Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic - London

As with cigarette smoking, there is a sharp increase in prevalence of drinking with age: only 5 per cent of
all pupils aged 11 had had an alcoholic drink in the last week, but 47 per cent of 15 year olds had done
so. 66
In Scotland in 2000 the figures stood at 6 per cent for 12 year olds and 39 per cent for 15 year olds. 68
In 2002, the average weekly consumption among English 11 to 15 year old pupils who drank alcohol in
the last seven days was 10.5 units, a significant increase from the 5.3 units drunk in 1990. Both the
prevalence of drinking, and the amount drunk, was slightly higher among boys than girls. 66
In Scotland in
2000 12 to 15 year olds who drank reported drinking an average of 11.1 units a week. The amount drunk,
but not the prevalence of drinking, was higher for boys than girls. 68
The medically recommended alcohol
limit for adults is 14 units per week for women and 21 units for men. Among 16 to 24 year olds, in 1997,
33 per cent of young men were estimated to be drinking more than 21 units of alcohol a week, and 9 per
cent more than 50 units a week. Twenty-two per cent of women were estimated to be drinking more than
14 units of alcohol a week, and 5 per cent more than 35 units a week. 23
The Centre for Social Marketing carried out qualitative research on behalf of the Health Education Board
for Scotland in 2000 exploring alcohol use and misuse among 15 to 24 year olds in Scotland. 71
The
attitudes which emerged from this study are likely to be representative of attitudes throughout the UK
since England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have similar cultures and patterns of adolescent
drinking. 72
The study found drinking and intoxication to be pervasive behaviours and perceived as the
norm in the context of leisure activities. Drinking experience is seen by adolescents to follow a ‘natural’
progression which starts in the early teens, increases over the following few years and is reduced as
adolescents emerge unscathed into a life of increased responsibilities. These perceived patterns of
drinking are substantiated by the Health Survey for England 1997. This showed that alcohol consumption
increases during adolescence with age to a peak at about age 19 to 23 for men and 19 to 21 for women
before it started to decrease by the age of 24. 23
Attitudes and behaviour towards drinking were found to
reflect few social limitations and considerable disposable income and time. However, they were bound by
certain limitations such as work and study and therefore tended to be confined to one or two days a week
where intoxication (rather than intense drunkenness) and value for money were the key aims.
Regular heavy alcohol consumption and binge drinking are associated with physical problems, antisocial
behaviour, violence, accidents, suicide, injuries and road traffic accidents. They can also affect school
performance and crime. Alcohol misuse is associated with a range of mental disorders and can exacerbate
existing mental health problems. Adolescents report having more risky sex when they are under the
influence of alcohol; they may be less likely to use contraception and more likely to have sex early or have
sex they later regret. 70
Drinking too much on a regular basis increases the risk of damaging one’s health,
including liver damage, mouth and throat cancers and raised blood pressure. 73
Unhealthy patterns of
drinking by adolescents may lead to an increased level of addiction and dependence on alcohol in
adulthood. However, alcohol dependence is not confined to adulthood. In 2000, nearly 14 per cent of
16 to 19 year olds in Great Britain were found to experience dependence on alcohol. 74
Although alcohol
misuse is an issue relevant to the UK as a whole, adolescents and young adults are of particular concern
because of the high prevalence of binge drinking and heavy alcohol consumption among this age group.
Drug use
Among the key findings of the survey Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2002
was the fact that 11 per cent of 11 to 15 year olds had used drugs in the last month and 18 per cent had
used drugs in the last year; the proportion of boys was slightly higher than that of girls. Thirty-eight per
cent of pupils had been offered drugs at some time; cannabis was the most common but 21 per cent
reported that they had been offered stimulants and 17 per cent volatile substances to sniff. 66
In Scotland
in 2000, 14 per cent of 12 to 15 year olds reported using drugs in the past year (again a higher proportion
of boys than girls) and 47 per cent reported that they had ever been offered drugs. 68
British Medical Association Adolescent health 15