A recent research has shown that intake of alcohol before the age of 15 can make children alcoholics in the adulthood. Hence parents who allow their teenage children to take alcohol in a hope to teach them a responsible relationship to alcohol, are unknowingly making their children future alcohol addicts. This research was done by researchers at researchers of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in USA.  

In this research, researchers studied the relationship between age at first drink (AFD) and the risk of developing alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). For the study, researchers analyzed the data collected from a three-year longitudinal study. Researchers studied the associations between three groups of AFD – younger than 15, between 15 and 17, and 18 years of age or older – and first incidence of alcohol dependence, abuse, and specific AUD criteria as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition. Researchers also looked at the other factors like duration of exposure, family history and a wide range of baseline and childhood risk factors. 

Deborah Dawson who has taken part in the research work said, "The key finding of this study was that people who started drinking before age 15, and to a lesser extent those who started drinking at ages 15 to 17, were more likely to become alcohol dependent as adults than people who waited until 18 or older to start drinking." 

Dawson added that past studies have often suggested that this association might result from common risk factors predisposing people to both early drinking and AUDs. Although the current study does not provide conclusive evidence that early drinking directly increases AUD risk, it suggests that it is premature to rule out the possibility of such a direct effect.

Researchers said that the brains of teenagers grow quickly and even small amounts of alcohol can therefore make a mark. Researchers concluded that adolescents should wait as long as possible before tasting alcohol, preferable until they are 18 years old. Parents should stop their teenage children to take alcohol even in small quantity.