Early experiences with alcohol: a survey of an eight and nine year old sample

An interview study of 743 eight and nine year old children, and their mothers, investigated the children's experiences with alcohol. There was a high level of personal experience with alcohol: over 90% of the children have had a least a sip of alcohol and a quarter of the children have a sip in a typical month. This reflects the use of alcohol in a family setting by the parents of the sample, and when asked for their source of information about alcohol the majority of children said it came from first hand experience or conversation within the family. However, one-third of the children mentioned television as their source. The effects of alcohol were perceived by the majority of the children primarily as short-term effects indicating drunkenness and a third of the children had been aware of alcohol-related problems within their own environment.