The Mediterranean approach to alcohol, with children drinking wine with meals, has long been held as the ideal way to promote responsible drinking in young people.
But a US study suggests that youngsters who taste alcohol before the age of 15 are at much more risk of becoming alcohol-dependent in later life than those who start drinking at 18 or older.
And new figures show that even European youngsters are no longer immune to binge-drinking. The percentage of French under-18s saying they got drunk regularly rose from 19 per cent to 26 per cent between 2003 and 2006.
The numbers in Britain, however, are even higher – with almost half of teenagers admitting to binge-drinking.
Researchers from America's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have recommended delaying drinking until at least the age of 18.
It comes after a three-year study revealed the likelihood of developing alcohol problems in adulthood is about 50 per cent higher for people who start drinking before the age of 15.
The average age for British children to try their first alcoholic drink is 12.4 years.
The number of British under-18s being treated for alcohol abuse has soared in recent years.
A study by Liverpool University found that nearly 90 per cent of the 10,000 15 and 16-year-olds questioned admitted drinking. Of these, 38 per cent binged and 24 per cent drank frequently.
Mark Bellis, the professor of public health who led the research, says parents need to be realistic.
"There's no doubt that an alcohol-free childhood is a healthy option, and certainly that's going to be the case for children up to the age of 14.
"At 15 and 16, not drinking is still, of course, healthy but unfortunately there's also a responsibility to prepare children for an environment where drinking is not only encouraged, but also expected as an adult."
And he points out that if a parent does not give a child alcohol, there''s no guarantee that the child is not getting it elsewhere.
Martin McGroarty, Calderdale Safer and Stronger Communities Partnership manager for substance misuse, said the same trend has been seen in Calderdale.
But he said it is not a determining factor, and his team provides services aimed at helping young people.
"The peak age for people presenting at our young people's services is 16 or 17," he said.
"Prevention and working with families are our two main approaches to tackling this issue."
Last year, the charity Alcohol Concern called for parents who gave alcohol to children aged under 15 to be prosecuted.
Its spokesman, Frank Soodeen, warns that the idea of parents being well-placed to introduce alcohol to children in the home relies on the hope that they are setting a good example.
"The risk is that it normalises drinking for their kids from a very young age, and it's not followed up with information about the risks when the parents don't have a healthy attitude to alcohol themselves.
"These children, when they drink outside the home, will be more likely to have alcohol problems in adulthood."
And he warns that such alcohol problems are shared by Europeans, who are often far from responsible drinkers.
"The Mediterranean model is held up because historically these countries have had less alcoholic-related violence and disorder than Britain, but that's not to say that their alcohol-related harm is any less – France has an astronomically high rate of cirrhosis of the liver, for example."
He says that rather than trying to emulate the Mediterranean way, parents should try to be good role models.
The full article contains 625 words and appears in Evening Courier newspaper.
