Experts claim best time to have the 'booze talk' is at age 9

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It looks like parents may need to have a "booze talk" first before they go talking about the birds and bees to their children. Experts now claim that it is best to talk about children early before they get their first sip.

NBC News writes that according to a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, most children think about alcohol as early as nine years old. Dr. Lorena Siqueira, a pediatrician from Miami and main author of the study, said that as young people get exposed to alcohol advertisement and marketing, the more they become curious about it and start drinking. She added that it will be difficult to stop them if they become more exposed as it leads to more alcohol consumption.

Based on the survey, almost 21 percent of young adults have admitted to sipping alcohol before the age of 13 and it has been discovered that most have happened before or during their 12th grade in school. Children are curious and tend to experiment more thus they always end up testing their limits.

Newser adds that 50 percent of children ages 12 to 14 have admitted to being heavy drinkers while 72 percent have increased their intake even more when they reach the age of 18 to 20. What is more surprising is how great the influence of parents to their children's binge drinking is. Eighty percent of teens claim that their parents have greatly influenced their opinion and intake of alcohol.

Alcohol consumption may hurt brain development in children and lead to abuse or alcoholism if not prevented on time. Dr. Siqueira said it is best to talk about any topics related to drinking, like driving under the influence or if you see it in a movie.

Furthermore, Live Science writes that parents should set a good example to their kids that is why Dr. Siquera suggests avoid going home drunk or showing them how alcohol may be able to fix problems. It is also best to let kids go and talk to their doctors alone when you suspect that they may be abusing alcohol, the physician added.

The study is published in the journal Pediatrics last Monday, Aug. 31.