Tantrums and Booze
Reuters Health recently reported the results from a long-term study conducted by the Society for Research in Child Development that discovered “children who had less control over their behavior and impulses between 3 and 5 years of age and those who gained behavioral control more slowly were more likely to drink alcohol at age 14″ and “to develop an alcohol problem and try illicit drugs.” Highlights from the report include:
- Early drinking (at age 14 or earlier) is associated with a greater likelihood for alcohol abuse or dependence in adulthood.
- If early childhood behaviors such as behavioral control and resiliency put individuals at risk for alcohol and drug use, then programs aimed at changing those behaviors at an early age may protect individuals from experimenting with drugs and alcohol later on.
- Having an alcoholic parent markedly increased the risk of early alcohol use and subsequent alcohol-related problems. Children of alcoholics were three times more likely to start drinking by age 14 and four times more likely to report having been drunk at least once by age 17 than those who were not from an alcoholic family.
With this research in mind, your church’s preschool ministry could protect its children from future alcohol and drug problems if it is able to effectively teach the children self-control now. The report also mentions the behavior of a child age 3 to 5 being linked to future signs of sadness, anxiety, aggressiveness, or delinquent behavior.
Of course, nothing changes and influences a person’s life as much as accepting the gospel of Christ, but I find it interesting to see the scientific advantages to a great children’s ministry.
