During the 1940’s, when the war severely segregated men and women, social standing depended on social class, drinking was more about power than a social acceptance. It was classy for those who attended rich parties, and was “the once-a-week night out” for the men who could barely afford it. But f today’s generation drinking seems to be a must-do and for teenagers nation wide the only thing better than drinking, is underage drinking.
Most worrying for the researchers was a doubling of the amount of alcohol that children aged between 11 and 15 regularly consume. The increase in alcohol intake appeared particularly alarming since the amounts consumed rose even faster than the proportion of pupils who were indulging during the first five years of their secondary education. “So many alcoholics these days are underage,” says councillor John Basgoin from Youth Central, “some are homeless or social outcasts and are exempt from community life. Their reasons for turning to alcohol are understandable but there needs to be a clear message to youngsters everywhere that alcohol is not easy to control.” So why is there such a demand for this drug especially at such early ages?
From a very early age we are exposed to alcohol all around us. On every corner, street or village a public bar is sure to be found. There are family pubs, adult-only pubs, gay pubs and even houses of prayer that have been converted into pubs. Almost every child in Britain has seen some form of alcohol by the age of five, whether it be at Christmas parties, on television or perhaps even their parents with a glass of wine at dinner. Adults all around us are doing it. After all drinking is socially acceptable and though potentially dangerous and harmful, alcohol is part and parcel of Britain’s economy and culture. In addition to being a dominant factor in our social outlook, alcohol is increasingly becoming a major issue in our political culture as well. When the Prime Minister is looking for the central theme of what will be the final boost to the Labour party, he reaches for the celebratory champagne and declares war on “Yob Culture”. When his son Euan was found severely intoxicated in Leicester Square it was not just a blow to him as a father but more of a political embarrassment. Look at the example set by the prime minister’s son! Nay, to young teenagers nation-wide he was merely just another victim of today’s youth ‘having a bit of fun’.
Understandably, a quick pint can be relaxing, fun and highly enjoyable. It overcomes inhibitions and it can make a person feel more confident and perhaps more sociable when drinking. Is this the image kids see when drawn to alcohol? The effects it can have on a person’s body are somewhat intriguing, and just like any other drug, after one try it’s inevitable that you will soon be trying it again.
Peer pressure is perhaps one of the most influential factors within a group where “everyone else is doing it”. Being part of the crowd is a big problem for most teenagers and it is natural to want to be socially accepted from a very early age. And with the blasé attitude in Britain towards alcohol it is inevitable that younger and younger generations are finding drinking a worthwhile pastime.
Households have inevitably changed in the last decade and conceivably discipline has too. A landlord of a local pub says, “When I used to go into pubs underage my friends and I would sit quietly in the corner and get on with it as adults would. These days kids don’t care what happens to them if they get caught drinking underage, mostly because their parents let them drink underage and even encourage them to do so. The most disturbing part of this is that teenagers today don’t respect alcohol and the effects it can have on a young person’s body. They think they can come into a pub, be loud, drunk and noisy and still look cool. It doesn’t work that way.”
Back in Slough a group of girls sway down the high street. A girl of about 16 runs quickly to hover her head over a drain as she retches. One friend puts a coat over her back so that no one can see her knickers whilst the other holds her hair up. Everyone passes by pretending not to look.
By the time the night is over, the distant singing of teenage boys is heard echoing down the street. A young man staggers dangerously yelling “I am The Greatest Man in the World!” Another stands perched against a wall and shouts “You’re a batty boy."
Britain has an underage drink problem. We drink almost two-thirds more alcohol per person today than we did in 1965. More than 9m teenagers drink at levels that endanger their long term health, and more than one in 25 of us are alcohol-dependant. The most vulnerable are the even younger generation of 11-15 year olds – a third of young men live on “beer and fast food”; a quarter of 16-19 year olds in greater Glasgow get drunk at least once a week.
Alcohol companies only add to the problem of underage drinking. Designer beverages and ‘alcopops’ are clearly aimed at the younger generation such as Bacardi Breezers and Jellies that contain shots of alcohol. They are specially marketed to conceal the taste of alcohol with ‘kiddie’ flavours such as strawberry, watermelon, lemon and lime. This misleads kids to experience the effects of alcohol without actually tasting it. Is our younger generation really such an impressionable gap in the market? Is that all it takes to get the youth of today hooked and subdued into ruining the rest of our lives? If so, alcohol companies need to start marketing more sensibly in light of underage drinking. But on the other hand, we teenagers need to start taking responsibility for our actions. After all, if we want to start playing the adult game, we’ve got to start acting like one.
“The problems in Europe with underage drinking are largely medical, whereas in Britain they are about disorder,” says Professor Nick Heather who is the director of the centre of alcohol in Newcastle. “They may drink more on the continent but they drink consistently and regularly whereas we drink in short bursts.” The impression young people seem to have is that we drink to get drunk, which coincidently has lead to an increase in crime and prison sentences. "Basically, why does a Saturday night out in Lisbon, Barcelona or Lyon never have the same chaotic, threatening ring to it as London, Birmingham or Liverpool?"
Whatever the reasons, the consequences are there for all to see on almost every high street in Britain. You cannot prevent teenagers from meeting alcohol but you can educate them about the right way to react with situations and be sensible about drinking. Young kids today need to wake up and realise that young bodies are just not made for drinking alcohol, there will be plenty time to start doing such things sensibly and later in life. Although the cases of alcohol abuse I have looked at are extreme, they are by no means isolated incidents. Alcohol abuse amongst youngsters is on the increase and in a society where drinking is integrated into our social culture, it is a problem with no easy solution.
A spokesman for Alcoholics Anonymous has a message for young drinkers everywhere: "Alcoholism is a rough word to deal with. Yet nobody is too young to have trouble with booze. That’s because alcoholism is an illness. It can hit anyone. Young, old, rich, poor, black or white. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been drinking or what you’ve been drinking. It’s what the drinking does to you that counts."
