According to a study published in the journal BMC Public Health, early drinking habits can be formed due to influence from family and friends. Researchers on the study from the University College of London and London School of Economics and Political Science examined data from the Millennium Cohort Study, which is United Kingdom study of over 10,000 children aged 11.

The researchers studied the drinking behaviors of these children in early adolescence and looked at how their behaviors were related to other factors associated with alcohol consumption, like influence from family, friends and peers. They found that overall, 14 percent of the 11-year-olds had tasted alcohol in moderate quantities. The children whose mothers drank heavily were 80 percent more likely to drink the alcohol than the children whose mothers did not drink. It was also found that boys had a higher rate of drinking than girls.

What also increased the likelihood of drinking at a young age was positive perception of alcohol. When the alcohol is talked about positively, or it is seen as something that is normal to drink, the children were more likely to try it.

The study also found that the children were less likely to drink if they had knowledge of the harms of alcohol and the effects it can have on the body.