Teenagers dying for a drink

in particular. 

In July, 22 year old Gary Reinbach died of acute cirrhosis of the liver in University College Hospital, London. Gary started drinking at the age of 11 and, by the time he was 13, he would binge drink with friends. His mother said that he was able to buy bottles of whisky for only £7.

Teen buying power

With two-litre bottles of white cider (a favourite of many teenage drinkers) costing only £2 each, it’s easy to see how some children in the UK can afford to drink in large quantities. “We did a study of under-sixteen purchasing power recently and it was around £10 a week,” explains Mr Shenker. “The amount of alcohol that they can buy for that is around 60 units.”

Sir Liam Donaldson has said that “cheap alcohol is killing us all” and has called for a minimum price per unit of 50p. Alcohol Concern is backing this measure: “Evidence from around the world shows that if you use the price of alcohol as a lever, you can reduce consumption, especially among young drinkers,” says Mr Shenker. “This helps to lessen the general problems caused by alcohol such as hospital admissions, illness, crime and absenteeism from work or school.”

Purchase by proxy

Is alcohol too cheap in the UK?The ease at which underage drinkers get hold of alcohol is another key concern. Many young people get alcohol from home or purchase ‘by proxy’ through friends who are 18 or over and there is little that can be done about this.

Supermarkets are being seen to take a more responsible attitude towards alcohol purchase, although there are still flaws. Three of the top four supermarkets run the Challenge 25 initiative, whereby if you look under 25 and try to buy alcohol, you will be asked for ID. Alcohol Concern has found, however, that many supermarket promotions, in particular those that use own-brand products, fail to make clear the number of alcohol units contained in the product promoted. 

“Even if you do buy products that have unit information on them, it’s very difficult for people to relate the number of units in that product to sensible drinking. As a result, people don’t know the consequences of exceeding the limit or the range of medical problems that can occur,” says Mr Shenker.

Tougher penalties

Alcohol Concern believes that every retail outlet should have a proof of age scheme. There is also new legislation going through parliament to impose slightly tougher penalties on retailers. Currently, if a shopkeeper sells alcohol to a minor three times within three months they may lose their licence. The new law will change that rule to two strikes and you’re out. 

All these measures are a start, but are we neglecting the cause of teenage drinking in Britain? Don’t we need to ask, as a society, why our children are drinking more? The latest report from the Children’s Society found that young people are more ‘anxious and troubled’ now than ever before and that their lives are ‘more difficult’ than in the past. 

Social pressures, family break-ups, violence in the home, pressure over finding a job or a place at university all take their toll and may lead children towards what they view as temporary escapism. Is there more that parents, schools, the government and youth organisations can do to improve the lives of teenagers in Britain so they don’t want to get ‘wasted’ every weekend?

Also, many experts believe that more effective communication of the dangers of excessive drinking would help to discourage young people from starting to drink in the first place. People tend to associate heavy drinking with cirrhosis of the liver, but they don’t think of the cancers, heart disease or fertility problems that can be caused or contributed to by heavy drinking. 

Alcohol can also be a contributory factor in crime; it can make people become victims of crime; it can increase the likelihood of high-risk behaviour, such as drug-taking, not practicing safe sex, walking home alone at night or taking chances around dangerous cliffs, like Paddy Higgins and Andrew Curwell.

For more advice on how to get help with alcoholism, visit http://www.tom-brown.com/articles/teenagers-dying-drink/

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