Big Rise in number of drunken children in A&E
Hospital figures show 32% increase in four years with 8,799 under-18s given specialist help last year
Growing numbers of children are ending up in hospital because they have drunk so much, with more girls needing treatment than boys, according to new NHS figures.
Under-18s have an increasingly damaging relationship with alcohol, with tens of thousands every year being attended to by ambulance crews, treated in A&E or admitted overnight, according to a report from the charity Alcohol Concern.
The number of underage drinkers admitted to hospital in England rose by 32% between 2003 and 2007, from around 11,000 in 2003 to more than 14,000 in 2007, NHS hospital records show. A total of 92,220 children and young people under 18 were admitted to hospital between 2002 and 2009 – or 36 under-18s a day.
Girls are 1.3 times more likely than boys to need to be admitted due to alcohol. Between 2004 and 2009 23,347 females under 18 received treatment compared with 18,159 males in that age group.
Alcohol Concern's report paints a grim picture. Underage drinkers across the UK consume the equivalent of 6.9m pints of beer or 1.7m bottle of wine every week, and 630,000 11- to 17-year-olds drink at least twice a week. "The overall picture from the last five to 10 years is one of increasingly rampant drinking and significant rises in the harms that are associated with alcohol use," it says. "Young people are damaging their health at greater levels than before".
Ambulance services in England and Wales have been called out an estimated 16,387 times in the past year to deal with drunken under-18s. Ambulance crews in London, the West Midlands and the north-east answered 4,527 callouts between them, of which 2,365 related to girls, 2,008 to boys and 154 were unrecorded.
Helping children and young people with alcohol problems costs the NHS almost £19m a year, Alcohol Concern estimates.In 2007-08, 64,750 ended up in casualty.
Last year 8,799 under-18s received specialist treatment to tackle drink problems, adds the report, which draws on Freedom of Information answers, parliamentary questions and analysis of NHS statistics.
"As long as alcohol remains as heavily promoted as it currently is, young drinkers will continue to consume far more than they might otherwise, leading to inevitable health harms and wasting ambulance and police time," said the charity's chief executive, Don Shenker. Government action was needed to tackle the "ludicrously cheap price of alcohol" and the NHS needed to offer advice and support to all under-18s who turned up at A&E after drinking too much alcohol, he said.
Chris Sorek, chief executive of responsible drinking group Drinkaware, said the increase in underage admissions was shocking, adding: "We mustn't forget that under-18s are still children, with developing bodies and low tolerance levels, so drinking to the point of needing hospital treatment is extremely dangerous."
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, a coalition of medical organisations, said: "It is important that parents realise they are role models – their behaviour in relation to alcohol has more impact than what they tell their children."
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "This report shows the devastating impact that alcohol has on the lives young people who drink too much. We must educate them so they understand how bad it is for their health now and in the long term. And we must do more to stop shops selling alcohol to under 18s.
"Everyone has a part to play in this. Parents, police, education and social services need to work together. The new Public Health Service will give communities the power and budget to tackle alcohol problems in their areas."
'Alcohol was an escape route'
Matt, 18 and living in Buckinghamshire, describes how years of heavy drinking as a teenager affected his life. "I drank heavily pretty much from the age of 13 until I was about 17 and a half. Alcohol was an escape route from my life as I had some personal and family issues. Initially it was vodka, then whisky too, but I later switched to mainly drinking cider when most of my friends did.
"When I was drunk I did a lot of things I regretted. I ended up starting fights with friends and ex-boyfriends, and sometimes had other people start on me too. I took overdoses of alcohol and drugs three times because I was depressed. The last overdose involved cider and painkillers. At the hospital I had charcoal to make me puke up the tablets and needed other treatment too because I also broke my shoulder.
"After that incident the doctors at Stoke Mandeville hospital put me in touch with the drugs and alcohol charity Addaction, and I've been seeing my own support for about a year now.
"I drank to make myself feel better, but that good feeling only lasted for a few hours. When you do stupid things because of drink you don't feel happy about it the next morning – and hangovers are terrible! I drink much less now, have started a college course, got my own place and am much happier."
Interview by Denis Campbell
Images from sky.com - Cardiff July 2010
Charity calls for ban on alcohol ads on pre-watershed TV and online
Alcohol Concern cites research showing more than 1 million under-16-year-olds saw multiple drinks ads during World Cup
Alcohol Concern has called for a ban on TV and internet alcohol ads after conducting research claiming that well over a million under-16-year-olds saw multiple drinks commercials while watching England games during the World Cup.
The government-backed charity said research showed that 1.6 million under-16s were exposed to at least three alcohol ads during England's game against Algeria, while 1.4 million saw at least four drinks commercials while watching the USA tie, in TV campaigns run by brands including Stella Artois, Magners, Fosters, Carling and WKD.
While none of the ad campaigns broke Advertising Standards Authority regulations, Alcohol Concern is nevertheless calling for a pre-9pm TV ad ban, and a blanket online advertising restriction, because the figures show that too many children are not being well enough protected by existing rules.
Alcohol Concern said a separate study revealed that 11- to 18-year-olds could be seeing as many as 1,600 alcohol TV ads per year.
"It is simply unacceptable that vast numbers of children are so frequently exposed to alcohol advertising, leading to higher levels of drinking among young people and increasingly higher levels of harm," said Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern.
"Alcohol producers and advertising regulators are clearly not taking their responsibilities seriously enough and only a watershed ban on TV and an internet ban will prevent the vast majority of children from being exposed to alcohol marketing."
The ASA code states that alcohol ads cannot run in shows where the proportion of 10- to 15-year-olds viewing is 20% higher than the general population. Trade associations representing the drinks industry argue that calls for a ban are too heavy handed.
"Alcohol marketing in the UK is strictly regulated to ensure it is responsible and aimed at adults," said David Poley, chief executive of drinks industry lobbying organisation Portman Group.
"Advertising of alcohol on TV is not allowed if the proportion of under-18s in the audience rises to a certain level. One cannot eliminate under-18s from the audience altogether without imposing a total advertising ban. There is very little evidence to suggest that children's exposure to alcohol marketing is associated with either the onset of drinking or amount consumed."
MorganaLeFay
19 October 2010 3:14PM
How do they suggest that an online advertising ban is being enforced? Dump responsibility on the ISPs, and thus make internet more expensive for all? And slower I should think. Proxies drag their feet, you know.Recommend? (0)
| Link defendyourself
20 October 2010 7:00AM
It is, quite rightly, already illegal to sell alcohol to children, enforce the existing laws. Nah, that wouldn't allow the creeping authoritarianism we are witnessing just about everywhere (not just in the UK) to advance even further into the daily lives of ordinary people. I live in Norway, alcohol laws here are strict, availability is regulated the law is thoroughly enforced and backed by diligent policing. Guess what, kids under the legal age still manage to get blind drunk on Saturday nights and supposedly responsible adults still manage to produce moonshine. Give it a rest, restrictions are necessary, but attempting to get a stranglehold is counterproductive at best.
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| Link TerryCollmann
20 October 2010 3:04PM
"The government-backed charity said research showed that 1.6 million under-16s were exposed to at least three alcohol ads during England's game against Algeria, while 1.4 million saw at least four drinks commercials while watching the USA tie"
So what?
Alcohol Concern report into impact of alcohol advertising on young people during the world cup 2010
Alchohol Concern report 'Overexposed'
Government campaigns to reduce teenage alcohol consumption.
Alcohol its no joke - Bill Bailey
Why let drink decide? On line campaign
Alchohol its no joke - Josie long
TVC - Campaign leader
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