Description
This excerpt from Growing Up With Alcohol discusses the author's research on how children learn about alcohol in cultures where drinking is common. The author discusses some surprising and disturbing findings from her research, which suggests that most young people in drinking cultures begin to form their impressions about alcohol at a very tender age. This study suggests that there is a need for development of innovative and user-friendly alcohol education materials for use in primary and secondary schools.
In recent years the growing incidence of the use and misuse of alcohol by children and adolescents has been causing increasing concern within society. This work is one of the few studies to examine the orientations towards alcohol of young children. Through a series of ingenious game-like activities, Fossey provides valuable insight into ways in which children learn about drinking. Some of the results are surprising and others are deeply disturbing, but they all emphasize the fact that most young people in drinking cultures begin to form their impressions about alcohol at a very tender age. This study suggests that there is a need for development of innovative and user-friendly alcohol education materials for use in primary as well as in secondary schools and colleges. Growing up with Alcohol should be useful reading for a range of people, including social science students, parents, teachers, researchers and practitioners in alcohol and health education.