Melbourne: Children as young as 10 are seeking treatment for alcohol addiction in Australia, it has emerged.
Five Oz teens and youths die a week in incidents tied to binge drinking. And by 16, one in five teenagers regularly binge drink; by 18 it is 50 per cent, reports the Herald Sun.
A national survey of high school students has found parents have eclipsed friends and all other sources for supply of alcohol.
Every third child aged 12-17 turns to mum or dad for party booze.
A recent study by Odyssey House, one of the country``s biggest rehabilitation centres, found 90 per cent of residents named alcohol as their first drug of intoxication at 12 or 13.
Chief executive James Pitts said the short-term risks of alcohol were obvious with about 264 people aged 15-24 dying every year in falls, crashes, fights and other alcohol-related incidents.
"Research indicates that the earlier people start to drink the greater likelihood they will develop problems later in life," he said.
ANI