As the level of teenage drinking continues to rise, Roisin Shortall, the Irish health minister has made the suggestion that permitting teenagers to consume alcohol in the home could be a contributory factor of substance abuse among youths. Although the minister recognises that most parents allow consumption of alcohol at home in order to encourage a responsible attitude towards drinking, she believes that this practice may cause more harm.

According to the minister for health, alcohol is more damaging to teenagers than the use of illegal substances. She added that in addition to being aware of the influence of allowing teenagers to drink alcohol, parents should also be aware of the effects of their own behaviour around alcohol. One parent, Rosalyn Lundy has children aged from five years old to the oldest aged 28. She says that allowing her kids to have a drink when they got to 15 years old has worked for her family. The children know that they are allowed to drink on special occasions but not outside the family home. Mrs Lundy admits that neither herself nor her husband drink very much alcohol, and also acknowledges that the practice may not work for everyone.

Dr Paul Darragh, chair of the British Medical Association in Ireland, has dealt with teenagers who have been drinking alcohol. He also admits that the decision of whether to permit teenage drinking or not was complex, although the subject of teenage drinking is a severe matter. He said:

It can lead to all sorts of problems, not just the direct physical effect, there’s the psychiatric problems that can arise from it, anti-social problems, young girls can end up leaving themselves vulnerable to underage sex, venereal disease, unwanted pregnancy.

Dr Darragh further noted that the minister’s comments regarding teenage drinking involve a complex issue, dependent on the home environment of a child, the child’s age and the relationship the child has with their parents.