I would love to know when to introduce alchohol to my daughter who is now just six years old.
I was raised in a family where wine and beer was imbibed only on holidays or other celebrations. Rarely was hard liquor introduced. I went through a few times of binge-drinking while in college but now I don't even like drinking wine.

Her father is a highly functioning alcoholic. His parents were heavy drinkers. All his siblings as well as he totaled their cars while DUI in high school. He was arrested but not prosecuted b/c his parents hired a specialist DUI attorney to get him off w/community work. His parents allowed all their children to drink beer and smoke in middle and high school and even provided the alcohol to their similarly underage friends. Now all of my husband's siblings have an unhealthy or dependent relationship with alcohol.

I am terrified that my daughter in her teen years will follow suit.
I know that Europeans introduce drinking via moderate amounts of beer and wine at the dinner table to their teenage children but I've also read a NYTimes article on how that might be considered child abuse.
I would really like to know what is the right way to handle this situation.

I love to read your article because it is so informative and well explain. Thanks for posting.

Dr. Peele,

You make an excellent point when you say that addiction is not a matter of alcohol and drugs. Indeed, people have come to see the problem precisely the wrong way 'round. They enact draconian laws regulating the sale of liquor and controlling the availability of drugs...to no avail. They put the cart before the horse. Their mistake is thinking in terms of Addictive Substances rather than Addictive Personalities.

The two columns listed below go into greater detail:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/look-it-way/200903/the-addictive-per...

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/look-it-way/200903/the-addictive-per...