Childhood experiences are crucial to forming future drinking habits. Much emphasis has been placed on understanding the impact of problem drinking within the family, yet much less is known about how children learn about alcohol in so-called 'ordinary families'. This UK study found that:
• Children in the 7-12 age bracket have a fairly sophisticated knowledge of alcohol and its effects;
• The home is an important source of learning about alcohol and young children anticipate modelling their future behaviour on parents' drinking styles; and
• Parents often have limited belief in their ability to teach children to drink responsibly, in the face of external pressures.