Beneficial Functions of Alcohol Use in Adolescents: Theory and Implications for Prevention - Can alcohol have beneficial purposes in adolescent socialization? Experts are not of one mind

Abstract

Parents, policy makers, prevention workers, and researchers have one belief in common if the topic is adolescent drinking: alcohol use has many evil faces and initiation of drinking should be prevented or at least postponed. However, to understand why the majority of young people start drinking, it is important to focus also on alcohol’s beneficial functions. Here are some comments from Europe.