Impact Of Young Londoners' Alcohol Misuse Revealed, England

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 17 Jun 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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The capital's 11-15 year olds now drink the equivalent of 180,000 bottles of lager every week - and the amount they drink is on the rise, a new report from the London Assembly today warns.

In the first comprehensive assessment of the drinking habits of the capital's young people, the report, Too much too young? also reveals that although they drink less than their peers elsewhere in the country, more than a third1 of young Londoners are regular drinkers.

The consequences are of serious concern. Almost 2,000 young people2 in the capital are receiving specialist treatment for alcohol dependence. Alcohol-related hospital admissions have almost doubled in recent years3 and calls to the London Ambulance Service relating to young people drinking have increased 27 percent in just four years4.

During its ten-month investigation, the Assembly Health and Public Services Committee also identified some worrying statistics about young Londoners' drinking habits:

- Young women aged 11-15 are drinking more heavily and now have drinking habits similar to those of their male peers. Hospital admissions for these young women are almost double those for men of the same age because of their lower tolerance of alcohol.

- There has been a substantial increase5 in the proportion of young people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities who drink. This raises concern that these recent increases could be the start of an ongoing trend.

- There is a wide variation in drinking habits across the capital: young people living in outer London are more likely to drink and get drunk than those in inner boroughs.

James Cleverly AM, Chair of the London Assembly Health and Public Services Committee, said: "We are very concerned by our findings that young Londoners are drinking more and more often than a few years ago. Young people's drinking is having serious repercussions on their health and on public services.

"We hope this report will highlight the problem, as well as outlining a set of recommendations that will help young Londoners stay safe with alcohol and to ensure this issue is given the priority it deserves."

The investigation found a lack of senior leadership both locally and regionally means efforts to tackle the problem are not always effectively prioritised or co-ordinated. To address this, the Committee believes the Mayor and local leaders need to focus more effort on tackling alcohol.

The report recommends that local alcohol-harm reduction champions should be appointed in boroughs where alcohol-specific hospital admissions for young people - currently Kingston and Sutton - are higher than the national average.

The Committee makes recommendations in key areas to help reduce the harm alcohol can cause, including:

Reducing the supply of alcohol to under 18s

Boroughs should set up local partnerships to reduce alcohol sales, using the successful St Neots Community Alcohol Partnership as a model for this work. This involves the local council working together with the police, alcohol retailers and others to tackle underage alcohol sales through awareness raising, intelligence sharing and joint operations. During this investigation, the Committee helped facilitate the set up of a new pilot community alcohol partnership in Croydon.

Improving education and information

A London-wide marketing campaign is needed to raise awareness of the risks and to help young people stay safe. This campaign should target specific groups, including young women, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, and parents. The Government also needs to ensure alcohol is given sufficient prominence in Personal, Social and Health Education, currently under review.

Helping young people who are misusing alcohol

The NHS needs to focus more on early intervention measures to help reduce people drinking at hazardous levels before they develop long-term problems.

Notes

1. 2005/06 figures for 11-21 year olds - Profile of Young Londoners' drinking, 2009, Institute of Alcohol Studies for the London Assembly

2. Figures for 11-21 year olds from National Treatment Agency

3. In 2006, there were 1315 hospital admissions for 11-21 year olds, compared to 690 in 2002 - an increase of 91 percent. Profile of Young Londoners' drinking, 2009, Institute of Alcohol Studies for the London Assembly

4. In 2001/4 just 4 percent of Pakistani and 2 percent of Bangladeshi young people drank at least once a year. By 2005/07, this figure had grown to 10 percent and 12 percent respectively, although they are less likely to drink than young people from other communities.

5. Alcohol misuse is taken to mean alcohol consumption by young people under the age of 18, and alcohol consumption by 18-21 year olds that exceeds the Government's sensible drinking guidelines of two to three units a day for women and three to four units a day for men.

6. As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.

Source
London Assembly

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