An estimated 17 percent of Oxford County children consume at least one alcoholic drink by the time they reach the sixth grade. When they’re high school seniors, 75 percent of these children have tasted alcohol.

Norway Police Chief Robert Federico said “That’s a little surprising, even for us (police).” It’s got to be a whole lot more surprising to parents of these young people.

It can’t be a surprise to the children.

Oxford County is not unique. Maine’s drinking age might be 21 years, but drinking begins much, much younger than that.

In Oxford County, a coalition of nonprofit community health organizations surveyed students and reported their findings Monday. The data will be used by the coalition, which includes police, to develop a countywide plan to curb underage drinking.

The campaign will first focus on home, where children are drinking with and without permission from their parents. We encourage the campaign to be more educational than punitive.

The campaign to curb smoking continues to be successful not because of jail time and court fines, but because the health risks and deadly consequences of smoking have been forced in our faces. We’ve seen photos of what 20 years of smoking does to healthy lungs, seen folks dragging around oxygen tanks struggling to breathe in between coughing spasms.

The public perception of alcohol is one big party. It’s fun. It’s relaxing. It’s beautiful. It’s OK.

Alcohol and cigarettes are legal products, but we don’t view their use the same.

We used to think smoking was glamorous. Now we know just how nasty it is.

Young boozers and their parents need that same shift in perception.