Kids who drink with parents drink more

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NIJMEGEN, Netherlands, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A study of 428 families in the Netherlands found the more teenagers were allowed to drink at home, the more they drank outside of home as well.

Lead researcher Dr. Haske van der Vorst of Radboud University Nijmegen says the study looked at families with two children between the ages of 13 and 15.

"The idea is generally based on common sense," van der Vorst says in a statement. "For example, the thinking is that if parents show good behavior -- here, modest drinking -- then the child will copy it. Another assumption is that parents can control their child's drinking by drinking with the child."

The researchers found that, in general, the more teens drank at home, the more they tended to drink elsewhere; the reverse was also true, with out-of-home drinking leading to more drinking at home.

Teens who drank more often, whether in or out of the home, tended to score higher two years later on a measure of problem drinking.

The study is published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.