The European way: is wine with dinner okay?

Many parents choose to introduce their 15- or 16-year-olds to drinking alcohol at the table, in the continental manner. Parents may legally give their own children alcohol under their supervision in the privacy of their own home. Many parents believe their children are going to try it anyway, so why not supervise the experience in the hope of teaching responsible drinking?

Anthony Keigher (16), a Junior Cert student in Roscommon and an elected member of Dáil na nÓg, the children's parliament run by the National Children's Office, had his first taste of wine at the age of 15 at his parents' dinner table. "My parents don't believe in the sort of lifestyle where you go out to get drunk. My parents have taught me that drinking too much is not good for your health or your reputation. I suppose because my parents are open about it, we don't have a reason to rebel against them."

Anthony's mother, Mary, is a French teacher who has spent many summer holidays in France with the family. Alcohol is a rare treat in the Keigher family by Irish standards, kept to holidays and special occasions. The parents never drank in front of the children when they were young and never brought them to pubs, believing it was wrong to expose them to drinking culture.

The idea of introducing Anthony to the occasional drink of wine or cider at a meal came from French friends. "We are wondering if that's the wisest thing to do, but it's only a tiny drop and we thought this was the better route, rather than telling him to wait until he turns 18, when he could go overboard. I'm only doing what I hope is best."

Dr Bobby Smyth, a consultant psychiatrist in teen addiction, thinks that it all depends on the context. Families, like the Keighers, who have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude to alcohol, show model healthy drinking behaviour. Families who have alcohol at the centre of their lives are courting trouble, he says.

"I don't want to be ridiculous and say never have a beer in front of the children, but be aware that children watch parents with unbelievable scrutiny," says Dr Conor Farren, consultant psychiatrist. "Never let the children see you drinking to deal with stress, don't take children into pubs. And show them that celebrations and social activities don't have to revolve around drink."

The experts say it's important to realise there's more to the low rates of teen drinking in France and Italy than their style of introducing teens to drink at the table. Overall consumption is at least one-third lower than in Ireland and public drunkenness is considered disgusting - so teen drinking is low. Countries where consumption is high and public drunkenness is accepted - such as Ireland - have the highest teen drinking rates.

While Irish rates of alcohol consumption have risen from 9.6 litres per capita annually to 14.3 litres between 1980 and 2002, over the same period French rates have dropped from 16 litres to 10.5 litres. The French Loi Evin, a law which severely restricts drink advertising, is credited with this improvement.