But by Thursday, the morning after the night before, relief was widespread. Good clean fun was the by-word for Junior Cert students 2006.

All the media had to report on was the ever-decreasing length of young girl's miniskirts.

For the parents, however, their worries are only just beginning. More and more social occasions for their offspring prompt the question: at what age is it acceptable for a teenager to begin drinking?

Underage drinking is a very complex issue, say MEAS (Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society), whose recent report shows large increases in underage drinking.

While some teenagers are allowed to drink by their parents from 15/16 onwards, others don't want their children drinking before they are 18.

Nevertheless, two in three 12to 17-year olds have experienced alcohol, and this figure rises to three-quarters among 16- to 17-year olds.

According to Colman Noctor, psychoanalyst in training at St John of God's Lucena Clinic, parents need to be a good role models for their children when it comes to alcohol.

"Eighteen is the pitched age for alcohol drinking because below that age, both physically and psychologically, a person is too young to handle being in a state of intoxication, " he said.

"Adolescence is a pretty terrible time for most teenagers, and if they see their parents turning to drink when they're stressed or depressed, they're more likely to do the same. That's when the trouble starts."

According to MEAS, however, the number of young people who reach 18 these days without drinking alcohol is so small it is difficult to measure. How parents respond to underage drinking, therefore, is of great importance. "If parents take an indifferent attitude [to alcohol] it does not produce positive results, and a very strict and authoritarian attitude can also cause problems, " they advised.

"To embargo alcohol is no sure way of sensibly managing it, " said Noctor. "The kids whose parents prohibit McDonald's when they're young are the ones who will sneak in any chance they can get. A sensible 16-year old can probably have a glass of beer with their parents and that will help demystify it for them, but their body still isn't ready from a physical point of view."

And so it comes back to the parent. "The Irish way to cope with a crisis is to have a glass of brandy thrown into your hand, " said Noctor. "If parents can be seen by their children to enjoy alcohol sensibly without getting hammered all the time, then they're more likely to have a healthy respect for drink that will stay with them as they get older."