One fifth of British parents think alcohol improves their parenting skills
The British vineyard Bolney Wine Estates recently took home a “Gold Outstanding” medal at the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition.
Nineteen percent of Britain’s mothers and fathers believe that alcohol improves their parenting skills, a new report has found. Perhaps beer goggles make your kids look cuter.
But this study isn't an invitation to drink more for the sake of your kids. Rather, the authors found the statistic to be "alarming." The survey, conducted by the charity 4Children, also found that 22 percent of British children live with a parent who drinks "hazardously."
More from GlobalPost: When the BRICs Crumble
Many parents said they turned to alcohol to cope with the pressures of raising a child, with 17 percent admitting that they drank more after they had their first baby, the Daily Mail reported.
In addition, more than half of the parents surveyed said that they drink every week and 7 percent reported drinking everyday. Mark Bennett, director of policy at 4Children, said that Britons see "habitual drinking as a normal part of life, as normal as drinking tea," the Independent reported.
Also surprising is that rich parents are four times more likely to drink daily than poorer ones. The charity is calling for a "major public information campaign" to alert parents about the dangers of too much alcohol, the Independent said.
“This report demands that we think again about our relationship with alcohol for our families’ sake,” 4Children CEO Anne Longfield wrote in the study, CBS reported.