A new study finds that family structure plays a "significant role" in how some adolescents use alcohol later in life.
Ash Levitt, a senior research scientist at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions says allowing 13-to-18 year olds to drink at home is not inherently risky.
"It really depended on their family context, which in this case was whether the family was intact, meaning both biological parents. Or whether the family was not intact, meaning only one biological parent. Or one biological parent and a step-parent," Levitt said.
Levitt says adolescents from intact families who are allowed to drink at home showed the lowest levels of alcohol use and problems over time.
According to the American Medical Association, up to 30 percent of parents allow their children to drink at home under some circumstances.