Alcohol poll reveals half of children have seen parents drunk

Nearly half of children aged 10 to 14-year-olds have witnessed their parents drunk, a study uncovers.

By Dave Lancaster |

11:50 21 October 2013

Industry-funded charity Drinkaware has released the findings of a survey which revealed that 46% of children between 10 and 14 have seen their parents drunk.

42% of parents admitted that their children had seen them intoxicated while 29% of children admitted that they had witnessed the behaviour on more than one occasion.

The poll of 1,000 parents did, however, uncover that 72% of parents believed themselves to be responsible enough to talk about drinking to their children and three quarters of those surveyed thought that they were the best people to do so.

Elaine Hindal, chief executive of Drinkaware, said: "While setting rules about alcohol and speaking to children about the risks is a positive step, equally important is that parents understand their significant influence as role models and feel confident to set a good example.

"Children are aware of alcohol from a young age.

"Estimates suggest that around one in three children under 16 in the UK live with an adult binge-drinker, and studies show that the odds of a teenager getting drunk double if they have seen their parents drunk - even if only on a few occasions.

"Understanding the impact of what parents say as well as what they do is important, as both can shape children's attitudes towards alcohol."