Alcohol Misuse Among Minors In The UK :: essays research papers

The uprightness in this country states that it is illegal for anyone under 18 years to consume alcoholic beverage or to work in licensed premises to buy alcohol or to have it bought for them anywhere. Those oer 16 may drink a small amount with a meal in a specially allocated area, but beyond that they heart arrest and prosecution.In spite of this the law is frequently broken. Following the example of adults, for whom alcohol is the most used drug, several surveys show that children try alcohol. 68% of boys and 54% of girls (in the UK) appear to have tried it by the age of thirteen. The majority may non drink to excess but many have already experimented with the effects of intoxication. The young do not seem to know the dangers and exoteric houses frequently hold discos which attract them in. Stewards find it difficult to assess who is down the stairs the age limit. The increase in consumption expected when the price of alcohol falls is bound to include youngsters. the seriou s implications of this must be faced, not least because drug abuse is closely linked to alcohol abuse.Clearly the law has a role to play. The police must be encouraged to lend oneself age limits, and, if necessary, licensing hours should be restricted. Unfortunately, this may inconvenience legitimate drinkers and deprive landlords of strength legal business. Having extra police and stewards may be useless since 16 year olds are not easy to pick out anymore. peerless solution offered by the Portman Group is the credit card system whereby nevertheless 18 year old will carry age identification cards. This should help, but even one of the director convolute admits it is only a contribution.The alternative lies in education. Adults can help by example and by de-glamorising alcohol. Children can be taught about the risks to health and to performance, about the chances of being involved in violence or serious accidents and the dependency which lands many in hospital wards.