Tighter alcohol controls required to protect young people

As thousands of young people await their GCSE results and plan to celebrate or commiserate this week, the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) is drawing attention to the serious issue of underage drinking here and is calling for tighter alcohol controls to protect our young people.

Victoria Creasy, Senior Manager for Public Health at the HPA, said: "Young people's drinking is rife at this time of year with GCSE results coming out and an abundance of cheap drink promotions. Alcohol is a huge part of our culture, and young people's drinking cannot be addressed in isolation from adult drinking and from the support and opportunities young people receive to enable them to lead happy and constructive lives. However, addressing young people's access to alcohol through appropriate regulation can make a major contribution to preventing and reducing young people's drinking.

"With a local Minister now responsible for liquor licensing laws, this is a golden opportunity to tackle the worrying issue of young people's drinking. Outlawing drinks promotions which encourage people to drink more, as well as rigorous enforcement of the law and heavy penalties for those who repeatedly sell alcohol to minors, are key areas for debate which would do much to address the problem."

Brendan Nellis, Substance Misuse Coordinator at Barnardos, added: "We are aware that the misuse of alcohol can have a detrimental effect on the physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing of the user, regardless of age. However, such misuse can be even more harmful to younger people in all of these areas. We believe that adults have a responsibility to contribute positively to the overall health and safety of young people."

END

Notes to the editor
Victoria Creasy, HPA, will be available for interview on Wednesday 20 August 2008.

The average age for young people to have their first drink in Northern Ireland is 11 years old. Around a quarter of 11 to 16 year olds in Northern Ireland drink regularly and around one in eight of these has been drunk more than ten times. One third of 11 to 16 year olds who have tried alcohol have bought alcohol from a pub, off licence or shop.¹ There is a strong link between starting to drink at a young age and problematic alcohol use in later life. ²

Barnardos NI supports the promotion of healthy lifestyles for children, young people and families across society.

For media enquiries contact:
The HPA Press Office on Tel: 028 9031 1611.

1. Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. Drinking behaviour among young people in Northern Ireland: secondary analysis of alcohol data from 1997 to 2003. Belfast: HPA and Irish Temperance League, 2005.
2. Hawkins JD, Graham JW, Maguin E, Abbott R, Hill KG, Catalano RF. Exploring the effects of age of alcohol use initiation and psychosocial risk factors on subsequent alcohol misuse. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. May 1997; 58 (3): 280-90.