People who begin drinking alcohol during puberty are more likely to become hooked, researchers have warned.
Many parents think that supervised early drinking encourages children to have a more responsible attitude to alcohol.
But a study has found that those who begin to drink during puberty, rather than afterwards, tend to drink more later in life.
The team from the University of Heidelberg in Germany reached the conclusion after analyzing the drinking habits of 283 young adults.
Study author Miriam Schneider said that tracking what phase of puberty people were in when they had their first drink “may represent a stronger and better indicator for subsequent alcohol-related problems than simply the age”.
She claimed changes in the developing brain could explain the connection.
“It is during puberty that substances like drugs of abuse _ alcohol, cannabis, etc. _ may induce the most destructive and also persistent effects on the still-developing brain, which may in some cases even result in disorders such as schizophrenia or addiction.”
“Prevention work therefore needs to increase awareness of specific risks and vulnerability related to puberty.”
Schneider’s colleague Rainer Spanagel agreed, “Puberty is a phase in which the brain reward system undergoes major functional changes. Therefore, during puberty the brain is in a highly vulnerable state for any kind of reward, and drug rewards in particular.”
In a report to an EU think-tank on childhood and adolescence, Aric Sigman said it was imperative that parents delayed the age at which they introduce their children to alcohol.