When did you first drink alcohol?

[WomenHour]

I think I was around 9/10 when I tried beer , hated it.

I’m Catholic so definitely had a sip of wine at my First Holy Communion around 8 years old.

Remember having some champagne at my aunts wedding when I was 9.

I was about 7 when I spotted a delicious bottle of sherry brandy in my nan’s drinks cabinet.
I helped myself 🤢still can’t touch it to this day!

8 years old

Growing up we were allowed a wine spritzer with our sunday lunch from about 10 onwards but I was allowed swigs of my dads lager from maybe 7/8?

Always had Buck’s Fizz on new year but not sure at what age the lemonade was changed for the alcohol. By my own choice I was 15 in a park with thunderbirds.

Remember having a babycham at Christmas when I was 13.

14 some purple fizz NYE

We stayed in France with Grandparents every summer and their attitude towards alcohol was always very relaxed - we had watered down wine with evening meals from around 10.

I had a sip when I was about 6-8 years old. First really drank at about 12 (my friend's dad bought us some alcohol and left us to it...)

Always used to have a sip of my dad's beer from about 6 years old but started drinking properly at 15

Very small - it was before my 'eccentric' grandma moved into her new house (when I was 6) and she used to let up sip Advocaat (sp?).

God it was revolting - I'm not sure it wasn't to try to put us off booze (it didn't work).

I just duck duck go-ed it:

'Advocaat or advocatenborrel is a traditional Dutch alcoholic beverage made from eggs, sugar, and brandy. The rich and creamy drink has a smooth, custard-like consistency. The typical alcohol content is generally between 14% and 20% ABV.'

Christ gran what were you thinking???

Apparently I had whisky rubbed on my gums when teething as a baby 😳

The first time I chose to drink alcohol, I was 30. Just looked over the bar at a pub event, saw some lime and coconut cider, decided to try it, and got carded by staff who seemed really apologetic after seeing my ID. It was an interesting evening.

Having caught people, mostly relatives, giving me spiked drinks (telling me it was juice, only juice, I swear...) on more than one occasion, I can't answer the question with any confidence, but I've always been really sensitive and repelled to the smell so if I missed one, it was in tiny very juiced down amounts.

I was given a Bacardi and coke by my friends uncle at a pub that he took us to when we were 11, he told me it was just a coke, which we never had at home . It was vile and I refused to drink it but then he laughingly told me it had Bacardi in it. I told my mum when I got home and she hit the roof and went and gave him hell, one for taking me to a pub and then for plying me with alcohol .

Aged 3 apparently, at a wedding reception - I was a flower girl - and my dad thought it would be ‘amusing’ to give me champagne. I ended up rolling about on the floor, singing loudly.

17yo

Young. 3 maybe. I like beer

I was about 12 months. My dad was watching telly, gave me a sip of his beer and then put it down. Apparently I finished the pint.

I vaguely remember being allowed to try a sip of Smirnoff ice at the millennium so I would have been about 9/10. But there is a very real chance my mum gave me lemonade and told me it was that to stop me asking because all my big cousins were having it.

When I was 16 I was allowed to try some of my mum's peach schnapps and lemonade on holiday.

My nany used to give me a glass or two of snowball (homemade-the good stuff) at new year, so probably 4ish 😂

I can't remember exactly but I was very young, I was allowed a sip of milk stout when helping my gran make Christmas pudding.

Nana*

We had snowballs at Xmas from a relatively young age. Maybe 7 or 8

Granddad's homemade wine/rocket fuel at about 9.

At 18 when it was legal. I looked so young for my age I couldn't get into pubs and clubs like the other 15 year olds. I was spectacularly sick after drinking a half of cider under the table so the landlord didn't see me that I didn't touch alcohol for 5 years. I was never a big drinker anyway and am teetotal now.