A recent survey by the drinks industry funded Drinkaware highlighted that only 17% of adults had planned a 'dangers of alcohol' talk with their children. It made me think: how young is too young? Should they be shielded or gently shown the way with all things booze-related? I watched with interest as it put our own grown-up relationship with the bottle under the spotlight. It made for uncomfortable viewing. Some felt that it was totally inappropriate to teach children about alcohol before they reach university age. Others thought watered-down Rioja with beans on toast was the right way to go. Not convinced either way.
The sensible approach must be to talk about it, to help children learn about the good, the bad and the ugly side of alcohol before they start experimenting. Wine was always part of a family meal when I was growing up, I just wasn't allowed any. It was there, on the table, in the parents' glasses but it just wasn't a big deal. Admittedly, my teenage years were pre-alcopops, but we did have Taboo and large grounds at school in which to get lost in the under cliffs on a Saturday afternoon. We only had one bottle between five of us; it was never going to take us to alcoholic armageddon. The thought of my own children experimenting with alcohol fills me with horror, but I know that at some stage they will and I'm probably not going to be there when it happens. So, I have to ensure they know the dangers before it does.
I love wine. I worked as a supermarket wine buyer for years before having children. I drink wine regularly, but little and often. I look forward to 'wine o'clock', that time when the children are in bed, silence falls and my mind turns to food, telly and maybe a hot bath. I choose my wines carefully, trying different things every week. Wine should be a journey, not a journey's end. That's what I hope to teach my children.
However, wine at around 12-14% abv and costing over a fiver a bottle is probably not going to be the drink of choice for young people experimenting with alcohol. Who are we kidding? The real problem lies with those who are beyond experimenting. Rather, they are out to get wasted on cheap, strong drinks: cider, spirits, alcopops, whatever. Looking at the coverage following the Drinkaware survey, it was all about mums on sofas holding glasses of wine. The research was well-intentioned and aimed at an engaged audience. The real issue, however, is how to fix the problem of really cheap, strong drinks being so widely available to a generation of drinkers who may only ever know the ugly side of alcohol. That is a different conversation, and rather more uncomfortable.