alcohol effects

Would seeing a step-parent drink alcohol regularly have any effect on a 5 year old girl?   Will she be more lkely to drink when she's older or marry someone who does?   Thank you.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

If the adult's use of alcohol is responsible and judicious, there is no reason to expect that this experience will pose a problem for the child. Think of the tens of thousands of children who have grown up in families in which the parent(s) drink alcoholic beverages. Most of these children develop fine. Now, it's another matter if the drinking is irresponsible and problematic, or if the child has some other direct experience with alcoholism in the family. It's not the drinking per se that is the problem, it's the nature of the drinking and the context in which it occurs.