“Teaching your child to drink young in front of you is not wise. Of course, it is well-intentioned, as a protective measure, to prevent your child from drinking too early or too much, especially outdoors. But several studies show that the effect is the opposite. Teenagers who were given alcohol to drink at home were later heavy drinkers, compared to those who were not given alcohol. In fact, according to one study, these adolescents were more than twice as likely to develop problems due to alcohol consumption.

Conversations on topics like alcohol are difficult to plan. Most of the time, these kinds of conversations come off as forced, which certainly does not promote a smooth flow of the conversation. The best conversations happen in the most unexpected moments when you are together. While doing the dishes or going for a walk, for example. Start the conversation with something going on, like school or something in current affairs. You can use this stepping stone to listen especially to what is going on in your child’s life. Without judgement and without opinion. It creates safety in which you can hear more than when you start to ‘interrogate’ your child.”

Find more about Zien Drinken, Doet Drinken (Netherlands, 2022). The Alcohol Alliance AAN is an alliance of health organisations committed to reducing alcohol problems in the Netherlands. To this end, it primarily aims to increase political and public support for the introduction of effective and cost-saving alcohol policies.