Anglicare launched the pilot program Linking Youth and Families Together on Wednesday to help families tackle alcohol abuse among teenagers.

The program, which aims to provide counselling to young people in danger of becoming problem drinkers, will initially operate in Gippsland and Melbourne's southern and eastern suburbs.

Anglicare Gippsland community programs manager Leanne Ruff said problem drinking among young people was an issue in Gippsland.

Ms Ruff said the program involved a family therapist, who has already begun accepting referrals, and would provide assessment, family-based therapeutic counselling and group work to young people and their families.

She said alcohol was the most widely used substance by young people.

"This is not just related to teens, the program targets young people from 12 years old to 21,'' she said.

Ms Ruff said there had been instances of people as young as 12 with alcohol problems.

"It's quite scary,'' she said.

"But I would say any alcohol at the age of 12 is a problem.

"And there is a lot of evidence that shows alcohol is very damaging to the development of young people.''

Sale Police Senior Sergeant Henry Van Andel said teen drinking was "absolutely'' a problem in Wellington Shire.

He said the area had a binge drinking culture, with the high price of alcohol causing many young people to drink at home.

Snr Sgt Van Andel also said it was youth offenders who were driving up violence and crime statistics in the area.

"Our patrols often see young people putting themselves at risk, walking the streets late at night drinking alcohol,'' he said.

Anglicare Victoria deputy chief executive of community services Jennifer Potten said she was ``excited'' about the program and what it had to offer.

"Many families from diverse backgrounds face serious and worrying dilemmas because their children are using or abusing substances,'' she said.

"This includes everything from ad hoc experimentation to more entrenched patterns of behaviour such as binge drinking and illicit drug use.

"Irrespective of the pattern of use or the nature of the substance, the initial discovery that a child is using substances can leave parents feeling shocked and worried.''

Ms Potten said while people had always had the "occasional drink'', in recent years getting drunk had become an accepted way to socialise.