Underage drinking: alcohol culture

Walk through any park and the underage drinker has become a regular sight. Andy Hillier investigates why so many young people are turning to the bottle. Seven o'clock on a Friday evening and a group of 14-year-old girls are sat on Ealing's Haven Green in west London sharing a joke and passing around a cheap bottle of wine. Four empty bottles lay discarded by their sides next to their school blazers. "Pass it here, Sam," shouts one of the girls. "It's my turn now."

The bottle is handed over to the girl, who takes several large gulps before declaring she wants to get "absolutely wasted" tonight. Head to most parks on a Friday and Saturday night and the teenage drinker has become a ubiquitous sight. If this sounds far-fetched, it isn't. According to Young People Now's exclusive Mori research carried out in conjunction with the Office of the Children's Commissioner, about one in five 11- to 16-year-olds admit to drinking alcohol at least once a week. And three-quarters of all secondary school pupils surveyed have tried alcohol at least once.

It's a growing problem too. Similar studies carried out by Mori on behalf of the Youth Justice Board found that nearly seven out of 10 young people admitted drinking in 2004, compared with just four out of 10 in 2002.

Rebecca Cheshire, policy and practice manager for young people at alcohol and addiction charity Addaction, says they are increasingly seeing young people with alcohol problems. "It is a definite concern," says Cheshire. "About half of the young people who accessed our services last year were using alcohol. Most commonly this was being used together with other drugs."

So why are so many teenagers drinking? Ask young people themselves and you get many answers. John, 14, from Fulham in southwest London, says: "It's just for a bit of laugh. It's something to do when there's nothing going on. You go round your mates, have a few ciders and chill out."

Stress relief

Amy, 15, from Ealing, says it is a good way to relieve stress. "School can be quite pressured and having a drink helps you switch off," she says. "We're doing exams at the moment so it's nice to take your mind off them for a while." She admits that drinking alcohol also makes her feel more grown up. "You do feel more like you're an adult than a kid when you drink," she says. "It's especially good if you manage to get served yourself."

The young people's comments back up the alcohol charities' experiences. Evidence they have gathered suggests that young people drink for three main reasons. The first is as a coping mechanism; helping them to feel happy, manage stress or regulate their moods. The second is that they drink for social reasons, using alcohol as a means to break through social barriers, develop friendships and explore sexual relationships. The third is peer influence. In certain social settings, young people either feel under pressure from their friends to drink or believe it is the done thing in the situation.

Addaction also offers a fourth explanation. "Since the 90s there has been a substantial increase in the popularity of spirits and alcopops among 11- to 15-year-olds, especially among girls," says Cheshire. "The British Medical Association has for some time expressed concern about these drinks, not simply with regard to their content and availability but also because of the marketing strategies employed by the drinks industry in promoting them to young people.

"Because these drinks have been marketed to young people, particularly those who are not legally permitted to purchase them, it raises the question of whether alcopops are to some extent legitimising underage drinking." On the streets of west London, alcopops are the drinks of choice among young people. Simon, 12, says: "WKD is my favourite. It's really sweet and tastes like pop. I've tried lager but I just didn't like it." For Amy, 15, her usual drink is Smirnoff Ice. "Although I do like vodka and coke," she adds.

It is young people like Amy that Young People Now's research highlights as the most likely to drink. Amy is White and comes from a relatively privileged background. According to our research, White young people are twice as likely to be regular drinkers as those from Black or minority ethnic backgrounds. The fact that she comes from an affluent area, is female and over 13 makes her far more likely to drink regularly.

Amy's own experiences support these findings. "Yeah, a lot more girls seem to drink than the lads," she says. "The boys just hang out and play computer games or go skating. Girls tend to look older and can get drink much easier. They can normally get it from the older lads or buy it themselves."

So just how easy is it for teenagers to get hold of alcohol? Out of a group of 20 young people aged 11 and 12 from Brunswick Club for Young People in Fulham, southwest London, 15 said they had tried alcohol. Most said they were either given booze by their parents or older siblings, and one said he had successfully bought it from an off-licence. "I got it from the shop where my mum goes," he says. "I told the man she had asked me to buy it for her."

When the same question was asked of 15- and 16-year-old club members, the answers were very different. Everyone had tried alcohol and more than half bought it from off-licences themselves. Jason, 15, says: "A lot of the time it's about knowing the right places to go. Some off-licences ask for ID but others don't care. They'll sell you booze or fags without thinking twice. We rarely come away empty-handed."

It's the widespread availability of alcohol to minors that alarms shadow children's minister Tim Loughton. He has accompanied the police and council officials on sting operations in his own constituency in West Sussex. Each time he has been shocked by the ease with which young people have managed to obtain alcohol. "The girls used in the operations were obviously about 15," he says. "Yet in nearly every pub and shop they went into they managed to get served. Most worryingly it was the landlords and owners who were selling them the drinks, not just your average bar or shop staff."

But it's parents who are the biggest culprits of supplying alcohol. More than half of the regular young drinkers surveyed in the Young People Now research said they had been given it by their parents. This was followed by about two in five who said they received it while at a friend's house.

Parental influence

Angela Holland, spokesperson at parenting support charity Parentline Plus, says that there's probably a good reason for mums and dads' willingness to supply alcohol. "Parents realise that if they don't provide their children with alcohol there's a strong chance they'll get it from somewhere else," she says. "At least when they supply the alcohol they will have some kind of control over what their children drink and the quantities they consume. It also provides parents with an opportunity to educate their children about the dangers of drinking to excess."

The Government is taking action to tackle the problem. Last November, the controversial Licensing Act 2003, which allowed pubs, bars and clubs to extend their opening times, came into force, bringing with it a range of measures to tackle underage alcohol sales. These included tougher penalties and the possible prosecution of companies and directors found guilty of supplying alcohol to minors. The Act also allowed trading standards officers to undertake sting operations using underage volunteers.

The Alcohol Harm and Reduction Strategy for England, published in 2004, reaffirmed that alcohol education should be taught as part of the National Curriculum and recognised the fact that there was a need for more peer-led programmes to help change young people's attitudes towards alcohol.

Caroline Flint, minister for public health, says alcohol education now has a higher profile in schools across the country and is a major part of the National Curriculum. "Updated guidance is clear that alcohol education should be about sensible drinking and reducing harm - encouraging schools to look at the influence of media on attitudes towards alcohol," she says. "There is also a personal, social and health education certificate on alcohol education. More than 2,000 teachers and 150 nurses are 'certificated' and 2,300 are in the programme."

The drinks industry also says it is doing its bit to tackle underage drinking. Earlier this month, the industry teamed up with the Government to launch the Drinkaware Trust, a charitable organisation that will promote sensible drinking across all age groups. Samantha Jobber, spokesperson for the trust, says the drinks industry understands it has a role to play. "In the UK there is a strict code that regulates the way all alcoholic drinks are named, packaged and promoted," she says. "The code clearly states that products must not appeal to under-18s and any product found in breach of this rule will be removed from the market. Alcohol retailers must always ask for proof of age and drinks producers must ensure their products do not appeal to under-18s," she says.

But young people are not convinced by the measures in place. Scott, 19, a recovering alcoholic from Liverpool, recalls receiving alcohol education as part of his PSHE classes at school, but says it didn't stop him from drinking (see box, p19). "There were lots of lessons about things like drinking and safe sex but nothing really sunk in," he says. "Having a teacher tell you not to drink is never going to work."

Jason, 15, from Fulham, agrees: "The only way you can truly learn is from experience. Once you've got drunk and had a hangover then you know what drinking is all about."

Extreme measures

So what kind of measures would actually work? Tim Loughton believes that a high-profile advertising campaign targeted directly at young people would be a good starting point. "The Government spends millions on making people aware of the dangers of smoking but spends substantially less on alcohol awareness, yet more people drink than smoke," he says. "Money should be invested in an ad campaign similar to the Aids awareness drive of the 1980s. It should let young people know in no uncertain terms about the dangers of drinking."

Loughton believes that this approach should be combined with even harsher penalties for outlets such as pubs, supermarkets and off-licences that sell young people alcohol - "the existing fines aren't enough of a deterrent" - providing interesting methods of teaching young people about alcohol awareness both in and out of school, and by educating parents about the dangers of allowing their children to drink.

Addaction agrees that stiffer penalties and better education would help. It adds, however, that the education must be based on allowing young people and parents to make an informed choice. "Only then will it have any meaning for the families and young people," says Cheshire.

For Scott, the solution to the problem is more complicated. "It requires a complete change of mindset," he believes. "As long as young people see adults drinking heavily and enjoying themselves, they'll want to do the same. Unless we adopt a European attitude where we only drink when having a meal, we'll never solve the problem."

Some of the young people's names have been changed

UNDERAGE DRINKING: THE BIGGER PICTURE

Sir Al Aynsley-Green, Children's Commissioner

The prevalence of underage drinking has increased significantly in recent years. The Mori research provides up-to-date and accessible data. The social acceptance of drinking alcohol means underage drinking is not seen as being as dangerous as other drugs. However, the long- and short-term consequences for a young person can be serious.

The Mori study reinforces previous research, showing a close correlation between excessive drinking and harmful outcomes. Minimising risky behaviour and the consequences - including accidents, getting into fights, unwanted or unprotected sexual activity, poor school performance or attendance - should be at the heart of any successful alcohol policies.

Although there are no specific government targets, a comprehensive strategy to tackle underage drinking would contribute to the respect agenda - as well as targets on youth offending, road accidents, teenage pregnancy, attainment of looked-after children and reducing the numbers not in education, employment or training. It could also impact on the Government's parenting strategy, as the research shows parental drinking has a significant influence on young people's drinking habits - as well as being a major cause of young people being taken into care.

The Youth Matters agenda is also important in tackling alcohol. By encouraging and providing more constructive and affordable activities, young people will have more choice in terms of things to do and places to go. An increase in activities, especially in rural areas where there is a higher rate of underage drinking, would provide young people with alternatives and decrease the frequency with which young people drink. Many young people see drinking alcohol as a rite of passage into adulthood.

And although young people are aware of the health risks of drinking alcohol, this has not halted the rise in underage drinking. It will be interesting to see whether alcohol is a topic raised through our Shout! Turn up the volume campaign, which aims to capture young people's top issues. A harm-minimisation approach to promote safer drinking will be more effective than simply endorsing abstinence. There needs to be more education for young people and their parents about the physical and mental consequences of underage drinking. And encouraging young people to develop healthy attitudes towards alcohol must be part of a holistic approach to promoting healthy lifestyles.

SOLUTIONS TO UNDERAGE DRINKING

Problem: Three out of four 11- to 16-year-olds have tried alcohol

Solution: "We need more investment in alcohol education in schools and other related settings. Current National Curriculum requirements don't go far enough" - Rebecca Cheshire, policy and practice manager for young people, Addaction

Problem: One in five 11- to 16-year-olds are buying alcohol from shops and off-licences

Solutions: "The penalties should be made stiffer for those caught selling alcohol to under-18s. The current fines aren't a deterrent" - Tim Loughton, shadow children's minister "We should be naming and shaming those stores and supermarkets that are caught selling to young people, while praising those retailers who do well to raise awareness of alcohol and prevent sales to young people" - Rebecca Cheshire, policy and practice manager for young people, Addaction

Problem: Young people aren't aware of the dangers of alcohol

Solution: "Health awareness messages should be introduced on bottle labels. Increasing the price of drinks according to the amount of alcohol in them would help" - Lesley King-Lewis, chief executive, ction on Addiction

Problem: More than half of regular young drinkers are given alcohol by their parents

Solution: "Parents need to be educated about the damage alcohol can often have on their children. They currently don't know enough about the dangers" - Tim Loughton, shadow children's minister

Problem: Young people admitted to hospital for alcohol-related problems often don't receive follow-up support

Solution: "A specialist alcohol worker should be placed in every hospital to talk to young people with alcohol problems" - Lesley King-Lewis, chief executive, Action on Addiction

THE DANGERS OF DRINK

• Regular heavy alcohol consumption and binge drinking are associated with physical problems, antisocial behaviour, violence, accidents, suicide, injuries and road-traffic accidents. They can also affect school performance and crime
• Alcohol misuse is associated with a range of mental disorders and can exacerbate existing mental health problems
• Adolescents report having more risky sex when they are under the influence of alcohol: they may be less likely to use contraception and more likely to have sex early or have sex they later regret
• Drinking too much on a regular basis also increases the risk of liver damage, mouth and throat cancers and raised blood pressure
• Between 1997 and 2001, there were 13 alcohol poisoning-related deaths among 13- to 19-year-olds in England and Wales

Source: Addaction
12 July 2006

http://www.ypnmagazine.com/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=full_news&ID=10981

 
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