Understand why some young people drink alcohol
Understanding why your child may drink alcohol can help you influence them to enjoy an alcohol-free childhood
If your child has started drinking alcohol, or showing an interest in it, understanding their motivations is a good first step towards helping them understand why an alcohol-free childhood is the best option.
Experimenting with alcohol becomes more common as children get older. For example in England in 2023, 15% of 11-year-olds said they had tried alcohol compared to 62% of 15-year-olds.1
Risky behaviour is more common during puberty. The development of the rational ‘thinking brain’ is not fully completed until 16 or 17-years-old, with more ‘fine tuning’ right into the early 20s’.2,3
It’s vitally important to understand that drinking alcohol affects children’s health differently to adults. That’s why – as well as advising that an alcohol-free childhood is the safest and best option – the UK Chief Medical Officers also say that if any teenagers do drink alcohol, it shouldn’t be at least until the age of 15, in a supervised environment, and no more than once a week.4
Your children might be drawn to alcohol, even if their first experience of it is unpleasant. It’s not uncommon for them to persist despite them not liking the taste or the way it makes them feel. If they know you’re a good person to talk to about it, they’re more likely to let you know what part (if any) alcohol plays in their life, and listen to advice about healthy choices.
Common reasons that young people (11 to 15-year-olds) give for why they think people their age drink alcohol include:5
Understanding why your child may drink alcohol can help you influence them to enjoy an alcohol-free childhood
Although pushing boundaries and testing rules are part of growing up, young people feel safer if they have clear rules, with consequences for breaking them. If an older sibling is the source of envy, ask them to set a good example – wanting to be admired could reinforce their own good behaviour too.
Younger children will ask questions but ultimately are likely to accept being told “you’re too young”. But for older children, acknowledging and respecting their growing maturity means they’re more likely to listen if you’re able to explain why avoiding alcohol is so important for their health.
If you get home and say “Oh, I could do with a drink!”, you may be setting the example that alcohol is somehow an essential part of life. Setting a good example can be the key to protecting them against early and unwise drinking.6,7
Drinking regularly, often looking hungover, drinking alone, or during the daytime could be signs that a young person is ‘drinking to cope’. More than 50% of 11 to 15-year-old pupils said they drink to forget about their problems.8
Arming yourself with strategies and tips can help you or a loved one take small steps towards big results.
Last Reviewed: 2nd September 2025
Next Review due: 2nd September 2028