Binge drinking

[shillelagh]

BBC NEWS | England | Toll of teenage drinking revealed

Right this has been made public today the day after the trial for sophie lancaster's murder has finished and on the news they are tying it to this going straight from the story of the trial to this.

There is nothing new about this - when we were all teenagers and nipping down to the off licence for a bottle of cider etc that it was a one night a week thing. When i did it i bought a 1 litre bottle of olde english and drank it coming back along the back lane from bash. This was 25 years ago mind you if there is any police men reading this. There has always been violence with alcohol - visit any town on a friday or saturday night and the police are out in force.

from the report on bbc website:

Professor Mark Bellis, co-author of the report, said: "These figures highlight the sheer quantity of alcohol being consumed by under-age drinkers across the North West.
"Sadly, there is still practically no information publicly available on what is a safe amount of alcohol for children to consume or on how parents can best moderate their children's drinking. "Without a clear message that under-age drunkenness will not be tolerated, we will continue to see the high levels of alcohol bingeing and related violence identified in this study

Thing is how do parents moderate the kids drinking when they are out on the streets. My mum & dad didnt know that i was buying a bottle of olde english so how can you expect parents today to know what their kids get up to. The only thing you can do is try to regulate what they drink in the house... which mine did. But that last paragraph says it all - without a clear message that under age drunkeness will not be tolerated - but who from - the police? the courts? the government? the public? but most of all the parents?

[andrewb]

They're simply not tough enough on the shops that sell it, and the people that buy it for the kids in the shops that do check ID.

The only place thats strict on ID is Asda. I'm 19 but look under 18 I think, and I never get ID'ed in shops.

Pubs sell alcohol to underaged, they know it happens, the police must know it happens because they're out around town on Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays.

[jaysay]

Well I'm not trying to say that my generation didn't drink underage because I'd be lying, but when I was 16 I was 6 feet 3 inches tall so I looked older than I was. I as going in pubs when I was 16, The Bay Horse in Ossy, the Heys Inn, and Ossy Con, as a Young Tory, but we couldn't drink in there until we were 18. Hell did my snooker improve. Although we used to drink we never made any trouble in the streets, we beat others up, we didn't go on the rampage causing damage. I know the answer to the problem and I'm sure a lot of other people on here do as well, but no one will be prepared to upset the dogooders, it ain't going to happen and things will just get worse. Maybe if these dogooders got out their Ivory Towers and went on the streets and had to put up with what we have to, then things may change, but don't get your hopes up

[slinky]

I think the powers that be ...... Prime minister etc... should have to live in a normal 2 up 2 down, in a normal town for a month every year!!

A month would be long enough for them to start the changes!!