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A new report from Britain's biggest drug and alcohol treatment charity has found that one in five vulnerable young people starts drinking before they are ten years old. The snapshot survey, carried out last month, of young people treated for drug and alcohol problems by Addaction also found that young people drinking heavily were more likely than other underage drinkers to drink out–of-doors, with almost two thirds drinking outside on high streets, parks or on estates, rather than at home or in pubs and clubs.

Coming ahead of the government's Youth Alcohol Action Plan, the report ‘Parklife: Alcohol and young people at risk' finds the current police-led approach to dealing with the problem by confiscating alcohol and issuing fines results only in short-term gains and often forces young people to drink in more isolated or dangerous places, increasing the risks they face.

Young people drinking unsupervised in public are more likely to be victims of unprotected sex, alcohol-related violence or to be admitted to hospital and are at increased risk of long-term health problems related to alcohol use, yet they are more likely to come into contact with the police than any form of community support.

The report recommends the forthcoming Youth Alcohol Action Plan should target young people drinking in public places and provide support alongside enforcement, with police working together with voluntary or statutory agencies at local drinking hotspots to provide information, support or specialist treatment where needed and link young people in to local sports or arts-based activities.

In areas where Addaction has adopted this approach, often in co-operation with local police, there has been a reduction in criminal damage and violent crime as well as an increase in the number of young people in specialist treatment and in contact with local agencies.

Other key findings of the report:

• Typically, young people surveyed drank twice a week (30 per cent) with almost one fifth (19 per cent) drinking either daily or every other day. One in four of these were as young as between 10 and 14 years old.

• Nine in ten young people still find it easy to get hold of alcohol, despite recent crackdowns on underage sales. Young people most frequently obtained alcohol by getting someone older to buy alcohol for them.

• Vodka was the most commonly consumed drink, with over half of young people (52.6 per cent) drinking vodka overall. This may be explained by the high number of young people who, when asked why they drank, said they were drinking ‘to get drunk' (51 per cent)*.

Article published on 06/06/2008 by DryOutNow.com

DryOutNow.com provides highly practical help for people with alcohol problems, their friends and relatives. DryOutNow.com also provides free resources for healthcare professionals such as medical information and alcohol treatment guidelines.

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