Campaign to delay teen drinking

[Posted: Mon 19/05/2008 by Deborah Condon]

Over 80% of adults believe that it is easy for people under the age of 18 to access alcohol in pubs and off-licenses, new research from the HSE indicates.

The preliminary results of the research indicate that the vast majority of adults - 91% - agree that underage drinking is a problem in Ireland today, while 50% feel there is nothing they can do to stop young people from consuming alcohol.

Just 15% believe that their own drinking habits influence the habits of young people around them, while just 40% would drink less if they thought it would discourage these young people from drinking.

The preliminary results were released to coincide with the launch of a major HSE awareness campaign, aimed at delaying the age at which young people begin drinking alcohol.

The campaign features a television advertisement depicting a number of young people in a variety of situations where they are exposed to and gain access to alcohol.

The campaign hopes to increase awareness among adults about the extent of underage drinking, the ease of access which young people have to alcohol and the benefits in delaying the age at which they start drinking.

“We now have a problem which impacts negatively on so many areas of society, from increases in sexually transmitted infections, public order offences and young adult suicide”, commented Dr Joe Barry of the HSE’s population health directorate.

He pointed out that there are many benefits to delaying the age at which young people start to drink.

“Underage drinking is a risk factor for heavy drinking later in life and starting drinking in mid-teens increases four-fold the risk of alcohol dependence in later life”, Dr Barry explained.

He emphasised that many adults do not realise the impact their alcohol intake has on their children.

“Young people’s drinking behaviour is very often modelled on that observed in adults so it is particularly important that children and young people are equipped with the skills and knowledge to cope when faced with choices about alcohol”, he said.

As part of the campaign, the HSE is also making available alcohol awareness booklets. For a copy of Straight Talk – a guide for parents on teenage drinking and Less is More, call the HSE’s information line on 1850 24 1850.

For more information on young people and alcohol, click on…
http://www.healthpromotion.ie/alcohol/alcohol-and-young-people/

Anonymous   Posted: 23/05/2008 11:06

If 80% of adults believe that it is easy for people under the age of 18 to access alcohol in pubs and off-licenses, it puzzles me as to how the other twenty percent could possible think differently.

Louise  Posted: 23/05/2008 23:34

Well, if only 15% of adults believe their own drinking habits influence young people, there's proof of the collective denial! And only 40% say they'd drink less if they thought it would discourage underage drinking... really? It's easy to say they'd change their own habits, when they clearly don't believe these same habits DO influence young people. Pure rhetoric. Of COURSE the habits - drinking or otherwise - of adults or parents influence the young, for good or bad depending. The HSE can produce all the fancy booklets they like - a kind of three-card-trick to make it seem they're onto it - but when recently I tried to get help for a friend in trouble with alcohol (and suicidal to boot), all I met were hours waiting in A&E to be told, three days running, that "no beds are available". Oh! Maybe my friend hadn't read the booklet! Yes, of course, that would have solved the problem.

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