Authorities in China are dealing with what is believed to be the country's youngest alcoholic - a boy aged just two years old.
Cheng Cheng first tried wine at 10 months, and downed his first bottle of beer before the age of one.
Now, the toddler in eastern China's Anhui province screams for alcohol as his parents struggle to move him onto milk and soft drinks.
His habit has sparked outrage in local media, with doctors urging his parents to take immediate action to prevent life-threatening damage to his organs.
Social services are this week debating whether to place him in care.
But incredibly, his parents and relatives have joked about Cheng Cheng's taste for alcohol. It started when he was a baby and his father gave him a drop of wine to stop him crying, reports claim.
Not yet in school, the little boy can now allegedly drink up a whole bottle of beer without any noticeable effects.
His aunt Cai Teng said: 'At that time, all of us in the family have already thought that this child can really drink a lot when he grows up.'
Whenever his family takes out bottles of alcohol, he demands to drink some, she explained.
His mother, fearing that she and her husband could face legal consequences over their questionable parenting, has reportedly tried to get him to swap booze for milk, juice or other drinks.
But she said: 'His eyes are always on the alcohol bottles. We can only try their best to store the bottles in a place which in not seen by him.'
Cai said that during big festivals Cheng Cheng would cry for alcohol when he saw relatives and friends drinking.
She said: 'As sometimes he is really noisy, we have no options but let him to try a little bit of wine.'
A few days ago, Cheng Cheng's father shared a bottle of beer with Cheng Cheng who downed it in minutes. Cai said that Cheng Cheng's ability to handle alcohol has made the family both surprised and worried.
'We will not let him drink or touch alcohol anymore as we afraid that it will affect his growth,' she added.
Pediatricians in mainland China said that the body and organs in children at this age are not well-developed. A little bit of alcohol can easily harm their health.
Latest Stories
-
Mahama orders Lands Commission to halt sale of State Lands
35 minutes -
Chiesa on target as Liverpool ease past Accrington Stanley
38 minutes -
Everton appoint Moyes as manager for second time
44 minutes -
WACCE describes 2024 elections as one of the violent, deadliest in the 4th Republic
50 minutes -
Volta Region movie industry stagnated, needs investors to push – stakeholders
1 hour -
Petition against Chief Justice reflects broader public concerns about Judiciary – Joyce Bawa
1 hour -
Northern Ghana won’t experience fuel shortage – NPA assures
1 hour -
Calm restored in Ejura after mob attack on Police Station
1 hour -
18-year-old herdsman remanded over murder of younger brother
1 hour -
GSTEP 2025 Challenge: Organisers seek to support gov’t efforts to tackle youth unemployment
3 hours -
Apaak assures of efforts to avert SHS food shortages as gov’t engages CHASS, ministry on Monday
4 hours -
Invasion of state institutions: A result of mistrust in Akufo-Addo’s gov’t ?
4 hours -
Navigating Narratives: The divergent paths of Western and Ghanaian media
4 hours -
Akufo-Addo consulted Council of State; it was decided the people won’t be pardoned – Former Dep. AG
4 hours -
People want to see a president deliver to their satisfaction – Joyce Bawah
5 hours