I’M FAIRLY sure I’m not alone in vaguely recalling my first taste of alcohol.

I was barely toddling when I reached out to grab the glass at a family party and I’m even more sure that the adult family members and their friends delighted in the disgusted look on my cherubic face as they allowed me that first mouthful of the bitter liquid.

It is interesting to note that across Europe, young people are exposed to alcohol – generally wine – at a fairly early age, but under the supervision of adults.

We have far less of a laissez-faire attitude over here, yet we are regularly told our youngsters are binge drinking in private, with their mates and their parents seemingly blissfully unaware.

Supermarkets like Asda appear to be taking a hard line when it comes to ensuring that the blame is not laid at their door.

But over-zealous policing of parents buying bottles of wine in the company of teenage children might be hiding the suggestion that it’s the supermarkets where many of the people responsible of excess consumption are buying their cheap beer and wine.

I applaud supermarkets for doing all in their power to ensure under-18s are discouraged from getting their hands on alcohol.

But until they tackle the problem of their parents being able to buy ridiculously cheap booze, I’ll keep the accompanying whoops and hollers to a minimum.