Parents: the best people to talk to teens about alcohol?

At least, that's what a new survey has revealed. Carried out by a brewery, no less (Anheuser-Busch InBev UK), the survey quizzed 2,000 adults about young people and alcohol. And 90 percent of those adults agreed it's essential to educate young people about responsible drinking.

When asked who they thought had the most influence in regards to talking to children and young people about drinking, 31 percent said it was the parents, with nine percent claiming teachers would do the best job.

It may not be as tricky as the birds-and-the-bees talk, but approaching the subject of alcohol with children and teenagers can be difficult for many parents. If you're a Facebook user, however, you can get advice from the Family Talk UK page, which  promises to help parents start a conversation with their kids about alcohol and is run by Mumsnet.

In the meantime, the most recent report on adolescents and alcohol by the Institute of Alcohol Studies suggests many young people are drinking regularly – though not necessarily frequently – by the age of 14 or 15. Here are some of the other points the report revealed:

• The older your teenager is, the more likely they are to drink: 14 percent of 12-13-year-olds, 33 percent of 14-15-year-olds and 62 percent of 16-17-year-olds taking part had drank alcohol in the week before the survey.
• Girls have caught up with – and, in some measures, overtaken – boys in relation to binge drinking.
• While not legally allowed to buy alcohol, 63 percent of 16-17-year-olds and 10 percent of 12-15-year-olds had bought alcohol themselves in pubs, bars and nightclubs.
• Among under-18s, 62 percent see alcohol as a means of socialising with friends, while more than half admit that young people like getting drunk.

For more information and facts on alcohol, visit drinkaware.co.uk

What happened when you tried talking to your teen about the subject? Do you have any tips for other parents?