The more something is demonised and verboten the more it is sought after by some teens
Yes and no. It's true that teens find the idea of something more enticing if its forbidden and their peers are doing it.
But at heart your social and emotional compass comes from your parents and how they behave, what behaviours they signal are acceptable and not acceptable.
If your parent is offering you alcohol from a young age (and drinking heavily themselves in front of you) this is telegraphing to a child at a subconscious level that its normal and healthy behaviour. The child is therefore far more likely to normalise it in his/her own life.
Yes many kids flirt with drinking too much as teens and then realise that it's not big or clever and learn to drink more sensibly. That may be unavoidable. But a kid who has been brought up in a family where alcohol is totally normalised is less likely in my view to have that moment of self-realisation that it's not big or clever. They are more likely to see alcohol as a necessary social prop or a good way to unwind if its something that is done every night at home and carry on with it when they get to adulthood.
I grew up thinking alcohol was something totally normal because my parents drank on a daily basis (never to great excess but far more than was good for them). Thankfully I never developed a serious problem with booze but I drank more than was good for me for too long. It took me until my late 30s/early 40s to realise the impact it was having on my life.
I still drink now but basically never more than once a week weekends and at social events and never to excess. And very rarely in front of my child. And I never do that "cheeky glass of wine with dinner" thing and mealtimes at home with my daughter don't involve alcohol unless they are special occasions.
I'm determined for it not to become a routine part of daily life.