The Hazelden Betty Ford Institute sites the following: A study from the Addiction Research Institute in Ontario, Canada (Childhood Experiments, Adult Addictions), published in Health Education and Behavior, revealed “the earliest risk of onset of alcohol (ages 10 and 11), is followed closely by the illicit use of prescribed drugs (age 11) and the use of hallucinogens (age 12).

The “age of experimentation” for children is generally considered to be between the ages of 11 and 14 due in part to peer pressure or just curiosity. I recently visited a home where children were present between the ages of 8 and 17. I observed alcohol very visible but high up in the kitchen pantry. The parents were making an effort to keep it out of the reach of their children; however, there it was, in plain sight. There are too many stories of children who have become alcohol dependent because it was accessible to them at home.

Please follow this link for an excellent resource:

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/alcohol.html#.Wqk3jTCm_08.email