One of the major influences on whether a child will binge drink between the ages of 16 and 34 years is the parenting style of their mother and/or father, UK think tank Demos revealed after carrying out a study involving over 15,000 children. The report, titled “Under the Influence”, claims that the parenting style that most likely leads to responsible drinking involves a combination of tough love, discipline and consistent warmth from an early age, the authors added.

The report revealed that:

  • Poor parenting when children are 10 years old doubles their chances of overdrinking when they are 34.
  • Poor parenting when children are 16 increases their chances of overdrinking at age 16 eightfold.
  • Poor parenting when children are 16 doubles their chances of overdrinking when they are 34.

The best parenting style when a child is sixteen to reduce the chances of binge drinking later on in life includes a combination of parental warmth and attachment which started early on during the child’s life, plus strict discipline whey they are 16.

Tough love was found to be significantly more effective than authoritarian, disengaged or laissez faire styles, the authors wrote.

The media has become infatuated with a minority of people who binge drink to extremes, giving the impression that the UK is a boozed-up society. In fact, statistics show that the incidence of binge drinking has been progressively going down during the last decade.

The authors emphasize that parents must take a lead role in dealing with an established drinking culture – at the same time, the government should support parents in their drive. Without parental involvement, binge-drinking policies will not have the necessary impact to solve the problem.

Demos has the following recommendations for parents:

  • Supervision and discipline when children are 15-16 – children respond well to supervision and strict discipline at this age; they need to learn about long-term personal responsibility. They also need to be protected from the short-term consequences of alcohol use and abuse.

    Parents are advised not to take a relaxed attitude to under-age drinking. They should talk about alcohol consumption with their children – these discussions should include the definition and laying down of firm boundaries. Parents must make sure their children do not see them drunk. Children need to develop responsible and sensible expectations for the consumption of alcohol.

  • Warmth up to the age of 5 and up to the age of 10 years – the majority of parents develop a warm and loving relationship with their children during their early years. The authors emphasize that such a relationship is crucial for the development of key life skills, including sensible drinking when they are older.
  • Access to alcohol – if children have easy access to alcohol at home, they are much more likely drink and become drunk during their teens. Alcohol in the home needs to be monitored. An important part of the tough love approach is to make sure teenagers do not have access to alcohol in the home.

Demos has the following recommendations for government:

  • Enforcing the drinking laws – discipline, even when not parent led, is still a key mitigating factor against overdrinking. If governments are strict in enforcing the law of sales and proxy sales of alcohol to under-age children, they can significantly help parents enforce the boundaries they set with their children by making access to alcohol more difficult.

    Strict enforcement also instills the notion that under-age drinking is unacceptable. According to studies, young people who purchase alcohol themselves are much more likely to eventually become problem drinkers.

  • Targeting problem areas – enforcement schemes have much more impact if they include retailers, local authorities and the police. Examples of community alcohol partnerships that have worked include Pub Watch and business improvement districts. Governments must commit to encourage and promote such partnerships.
  • School programs that involve parents – according to evidence, school-based programs on alcohol are only really effective if parents are involved. Governments should make sure they invest in school programs that involve parents.
  • Summer vacations – kids without engaged parents, or those who live in deprived communities are exposed to opportunities for risky behavior during the long summer vacations. Structured activities, which should continue throughout the year, not only help prevent boredom (which can lead to risky behavior), but can also be an opportunity for different generations to mix, a key factor in child development.

Lead author, Jamie Bartlett, said:

“The enduring impact of parenting on a child’s future relationship with alcohol cannot be ignored. This is good for parents: those difficult moments of enforcing tough rules really do make a difference, even if it doesn’t always feel like that at the time.

While levels of binge drinking have fallen for five years running, there is a minority of extreme, publically visible, drinkers. No matter how high minimum pricing on alcohol is, there will be a hardcore of binge drinkers who will find a way to pay for it.

For children whose parents may be disengaged, very practical measures like spreading the school summer holiday throughout the year and providing activities for children in the school breaks, will go some way to preventing boredom and avoiding risky behaviour like under-age drinking.”

Written by Christian Nordqvist