Amidst recent headlines like "How a day of binge drinking ended in murder", "Why booze culture refuses to die", "We can't stop our son drinking" and "Teenage girls drinking too much" it is clear that the scope of the problem involving youth and drink is a significant one.
Reports indicate that average consumption of alcohol by young people who drink has nearly doubled from 5.3 units in 1990 to 11.4 units in 2006. One report found that 11-15 year olds are consuming more alcohol more often and there is growing evidence of increases in liver cirrhosis in young adults. (Drug Education: An Entitlement for All, Advisory Group on Drug and Alcohol Education, 2008). However the latest results from a Government survey published in Drug Education Forum Briefing Paper 2008 showed a further increase to 12.7 units per week in 2007.
In a bid to tackle the issues relating to alcohol abuse the Government's consultation Youth Alcohol Action Plan was launched on Friday, 30 January by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson. It seeks to crack down on off licences which sell alcohol to under 18s and aims to reduce public drinking. Additionally, parents will be issued with a youth drink guide which stipulates safe drinking levels for their children. These guidelines are an attempt at getting teenagers to be more aware of 'safe consumption' and therefore more responsible about drinking.
Current government guidelines on alcohol stipulate that it is illegal to give alcohol to a child aged below five and that under 16s should not drink. They also emphasise that it is against the law for under 18s to buy alcohol in a pub, off licence, supermarket or other outlet or for anyone to buy alcohol for someone under 18 to consume in a pub or public place.
The new plans include additional aspects around parental responsibility and penalties for not controlling their children's drinking; anti-social behaviour orders placed on teenagers possessing alcohol in public and charges for off licences and vendors selling alcohol to children and teens.
Turning Point social care charity spokesperson, Jill Shaw, believes that the plans should incorporate better access to alcohol treatment services using a family oriented approach. Hope UK, a Christian Charity that enables young people to make drug-free choices has praised the initiative but adds some cautions. Whilst they applaud the move to discourage alcohol use in the under 15s they state: "It will need the active involvement of parents and carers ? not just in denying alcohol but also, and more importantly, in the provision and role modelling of alcohol-free options". They emphasise that action is needed to help parents address their own drinking due to the impact it has had on children, quoting the Government's 2004 report on alcohol harm reduction which states that between 780,000 and 1.3 million children are suffering in England because of parental drinking.
The Christian charity ended its response with a plea to Christians. "The UK Christian response to alcohol issues has been mixed and often muted in recent years. If there was a time for churches to take a practical stance, it is now." The Adventist church would agree and would endorse the Biblical directive about alcohol: "Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging and whosoever is deceived by it is not wise." (Proverbs 20:1) That is why Adventists stand by their principal that abstinence is the best option.
[Sharon Platt-McDonald, BUC Health Ministries Director]
