Alcohol and Children: When Is It Okay To Buy Kids Alcohol?

Whether or not parents want to admit it, teenagers do drink. It's practically a passage for growing up: children will start drinking way before it's legal for them to buy alcohol. To avoid alcoholism problems in the future, there has been an ongoing debate about whether or not it is appropriate for parents to buy alcohol for their kids.

There are those who are okay with buying their children beer and liquor, but on a few conditions like keeping the drinks at home and only under adult supervision. However, studies showed that it is more likely for kids to abuse alcohol when they have access to it. Apparently, Peter Delany of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) told the Wall Street Journal that children are "six times more likely" to have alcohol issues in the future when they start drinking "and drinking heavily" at an age below 15. 

Children under the age of 16 shouldn't drink #alcohol, but they do. Why? https://t.co/xHgpUxkE6d #underagedrinking pic.twitter.com/lOgug183dT

— BioMed Central (@BioMedCentral) March 4, 2016

Still, many think that if their kids don't learn to drink responsibly at home, they will learn on their own where there are fewer restraints. "There's a giant difference between a kid who gets totally wasted on some purloined booze in the woods with his friends, and someone who has wine at dinner with their parents or as part of a religious ceremony," Stanton Peele, a psychologist and author of books such as "Love and Addiction" said.  

US Government agencies and alcohol awareness groups, however, maintain that no amount of underage drinking should be permitted, because teens who drink are at more risk of being involved in vehicle crashes, homicides, and suicides. They are also prone to unplanned sex and pregnancies, as well as sexually transmitted diseases.

Even in countries in Europe, where there is not age limit when it comes to drinking booze, addiciton is rampant. Drug Free noted that a greater percentage of European youth have been reported to get intoxicated regularly.

Buying your teen alcohol is your call as a parent, but as Emma Bradley of Huffington Post noted, if you do buy your minor some alcohol, make sure he knows it's not an act to encourage them to drink, but to make sure they are safe. 

Bradley adds that she would not buy alcohol for her child's friends, as such concern should be discussed with the kids' respective friends who would make smart choices for them. "I hope that by doing this I am keeping the communication open that she knows I have her back and will continue to parent with boundaries and I hope that I am getting it right," Bradley said.