Alcohol Help

A comprehensive plan to stop young people drinking in public; help them make the right decisions about alcohol; and provide clear information to parents and young people about the risks of early drinking was announced by Ed Balls, Jacqui Smith and Alan Johnson in the Government’s Youth Alcohol Action Plan.

The Action Plan sets out what the Government will do to address drinking by young people in three main ways:

* Working with police and the courts to stop it, making it clear that unsupervised drinking by young people under-18 in public places is unacceptable;

* Recognising that drinking by young people in the home is clearly the responsibility of parents and families, but providing clearer health information for parents and young people about how consumption of alcohol can affect children and young people. The Action Plan announces that the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson will produce clear guidelines for families;

* Working with the alcohol industry to continue the good progress made to reduce the sale of alcohol to under-18s but also in marketing and promoting alcohol in a more responsible way.

While the proportion of young people who drink regularly has fallen, the consumption of alcohol by those who do drink has risen sharply. And the ways in which young people are drinking have changed. The Youth Alcohol Action Plan promises a powerful package of action to tackle this:

* New laws to stop young people drinking in public places, including a new offence to tackle persistent possession of alcohol;

* New authoritative guidelines from the Chief Medical Officer about young people, alcohol and health;

* Establishing a new partnership with parents by providing them with clear information they need to guide their children towards low risk drinking; and

* Supporting and encouraging young people themselves through publicity campaigns and education in schools to make the right decisions about alcohol.

There is a rising trend.of young people drinking unsupervised in public places. This puts them and their communities at greater risk, so tough new measures will be introduced to give thepolice powers to tackle young people who harm themselves and their communities by persistently drinking unsupervised in public places. This includes the use of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts and Parenting Orders. To address the most serious and persistent cases of public drinking by young people, we will put in place tough new measures to address this, including legislating to make it an offence for under-18s to persistently possess alcohol in public places.

The Government wants to give parents and young people the information they need to make informed choices. The Chief Medical Officer will develop a new set of ‘guidelines’ on young people and alcohol. He will work with experts, parents and young people themselves to consider the age at which children and young people can start to drink alcohol, how much it is sensible for young people to drink; and how far young people’s drinking of alcohol should be supervised by parents.

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said:

"Tougher enforcement powers are needed to tackle under-age binge drinking but enforcement measures alone are not the solution. We need a culture change about drinking with everyone from parents, the alcohol industry and young people all taking more responsibility.

"We need to fundamentally influence young people’s behaviour and attitudes towards alcohol. This will involve talking to young people themselves but, crucially, parents tell us they want better, clearer information as they bring up their children."

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

"If you can’t buy alcohol you shouldn’t be able to drink it in public either. Underage drinking erodes the safety and well being of communities as well as damaging young people’s health. It’s not right and I am determined to put a stop to it.

"Alongside new measures to help police to take action against one-off offenders and put them back on the right track, I will introduce brand new legislation which is designed to tackle under-18s who won’t change their ways. All of us, Government, the police, alcohol retailers, community workers and parents - particularly parents - have a responsibility to face this challenge head on. Now we have the powers in place, it’s time to use them to their full effect."

Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, said:

"Young people drink, we know that. And instead of turning a blind eye or preaching at them, we must equip them and their parents with the information they need to stay healthy.

"Excess drinking caused an increasing number of people to be admitted to hospital last year. We want to ensure that the young people of today do not become patients of tomorrow because they have drunk too much alcohol."

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, said:

"Fewer young people now drink, but those who do are drinking more - and they are probably unaware of the damage they are doing to their health. So it’s essential that young people and their parents have clear, medical guidance.

"I will be working with an expert panel, as well as with parents and children, to develop clear information for children, and their parents, about the effects of alcohol."

Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children said:

"We welcome the Youth Alcohol Action Plan which is an important first step in tackling growing concerns around the level of young people’s drinking and the negative impact this can have on their health, well being and the communities in which they live. It is particularly encouraging to see an emphasis being placed on helping parents to discuss drinking alcohol with their children as many may feel uncomfortable and unsure of how to engage their children in talking about the issue.

"Providing young people with the information and guidance they need to make responsible decisions about drinking alcohol is vital, particularly given the peer pressure that many face. Working with young people and their families in this way will be an important part of the journey towards reversing the health and social problems which have resulted from our prevalent drinking culture."

Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, said:

"Alcohol Concern has consistently campaigned for the government to take stronger action to reduce the considerable levels of teenage alcohol misuse and its associated harms. We’re therefore delighted to support the launch of this new action plan which promises a series of improved interventions. Given the widespread ease with which young people obtain and misuse alcohol, the scale of the challenge is considerable. However the plan represents an excellent start. Parents play a critical role in raising sensible drinkers and they should benefit from the clearer advice on how to raise these issues with their children that is promised under these proposals. Furthermore, it is right that we spotlight the role that improved industry standards could play in driving positive change."

Department for Children, Schools and Families

Responding to the publication of the government’s Youth Alcohol Action Plan
today, Addaction Director of Operations Richard McKendrick said:

"With this plan the government has acknowledged that the UK’s drinking
problem - particularly that of young people - has spiraled out of control.

"While this coordinated approach from government is a positive step forward,
this plan is essentially a raft of measures which risks bringing even more
young people into a criminal justice system already creaking under its own
weight. The UK is already criminalizing more young people than virtually any
other country in Europe to no positive effect.

"The strategy misses all the easy targets. There are no plans for the
thousands of young people - many still just a primary school - coming into
A&E who could be offered information and support to prevent them going on to
put themselves at further risk.

"The police, who come into contact with more young people at risk than any
other agency, should be encouraged to work with local partners to engage
young people, rather than just removing them from sight to be forced into
more isolated or dangerous places.

He continued:

"Parents are responsible for supporting their children, but where they can’t
or won’t support young people there has to be intensive support available
for them and their children - the few areas mentioned in the plan simply
aren’t enough.

"Done well and early enough, intensive support for families can turn lives
around, prevent anti-social behaviour and save valuable money, time and
resources for society. This must be a priority as we work over the long-term
to support young people and parents affected by alcohol misuse."

Addaction

Responding to plans laid out today by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to reduce underage alcohol misuse, Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern said:

"Alcohol Concern has consistently campaigned for the government to take stronger action to reduce the considerable levels of teenage alcohol misuse and its associated harms. This plan represents an excellent start. Parents should benefit from the plans to provide clearer advice on how to raise these issues with their children. We are also delighted to see that alcohol arrest referral pilots are to be extended to the under-18s.

Nevertheless, changing behaviour among the young towards alcohol is a long term project, requiring contributions from parents, government, the drinks industry, and youth providers. We will continue therefore to urge industry and the government to work towards reducing the cultural impact that alcohol advertising and promotion has on British children. We also hope that the central government departments will co-operate to look at how local agencies can be resourced sufficiently to deliver on this vital agenda."

Alcohol Concern

A new report from Britain’s biggest drug and alcohol treatment charity has found that one in five vulnerable young people starts drinking before they are ten years old. The snapshot survey carried out last month of young people treated for drug and alcohol problems by Addaction also found that young people drinking heavily were more likely than other underage drinkers to drink out–of-doors, with almost two thirds drinking outside on high streets, parks or on estates, rather than at home or in pubs and clubs.

Coming ahead of the government’s Youth Alcohol Action Plan, the report Parklife: Alcohol and young people at risk finds the current police-led approach to dealing with the problem by confiscating alcohol and issuing fines results only in short-term gains and often forces young people to drink in more isolated or dangerous places, increasing the risks they face.

Young people drinking unsupervised in public are more likely to be victims of unprotected sex, alcohol-related violence or to be admitted to hospital and are at increased risk of long-term health problems related to alcohol use, yet they are more likely to come into contact with the police than any form of community support. Richard McKendrick, Operations Director for Addaction, says:

“There are a number of young people, some still at primary school, who are drinking well over the recommended limit for adults, most often outside in public places, putting their safety and health at risk.

“Our experience is the police realize they can’t tackle these problems on their own. Dealing with these problems places a huge demand on police time and resources; especially with the recent Home Office announcement of further enforcement on anti-social behaviour.

“We need a more assertive approach that sees partnership working between police and local agencies to reach out to young people, keep them safe and provide them and their families with support as well as other activities for them to take part in”.

The report recommends the forthcoming Youth Alcohol Action Plan should target young people drinking in public places and provide support alongside enforcement, with police working together with voluntary or statutory agencies at local drinking hotspots to provide information, support or specialist treatment where needed and link young people in to local sports or arts-based activities.

In areas where Addaction has adopted this approach, often in co-operation with local police, there has been a reduction in criminal damage and violent crime as well as an increase in the number of young people in specialist treatment and in contact with local agencies.

Other key findings:

• Typically, young people surveyed drank twice a week (30 per cent) with almost one fifth (19 per cent) drinking either daily or every other day. One in four of these were as young as between 10 and 14 years old

• Nine in ten young people still find it easy to get hold of alcohol, despite recent crackdowns on underage sales. Young people most frequently obtained alcohol by getting someone older to buy alcohol for them.

• Vodka was the most commonly consumed drink, with over half of young people (52.6 per cent) drinking vodka overall. This may be explained by the high number of young people who, when asked why they drank, said they were drinking ‘to get drunk’ (51 per cent)*.

Addaction