MORE than a quarter of 15 and 16-year-olds binge drink every week, shocking new figures reveal.
About 57,000 of the region's 190,000 youngsters in this age group go on regular boozing sessions, downing at least five drinks a session, according to a report on underage drinking in the north west.
Fifteen and 16-year-olds go through an alarming 84 million units of alcohol a year - equivalent to 44 bottles of wine, or 177 pints of beer per teenager, estimates the report.published by the Centre for Public Health, Liverpool's John Moors University, Trading Standards North West and the Home Office.
Almost 85 per cent of teenagers surveyed admitted to drinking and just under half said they drank at least once a week.
About 40 per cent of those had already been involved in alcohol-related violence.
The information was gathered from GCSE pupils at about 140 schools across the region.
Co-author Prof Mark Bellis, director of the Centre for Public Health, said: "This is more or less the first time we're getting a good feel of how much young people are drinking, in an environment where most people, including parents, have very little idea how much is safe.
"Without a clear message that underage drunkenness will not be tolerated, we will continue to see the high levels of alcohol bingeing and related violence shown in this study."
The results were worse in poorer areas, said Prof Bellis, with about 40 per cent of teens aged 15 and 16 binge drinking weekly, compared to one-third in more affluent areas. A third of underage drinkers said they had bought their own alcohol.
The report also shows an increase in the number of teenagers boozing in public places and those drinking more than twice a week.
Authors say those who binge three or more times a week were more than five times more likely to be involved in alcohol-related violence.
Dominic Harrison, of the Department of Health's regional office, said lower prices and increased availability were principle causes.
It added: "Ultimately, we may need more public challenge, both to young people who drink inappropriately, and the retail, marketing and culture industries that drive social attitudes supportive of excessive alcohol consumption."
Richard Lindley, of Trading Standards North West, said they were facing `an ongoing challenge' to reduce the supply of alcohol to under-18s.
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1 in 4 kids booze every week
March 28, 2008
Showing comments 1 to 15 and replies | View All
anthony, Accrington,Lancashire (28/03/2008 at 07:34)
Trudy, Bolton (28/03/2008 at 08:58)
Black Flag (28/03/2008 at 09:33)
A lot of analysis of alcohol use points toward the differences between British and Continental drinking. One of the crucial differences is that, in countries such as France, alcohol is introduced in the home by parents as part of a meal, which introduces it in a more civilised setting and takes away the mystique.
What you are suggesting would re-inforce the mindset of alcohol only being used to go out and get smashed.
There are some bad parents, but I would trust the vast majority to take a responsible attitude towards their children's use of alcohol.
anthony, Accrington,Lancashire (28/03/2008 at 09:47)
wayneold, manc (28/03/2008 at 10:10)
everyone of these kids will drink every night!
Black Flag (28/03/2008 at 10:40)
Your house party is a perfect example of that. A house is a private space. If somebody allows a party to take place in their home and one of the attendees vomits, that is a matter to be resolved between those two people. It doesn't need you sticking your nose in.
When I was in my teens, my parents would, on occasion, allow me to take a few cans of beer to a house party, because they believed that allowing me to drink a little in that context would be better than me going out at 18, completely unexposed to alcohol. I never vomited in anybody's house, I never attacked, raped or killed anybody, I just went happily about my business, got a few A-levels, got a degree and got a decent job.
If course, for the heinous crime of displaying a bit of parental judgement, which played a part in getting me to where I am, you believe my parents should have faced a lengthy prison sentence and I, presumably, should have been taken into care. I think that says more about you than it does about them.
You may think you are in the perfect position to make everybody's decisions for them, but I have to disagree.
anthony, Accrington,Lancashire (28/03/2008 at 11:08)
Black Flag (28/03/2008 at 11:33)
If a child behaves in a way which has a negative impact on others, child and/or parent should face the consequnces of that behaviour. What you are suggesting is that parents should not be able to show any judgement in the raising of their children.
Your attitude that you know what is best for everybody is arrogant nanny-statism of the highest order. To suggest that parents should be imprisoned if they don't raise their children the way you demand is just pathetic.
Presumably you'd want a large proportion of French parents imprisoned for daring to introduce their children to alcohol in a controlled way.
ace, manchester (28/03/2008 at 11:37)
Black Flag (28/03/2008 at 11:58)
That's the kind of attitude that ends up with people to committing acts of violence and against other people and then blaming it on society, or the government, or whatever excuse springs to mind.
It's time for people to start taking some responsibility for their own lives.
jomov, Manchester (28/03/2008 at 12:10)
The problem is with the so called parents who actually don't give a toss about their off spring to such an extent that they are born drug and alcohol addicts.
ace, manchester (28/03/2008 at 12:47)
Forty years ago we gave people the right to make their own minds up by taking corporal punishment/capitol punishment out of our legal system/schools .And people like yourself started making excuses for these people.That is how weve come to this where people make their own minds up and do exactly what "They think is right" and end up killing innocent people going about their daily lives .When people sit back and give statements out like "We have to make our own minds up" but the problem with statements like that is different people see the rules differently?
anthony, Accrington,Lancashire (28/03/2008 at 12:56)
Dean, Swinton (28/03/2008 at 13:37)
Black Flag (28/03/2008 at 14:10)
We have laws which, quite rightly, criminalise causing harm to other people and I haven't suggested that it should be otherwise; you've just dreamt that up to support your argument.
As an aside, I think your obsession with capital and corporal punishment as a panacea for all crime is misguided. Given a choice between losing my liberty for a period of time, or facing some temporary pain, I would take the pain every time. As for capital punishment, you only need to look at the number of serious criminals who try to commit suicide in prison to see that, from their perspective, death is the preferable option.