1. Parentswere warnedlastnightthattheyare partlyresponsible forthe underage drinkingepidemic.
A Home Office surveyrevealedthathalf of all under-18drinkersare giventhe alcohol bytheir
motheror father.The studyalsosaidthat tensof thousandsof parentsare turninga blindeye to
childrenasyoungas tengetting'verydrunk'.
It said:'As parentswere oftenreportedasbeingthe mainsupplierof alcohol totheirchildrenand
were generallythoughttobe aware of theirchildren'sbehaviour,the findingsindicate thatparents
may alsoneedtotake some responsibilityforaddressingtheirchildren'sdrinkingbehaviour.'
A spokesmanforAlcohol Concernsaid:'It'simportanttorememberthatalcohol isadangerous
substance whenmisused,andthere are no"safe levels"atwhichyoungpeoplecandrinkwithout
riskingtheirwell-being.
'An average of 13 under-18sa weekendupinhospital because of drinkingtoomuch,notto mention
the fact that alcohol can leadpeople tomake riskydecisions.'
LiverspecialistIanGilmore,of the Royal College of Physicians,saidmisuseof alcohol byparentsmay
helptoexplaintheirattitudetowardstheirchildren'sdrinking.
ProfessorGilmore said:'Manypeople feel alittle uncomfortable withtheirowndrinkinghabits,so
do notfeel ina positiontocriticise others,includingtheirchildren.'
The surveyof 5,205 youngstersfoundthe vastmajority - includingsome asyoungasten - whotry to
buyalcohol have no probleminbeingservedbystaff. Some 93 percent of those agedtento 15 had
successfullyboughtalcohol inpubsandclubs,and84 percent had made a purchase inshops.
On Wednesday,police condemnedparentswhosupplied£400-worthof alcohol at an impromptu
end-of-termpartyforpupilsaged15 and 16 fromThornhill Science College,Dewsbury,andWest
Yorkshire.
Officersrespondingtoatip-off pouredawaythe drinkafterdiscoveringitstashedunderbushesina
park. Theywere thenastonishedtoreceive complaintsfromparentswhoclaimedthatthe officers
had 'thrownaway theirmoney'.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-388826/Parents-responsible-underage-drinking.html
Just 12% of 11 to 15-year olds said they had drunk alcohol in the previous week in 2011 -
down from 26% a decade earlier, according to National Health Service statistics. The
proportion who said they had ever drunk alcohol fell from 61% to 45% over the same
period. Among older teenagers and young adults, the pattern was the same. In 1998 71% of
16 to 26-year-olds said they'd had an alcoholic drink that week. By 2010 only 48% did so.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25652991
2. Alcohol consumption is linked to nearly half of all violent incidents, and alcohol harm costs a
total of £21 billion a year through NHS costs, alcohol-related crime and disorder, and lost
productivity.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/minister-praises-manchester-crackdown-on-
alcohol-related-harm
A project set up to give young people with a safe place to meet up has helped cut youth
anti-social behaviour in Winton, Salford, by 90 per cent.
Matt Jones, from City West, said: “We believe all of our customers have the right to feel safe
in their communities – which is why we are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and
its causes.
A 90 per cent drop in youth anti-social behaviour may seem like a difficult thing to achieve.
But if we can work effectively with our partners to ensure that young people have a place
where they can socialise safely, then half the battle is already won.”
Figures show that since the Winton ROC Cafe opened in April 2013, there has been a
dramatic drop in anti-social behaviour in the area.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-caf-
thats-helped-cut-8213164
