Drinking with your child
This is a big issue for those parents who do have alcohol at home. Is drinking with my child encouraging them, controlling them or teaching them responsible drinking? Some people cite the Mediterranean Model as a good example of how you could introduce alcohol to a child in the home, i.e. at a meal with the family like they do in countries like Greece and Italy.
Unfortunately, simply ‘transplanting’ the Mediterranean Model to Australia does not necessarily work as there are so many other social influences at play. In this country, alcohol is associated with success in so many areas of life, whether it be sport or celebration, and that is difficult to challenge simply by providing alcohol with a meal. It is also important to acknowledge that even in countries where this model appears to have been successful there are still problems, e.g. France now has one of the highest rates of liver disease in the world.
The truth is that kids copy your example, so whether you drink with them or away from them they will copy how you handle your alcohol. But be aware that drinking with them is giving the message that you condone their drinking. And keep in mind that research suggests that the more alcohol parents consume, the more frequent are drinking problems in the lives of their children in later life.
Like it or not, the research is clear that parents who are non-drinkers or light drinkers are less likely to have children with alcohol problems in later life.
For practical strategies and expert advice select relevant age group below.