Why Do Kids Drink?

In Manitoba, the average age of first use of alcohol among kids is around 13.

But not every child is going to try alcohol by Grade 7 or 8. Some children may wait until they are of legal drinking age or may never drink at all. Unfortunately, others will consume their first drink at an even earlier age, starting a cycle of alcohol misuse that can cause long term physical and social effects.

There’s no one reason a child might try alcohol—every child and every situation is different—but there are some reasons why they might make that choice:

• They associate alcohol with positive experiences.
• They want to appear older and model the behaviour of parents and older siblings.
• They witness frequent alcohol use by parents and other family members.
• They are able to get alcohol, often from home or from parents or older siblings.
• They give in to peer pressure.
• They try to be more assertive, talkative or popular and forget their self-esteem issues.
• They try to cope with stress.
• They are impulsive and don’t think about consequences.
• They have a genetic predisposition toward alcohol dependency.

Many of these actions are triggered by entertainment and advertising. But parents are the single biggest influence in a child’s life, especially concerning attitudes towards alcohol.

If you’re not talking with your child about alcohol, who is? Be the influence. Talk with your child about alcohol.