binge drinking soars amongst young.....

kronas · 27-04-2004, 11:11

the department of health has warned thousands of 11 - 15 year olds are being treated in hospital for binge drinking.

3,300 or 9 people a day, had to be treated in hospital for drink related problems, ministers warn that something needs to be done in the growing fashion of drinking amongst youngsters.

Quote:

"The youngest we've seen has been eight or nine. These days people would not be amazed to hear of children that young drinking."

source: BBC news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3662585.stm

so what to do now, blame the parents ? let them continue getting drunk ? ignore it ?

**Russ B** · 27-04-2004, 11:13

I don;t know if blaming anyone would make much of a difference in this kind of thing. My suggestion would be to educate them as to the dangers of binge drinking but I'm not even sure that would have much of an effect as teenagers often seem to have a "it'll never happen to me" outlook on life.

abailey152 · 27-04-2004, 11:21

Where do they get the drink from. Is it stolen from their parents? Or sold to them? Surely, anyone selling alcohol to an 11-year-old needs nailing to the ground and beating until he sees the error of his ways?

At 15 or 16, things are different. Kids this old start to experiment, but younger kids need protecting.

**Chris** · 27-04-2004, 11:23

I think we have a very immature attitude towards alcohol in this country. It is taxed to a level where it cannot be as available on the dinner table as it is in France, and then we make a big thing about it being for adults only.

Yet in France children see is as just another part of life. It's on the table, they get to drink it sensibly - so when they grow up a bit and start looking for ways to rebel, the way all kids do, getting p*ssed in the park on a Friday night is less likely to be an option.

My kids will be brought up around wine and beer and allowed to drink it from whatever age it's legal to give it to them at home (anybody know what age that is?) Me and my brother used to make our own homebrew from when we were mid-teens, and I still have the kit. Not using it at the moment (no space or time, with a 19-month-old in the house) but I plan to get back into it when I can, and I'd like to see if jr towny would like to help.

I reckon if he grows up with a mature attitude towards alcohol, then he might not feel he needs to get plastered with his school mates just to earn some street cred (or whatever they call it now).

Charlie_Bubble · 27-04-2004, 11:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ D

I don;t know if blaming anyone would make much of a difference in this kind of thing. My suggestion would be to educate them as to the dangers of binge drinking but I'm not even sure that would have much of an effect as teenagers often seem to have a "it'll never happen to me" outlook on life.

Yeah, but that's just what being young is all about, thinking that bad things won't happen to you, because they haven't had anything like that yet. When you're young you think nothing can touch you. Illness and problems are something "older" people have to deal with. Unfortunately these days youngsters are experiencing things that can and will harm them (ie Sexual diseases, pregnancy, drinking problems) at a much earlier age than previous generations.

abailey152 · 27-04-2004, 11:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by towny

My kids will be brought up around wine and beer and allowed to drink it from whatever age it's legal to give it to them at home (anybody know what age that is?) Me and my brother used to make our own homebrew from when we were mid-teens, and I still have the kit.

Yes this is an acceptable way to do things.

There's a world of difference between parents letting their kids have a small drink, and the kids getting paralytic by themselves.

kronas · 27-04-2004, 11:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by abailey152

There's a world of difference between parents letting their kids have a small drink, and the kids getting paralytic by themselves.

wouldnt it be aggravating the problem ?

in england AFAIK drinking...... is part of the culture, a part of it being instilled in to the lifestyle, work related stress coupled with bad parenting is causing problems.....

not to mention the people who are selling the alcohol to these youngsters......

**Chris** · 27-04-2004, 11:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by kronas

wouldnt it be aggravating the problem ?

in england AFAIK drinking...... is part of the culture, a part of it being instilled in to the lifestyle, work related stress coupled with bad parenting is causing problems.....

not to mention the people who are selling the alcohol to these youngsters......

I don't think instilling a good attitude towards drink would aggravate the problem. In England, drinking per se is not part of the culture; getting hammered at the weekend is. The phenomenal growth of alcopops is testament to this. They allow you to get plastered without the inconvenience of acquiring a taste for alcoholic drinks which, by and large, do not taste sugary and sweet.

Edit

Actually for 'England' I should have said the whole of the UK - Scotland has a binge-drinking problem that is worse than England's amongst adults at least. Not sure about Wales.

**Russ B** · 27-04-2004, 11:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by kronas

in england AFAIK drinking...... is part of the culture, a part of it being instilled in to the lifestyle, work related stress coupled with bad parenting is causing problems.....

Funnily, it's not usually like that in Wales - it's as if we take our drinking a bit more seriously.

27-04-2004, 11:52

I believe part of the problem is they way it is now pacakged and marketed.

When I was young 10,11,12 beer, lager, guinness tasted awful and I certainly wasn't in a hurry to take it up.

As I became older 15,16 ect, then yes I started going to teenage parties and trying it out - which I think is normal.

But with alchoholic Irn Bru, and other alchopops they have lowered the threshold even further.

The companies that make and market these products must bear some responsibility and a % of their profits must be used to educate kids about the dangers of drinking and provide other activities apart from getting $h1Tfaced in the park at night.

abailey152 · 27-04-2004, 12:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by towny

I don't think instilling a good attitude towards drink would aggravate the problem. In England, drinking per se is not part of the culture; getting hammered at the weekend is. The phenomenal growth of alcopops is testament to this.

An example of this is also the fact that "foreign" beers tend to be stronger and have more taste. They are meant to be enjoyed, not used in the "who can down 10 pints the quickest" games of a Friday and a Saturday night. Our variants tend to be much weaker and basically crap marketed to sell to the soft lads (and ladesses!) for the weekend binges.

I even read something that a lager brewer was actually putting a chemical into the brew to give the drinker a hangover in the morning! I mean, what is that all about?

Ramrod · 27-04-2004, 12:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by towny

I think we have a very immature attitude towards alcohol in this country. It is taxed to a level where it cannot be as available on the dinner table as it is in France, and then we make a big thing about it being for adults only.

Yet in France children see is as just another part of life. It's on the table, they get to drink it sensibly - so when they grow up a bit and start looking for ways to rebel, the way all kids do, getting p*ssed in the park on a Friday night is less likely to be an option.

My kids will be brought up around wine and beer and allowed to drink it from whatever age it's legal to give it to them at home (anybody know what age that is?) Me and my brother used to make our own homebrew from when we were mid-teens, and I still have the kit. Not using it at the moment (no space or time, with a 19-month-old in the house) but I plan to get back into it when I can, and I'd like to see if jr towny would like to help.

I reckon if he grows up with a mature attitude towards alcohol, then he might not feel he needs to get plastered with his school mates just to earn some street cred (or whatever they call it now).

very well put m8!

TigaSefi · 27-04-2004, 12:47

I never drank before 16 in such a way these kids do nowadays cos we never had alcopops at the time. Also the "strong" stuff were like eewwww but 16 onwards ppl told me to mix stuff with the alchohol and it was fun.

I have never drunk beyond my limits cos I like to keep my head on my shoulders. My parents were like quite relaxed about the whole thing and just let me get on with it.

And I tend to do the same with my son.

**Paul M** · 27-04-2004, 12:55

When we were kids we were allowed wine at home most Sundays and always had plenty available at Xmas. I once remember getting very drunk on wine at a party we had when I was about 11/12 - I was sick and vowed "never again".

My daughters are allowed wine/spirits with meals and for celebrations if they want it - only one really bothers and then not very often.

If they don't see it as something special that they can't normally get hold of - then it seems to cease being a problem.