A 20-year old, fighting her alcoholism, is backing a Government drive to provide clear messages for parent and teenagers on the health effects and risks of young people drinking alcohol.
A five-point guidance document was launched last month in response to calls from parents for clear messages on the health effects and risks of young people drinking alcohol. This guidance is now under a 12-week consultation calling upon parents, young people and carers to give their views online at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations
Nikki, from Stone in Staffordshire, has been an alcoholic since she was 10 years old and started drinking to cope with an inability to talk about the personal difficulties and pressures of life.
She has around 14 criminal convictions mainly for drink-related offences, has been on tag, sent to prison and ASBO proceedings were considered against her. Currently she is half way through a two-year supervision order.
PC Andy Whitehall was the Beat Officer for Stone in Staffordshire when he first met Nikki, in August 2005, while arresting her for drinking in an alcohol prohibition area, refusing to surrender her alcohol and then assaulting him, as the arresting officer. In February 2008 Nikki arrived at the Police station in Stone very upset and crying. She had seen her doctor and been told she had Chronic Pancreatitis as a result of her drinking and that she would die if she didn’t stop drinking. She wanted something to do to keep her off the drink and felt that the police were the only people to whom she could turn for help.
Andy Whitehall was fairly dismissive and disbelieving that Nikki was really committed to trying to do something about her alcoholism and half-jokingly told her to come to see him the following Sunday at ‘The Right Stuff’ – the amateur police boxing club that he runs as part of his work with the Staffordshire Youth Offending prevention team.
To his great surprise Nikki did turn up and brought her younger sister and a friend, for good measure. Since that time Nikki has trained on average three times a week at the boxing club, she managed eight months free of alcohol through boxing, lost quite a lot of weight, gained a good level of fitness and acquired a measure of self-esteem. Although she has in the last three months had one or two episodes where she has had a drink, she has not relapsed into her old ways, has not been in any further trouble with the courts or the police and it is hoped that the court will soon withdraw her supervision order as a result of her good behaviour.
‘The Right Stuff’ is not a conventional boxing club as membership is free to all ages provided that they engage in community projects, agree to good behaviour and try to improve their health and well-being including tackling any substance or alcohol abuse issues. The club has around 50 members and the youngest is six years old. Community projects undertaken by members including Nikki, in the past 12 months, include gardening for more than 20 elderly local residents, four inter-generational community litter picks, tree planting, delivering food parcels to vulnerable elderly residents and youth engagement displays such attend the boxing club.
The club’s 2008 Member of the Year award went to Nikki Sims and she is (on 27th February) to be given a special award by Stafford Borough Council for the efforts she has made in turning her life around.
Nikki used to be the scourge of retailers in the town centre with her street drinking, one wine bar proprietor ( Mr Custodio Pinto of ‘The Lounge’ in Stone ) used to dread her and friends sitting on the bench next to his property and the verbal abuse he would get from them. He went to look at the boxing club and was so impressed by the change it was bringing about in young members that he sponsored the club for tracksuits. The Lounge is now the club’s unofficial base for community project refreshments and Nikki is a welcome regular with other club members for coffee.
Nikki has shown tremendous determination to improve her life in the last 12 months and even continued to train using only her left hand when she broke her right hand while sparring.
Alcoholism is a life long fight, but this is one young lady who having considered the prospect of her life ending prematurely has decided to put the gloves on and take up that fight practically, physically and psychologically; in her own words: "You don’t know how hard it is, how much I want it, but I don’t want to go back".
Pc Whitehall, adds: "Nikki has done tremendously well in her fight with alcoholism, she is an inspiration to all the young people at the club. I would say to any one else in Nikki’s position don’t lose hope and it’s never too late to seek help."
The harsh reality is that by the age of 15 many young people will have already consumed alcohol, often drinking weekly. Statistics show that: 16% of 11 – 14 year olds across the region said, in an Ofsted survey, they have been drunk once or twice in their lives. Figures vary little across the West Midlands’ counties participating in the survey, with Shropshire highest at 19%, Staffordshire at 17%, while Birmingham records the lowest figure of 14%. (source: Ofsted Tell Us3 survey 2008).
In Staffordshire alone, over 100 under-18s are admitted to hospital each year due to alcohol-specific conditions.
The Chief Medical Officer’s 5-point Guidance on the Consumption of Alcohol by Children and Young People advises:
1. Children and their parents and carers are advised that an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option. However, if children drink alcohol, it should not be until at least the age of 15 years.
2. If young people aged 15 to 17 years consume alcohol, it should always be with the guidance of a parent or carer or in a supervised environment.
3. Parents and young people should be aware that drinking, even at age 15 or older, can be hazardous to health and that not drinking is the healthiest option for young people. If 15 to 17 year olds do consume alcohol they should do so infrequently and certainly on no more than one day a week. Young people aged 15 to 17 years should never exceed recommended adult daily limits and on days when they drink, consumption should usually be below such levels.
4. The importance of parental influences on children’s alcohol use should be communicated to parents, carers and professionals. Parents and carers require advice on how to respond to alcohol use and misuse by children.
5. Support services must be available for children and young people who have alcohol related problems and their parents
Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer for England, led the development of the guidance, following extensive research and work with a panel of experts who reviewed the latest available medical evidence and data from across the UK on the impact of alcohol and young people.
He said: "This guidance aims to support parents, give them the confidence to set boundaries and to help them engage with young people about drinking and risks associated with it.
"More than 10,000 children end up in hospital every year due to drinking and research tells us that 15 per cent of young people think it is normal to get drunk at least once a week. They are putting themselves at risk of liver damage, depression and problems with brain development and memory. Resulting social issues can lead to children doing less well at school and struggling to interact with friends and family."
"The more information available to parents and young people about the harms and effects of drinking alcohol in childhood, the better chance we have of protecting the youth of today and tomorrow."
Department for Children, Schools and Families