Booze Britain?
4th August, 2009
The consumption of alcohol, it seems, is an inherently British activity. It is so strongly aligned to a night out, a night in or a night in general, that without it you open yourself up for cheap criticism, accusations of being ‘boring’ or being ‘the odd one out’. Alcohol, I’ve found, is so deeply ingrained in our culture that I’ve never – not once – questioned the consumption of it as, alike most young people in an experimental life stage, I happily got wasted. I was used to bingeing with a bunch of friends in a distressed, garbage strewn park a few blocks down – getting totally smashed at a ridiculously tender age – swaying side to side as the inebriating effects of bad rum and cheap cider knocked me for nine. Fun times, I may recall. Unhealthy times would probably be closer to the mark. And I’m not alone – our own data shows that 49% of young people thinking drinking over the national guideline is an acceptable thing to do.
Having recently becoming involved in the Department for Children, Schools and Families COI pitch, I’ve been looking intently at teenage drinking and the problems that have since arisen from our nation’s clear acceptance of alcohol as a recreational facility. The message surrounding booze should be clear and, if nothing else, at least cemented. This message, however, is far from either. What, for example, is the acceptable age for a father to take his young son down to the pub? When is it legal to give alcohol to a minor in the shelter of one’s own home? I’ve never been clear and I wonder who actually is?
However, throughout all the negatives surrounding binge drinking, and the bad press surrounding young people and alcohol abuse, the actual proportions of young people drinking is actively falling. It is now the volumes of alcohol that those that do binge are drinking that is the problem. Earlier this year top medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson, called for the banning of all consumption of alcohol for pre 15 year olds, citing the long lasting damage and the potential to hinder brain development as serious reasons as to why minors shouldn’t drink a drop. Now not drinking at all seems somewhat harsh, and I, personally, believe that under suitable guidance young people can be responsible enough to drink even at a very young age, but it is when there is no guidance, guidelines or structure that problems arise.
With numbers of drinkers falling, yet the volume of the amount those that do drink rising rapidly, there must be some sort of middle ground that appeals to young people yet satisfies the government and medical experts alike. Alas solutions to this problem are reasons for the COI Pitch and good luck to all involved but what would you do to combat this issue? How would you change things? Do you think it is right to want to ban all under 15s from drinking? Please leave your thoughts!
Image taken from here.
Banning under 15s won’t solve anything. The problem with the youth (and older people too) is that for some reason they cannot have fun without getting sloshed. This is the problem that needs to be addressed in order to curb the nation’s binge drinking crisis. Otherwise, there are going to be a lot of useless livers inside of people.
I was goin 2 go 2 an u18 night (Soft drinks only) @ a local club 2night, but wanted more peeps 2 come. So i posted it on facebook last night, but they just took the mick saying ‘at 17 i should try gettin in’ meanin on a normal 18+ night. If u do manage 2 get in underage and some1 finds out (i.e the police) then the club could lose it’s licence n ur parent’s could b arrested. So is it really worth the risk?!
I admit i do drink @ home but only a small ammount on special occasions e.g xmas, new yr, etc.
The problem is Kids…(which at 15, you are a kid…) are in such a hurry to grow up these days… this includes underage sex and drinking/ drug abuse… There is so much peer pressure that has been created, and seems to become greater every year… at a young age, to been seen drinking, smoking and having sex is supposedly cool, little do they know, or choose to be educated on, is that significant effects can and will be experienced by themselves aswell as family members and friends…
You cant ban them from drinking, as there is always a way around the ban… How would this ban be put into place…
I think most would agree, that the education at these vital years and before needs stepping up, and parents should take more responsibility in what their child/ children are doing, and where they are going……… in Life!
I personally believe the real problem is simply our drinking culture – that of strong lager, alcopops cider and spirits. Sure, recently we’ve tried to become more continental in our drinking habits in cities such as London, however policies such as the 24 hour licensing have had dire consequences.The underlying problem is the way in which we are introduced to alcohol. From a young age we see alcohol as a release, an excuse, a crutch, a way of beating out british stiff upper lip. And that is a shame. As a society we don’t seem to have confidence, the ability to relax and let go and it seems we need alcohol to do this and become the “funny guy or Mr amusing” or at the very least, think we are. The drinking habits of a massive percentage of the population would be seen on countries such as America as those of someone who needs to join AA. Alcohol misuse/abuse every year costs the economy an estimated £20 billion, and we still all do it. We really have to ask why is it that we have this problem with our drinking age at 18, when Americas, whose drinking age is 21, doesn’t have this problem nor does France, whose drinking age for beer or wine is 16 and children and teenagers are gradually introduce to alcohol with water and sirops, why is it we see it as acceptable to get wasted legally at 18 and illegally at 17, 16, 15 and probably 14? Does it really need to be a way of passage to adulthood? I hope not.
I think it’s the responsibility of the parents to ensure their children understand what alcohol is. As a child from the age of about 10 my father would sometimes allow me to have a sip of his alcoholic drinks, he would tell me that it was for adults but I could have a little taste. As a child he made me believe that it was for special occasions only and I was never allowed to see anyone in my family drunk. Because of this upbringing, I didn’t start drinking till I was 18. When adults forget that their children watch and mimic them that’s when the problems arise. It’s ot about banning these kids because everyone knows that the minute something isn’t allowed it becomes more attractive.
(Smiles) – Try banning it I would like to see how it affects our nation to be honest! I personally think pre 15 will still find a way of getting their hands on alcohol, even though you shouldn’t be touching any hard stuff at that age that’s just messed up! Alcohol is a funny thing, I’m not brought up in a household that drinks on the regular so therefore I don’t drink for the art of the substance, I drink for the buzz as I’m sure most if not all youths do.
So the question we have to really ask ourselves is why do we drink for a buzz? Can’t we just have a good time without having our bodies consumed with toxics? I don’t think so really do you? I mean at the experimental age of 15+ you want to let go of it all and have a good time. I know I got smashed on the weekend and it was great! I and my friend threw in a couple zoot’s too but hey who cares because we are young once, as long as you don’t go overboard and mess yourself up, right!
A full ban on under 15 or under 18’s from drinking is impracrical and wouldn’t work. I do believe that nearly everyone under the age of 18 will get drunk or high at least once, its what you do as kids you experiment.
On the point of trying to get people to consider why they they have to drink to have a good time we must realise that drinking is also so ingrained in english culture that most people have grown up with seeing family members and neighbours coming home merry after visiting the local and wanted to do what the adults are doing.
What the government should really focus its attention on is how to make sure that kids have other responsibilities that make them avoid the chance to constantly get pissed every weekend on alcohol. I for one firmly believe in sport as a great deterant because even though as a kid i experimented with joints once it got to the age of 15 when everyone was starting to drink i never wanted to do it as often as them as I had training or a swimming gala the next day and didn’t want to go to it hungover.
if u banned under 15s you would just get younger kids drinking to act hard and against the law (which seems to be a natural thing to do when trying to gain popularity when your young) and 15+ kids not understanding and drinking it up thinking its legitimate ruining their livers in one night. i think the drinking age is correct at being at 18 as when you are 18 you are old enough to understand that you shouldn’t blow your liver into pieces and if you decide to you definitely have the information about to know you are blowing your liver into pieces. to stop people drinking from an early age you need to somehow make it unpopular which to be honest wont happen. The next best thing that could happen though is for us to take it out of our culture whether that be adults setting the example in not drinking so much (because if you go out on a friday/saturday night you always see people mashed out their faces seeming like they are having the times of their lives), and even possibly get rid of their drinking stories “when i was your ages i drank a whole litre of vodka etc etc…” this can do even more damage to a kid, as they may try and beat their parents and go on a humoungus liver killing binge. what is needed is parents to more talk about the bad side of drinking and about how responsible drinking can still be enjoyable and not so reckless to your body.
Most under-15 year olds probably thought it was illegal already – the legality of it just isn’t a concern. I don’t particularly consider underage drinking to be an act of rebellion either, in the way that smoking has been in the past. It’s no coincidence that we have not only high rates of teen drinking and alcoholism, but also high rates of depression, poor mental health and high rates of family conflict.
The way that I see it is that alcohol for the young is very often being drunk for the same purpose as it is by alcoholic adults – their life is pretty shit, they feel powerless to control their future, let down by the system and have been made to value themselves very little. The teens drink to escape as very often, it does bring a sense of carefree, if momentary, happiness. Making it illegal will do nothing to cut the numbers of under 15s drinking, if the reasons why they are drinking remain unchanged.
Parents need to show kids that every happy celebratory function does not necessarily mean ingesting large quantities of alcohol.
There needs to be a powerful campaign, not unlike an anti-drug one, showing that it’s vulgar and socially unacceptable to apply an ‘antisocial’ or ‘boring’ label to anyone who exercises his or her freedom of choice in not drinking.
The way breweries advertise needs to be radically re-thought. The advertising of alcohol associates drinking with young, healthy and good-looking adolescents, often doing some kind of strenuous physical activity. Breweries also subtly promote daily drinking.
The fact that alcohol is a dangerous drug when abused needs more widespread and powerful emphasis.
Britain has dug itself into a hole with this one, and these painful steps would be the first ones necessary to get itself out.
The problem does not lie in the alcohol. The problem will not be solved by creating new legislations. Instead the problem is in the culture of the person who drinks the alcohol. It is our societies problem to root out this culture of binge drinking; and it will not come at a flick of a switch, but through education over a longe period of time.
On a different note, I always find it amusing to see peoples’ behaviour and attitude change on a friday and saturday night (or, at times, during the day). Only for their behaviour to revert back to ‘normal’ between Monday to Thursday.
The analagy I give is like that of an animal stuck in a cage who is very hyperactive and wants to be released. His/Her wish is fulfilled on Fri/Sat.
Perhaps the question is are we a nation radically repressed, or depressed individuals, looking for the weekend as a form of anxiety release?
This would probably make an interesting Pscyhological study in the future.
The problem is clearly not the alcohol, its the way children are taught skills in life by their own family and parents and the way the follow the influence of what they see. Children have to be educated from a young age by family and their peers. The problem also lies with the existing adult population and their consumption of alcohol. Target these two areas and young people will grow up knowing what is acceptable and be knowlegable about the effects it can have. Parents themselves need to be educated on how to deal with their children binge drinking. If you forbide a child from doing something that you do on a regular basis and what other young people do, they simply wont follow you rules.
The adult population rely on alcohol far to much to have a good time and as a temporary solution to problems and low self esteem that it has become common culture. This needs to be targeted to reach young people and change their perceptions.