the earlier a child was introduced to drink, the greater their odds of becoming an alcoholic, he added.

Many parents believe introducing a small amount of alcohol at mealtimes teaches responsible drinking, but leading psychologist Dr Aric Sigman says that it can do quite the opposite

In a report to an EU think-tank on childhood and adolescence, Dr Sigman said it was  ‘imperative’ that parents delayed the age at which they introduce their children to alcohol.
He said that ‘even in small amounts’, alcohol may have long-lasting effects on the young brain, which continues developing long after the body matures.
Under current rules, it is illegal for under-18s to buy alcohol or for someone to buy it for them, with the exception that 16 and 17-year-olds can drink beer, wine or cider with a meal out with an adult.
Dr Sigman, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, said parents were wrong if they believe that by giving their children small amounts of alcohol at home, they were teaching them to drink responsibly. In fact, research suggests that early exposure to alcohol primes the brain to enjoy it more.
Dr Sigman’s review of medical literature also raised concerns that girls who drink may be raising their odds of infertility and breast cancer in later life.

The new EU commissioned study has said that drinking even small quantities of alcohol in youth can have far-reaching consequences

He said that in an ideal world, no one would touch alcohol before the age of 25. However, he acknowledged that 16 was a more realistic age for parents to first allow their children to drink at home.
For instance, a US government-funded study found that that those who had their first drink before the age of 18 ran a ‘far greater’ risk of becoming dependent on alcohol as adults.
And the World Health Organisation has stated: ‘The longer the onset of consumption is delayed, the less likely it is that alcohol-related problems and alcohol dependence will emerge in adult life.’
Official advice in Britain is similar – but few parents realise, says Dr Sigman.
Others may fear that stopping youngsters from drinking at home risks will simply increase alcohol’s appeal.
He also uses his report to call for the legal drinking age, at which youngsters can buy alcohol in pubs and shops, to be harmonised at 18 across Europe.
Dr Sigman, who has previously called for TV to be banned for toddlers, concludes: ‘Adults need to be fully aware that their favourite substance may have new-found consequences when young people consume it.
‘Protecting our young people from the harm of drinking means that now, in the light of new information about the effects of alcohol, it is necessary to review the way the entire EU views concepts of adulthood and drinking age.’
Experts say few of these would be regarded by other members of the public as alcoholics. Rather they are apparently normal people who are unwittingly drinking too much.
Eric Appleby, of charity Alcohol Concern said: ‘It may feel that introducing children to alcohol in a safe and controlled environment at home is the right thing to do, but all the research indicates that the younger someone starts drinking, the more likely they are to have problems with alcohol in later life.
‘The Chief Medical Officer advises that an alcohol free childhood is the safest option and that those under 15 year olds, ideally, should not drink at all.’
Dr Sigman’s warnings come amid concerns about soaring rates of liver disease.
Recent figures show that alcohol-related liver damage is becoming increasingly common in the under-30s, with the number of hospital admissions in this age group more than doubling between 2002 and 2012.
Across all age groups, an extra 1,000 people with alcohol-related liver damage are being admitted to hospitals in England each year.
Experts say few of these would be regarded by other members of the public as alcoholics. Rather they are apparently ordinary people who are unwittingly drinking too much.
This includes middle-aged, middle-class women who enjoy a bottle of wine a day, or successful businessmen who have working lunches.