For years, it’s been a common piece of advice given to sobriety newcomers in support groups – use candy or honey to counteract cravings.

Now, it appears, at least for families with at least some history of alcoholism in the family, that this is more than folk wisdom.

Bottom line?

Conclusions
While children as a group innately like sweets and feel better after eating them, the present study reveals significant contributions of family history of alcoholism and depression to this effect. Whether the heightened sweet preference and the use of sweets to alleviate depression are markers for developing alcohol-related problems or responses that are protective are important areas for future research.

With 300 children studied, this seems a big enough group for the findings to have some realistic base.