When Britney Spears lost custody of her children it was just another chapter in her merry-go-round of personal destruction. Her spectacular fall from grace is made even more distressing when you consider her youth. How someone can plummet from such dizzying heights to an appalling low is difficult to fathom.

Britney's triumphs and tragedies have been played out in a very public theatre, but there are similar stories occurring every day in ordinary households.

Thousands of Australian families are affected by alcohol and drug dependency. Drug abuse is a serious issue, but alcohol has become embedded in Australian culture. Hundreds of thousands of children are living with parents who are dependent on alcohol or illegal drugs. For every one person dependent on alcohol, up to five other people are affected.

Aside from the cost to the health system and workplace, alcohol can wreak havoc on family life. When parents abuse alcohol their kids can be neglected or, worse, exposed to physical, emotional or sexual abuse. And since children model their behaviour on their parents, the cycle of abuse may continue.

Alcohol can also have a psychological impact on young ones. Children of alcohol abusers are more likely to develop behavioural, school-related or emotional problems.

Eighty-three per cent of Australians drink alcohol and one in five Aussies drinks at a risky level at least once a month. About half of those who abuse substances also suffer mental illness. These dual influences mean children living in an alcohol-fuelled environment will very often end up with a drinking problem and possibly a mental health issue too.

Drinking is a way of life for many Australians, but it's the way we drink that's concerning.

Daryl Smeaton from the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation says: 'We drink at a baby's birth and at her wake and at every occasion between to commiserate and commemorate.

'People talk a lot about illicit drugs in sport, but the biggest problem is binge drinking. If you look at people like Ben Cousins or Andrew Johns, their problems started with drinking.'

Daryl points out how different Europeans' relationship with alcohol is. 'In Europe they drink less but more regularly. In Australia we drink a lot more but less regularly,' he says. 'They don't have the same level of alcohol-related violence, but they have greater rates of liver disease and brain damage.'

The fact is, our culture almost ignores alcohol issues. However, this could be changing thanks to a recent review of the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) alcohol guidelines.

To reduce the rate of alcohol dependency when children grow up or the destructive impact of intoxication, parents should know how to introduce their child to alcohol. Evidence suggests the younger someone starts drinking the more likely they are to develop a problem.

Now the NHMRC recommends children under 15 not drink at all, even with adult supervision. While the guidelines are a step in the right direction it's also very important to continue promoting awareness, education and responsible consumption if we hope to change the way in which we and our children drink.

For more parenting advice from Antonia Kidman get this week's issue of New Idea - on sale now!