How to stop or lessen the under age drinking problem in the U.K.?

Question

According to the news channel this morning the increase of under age alcohol consumption has increased dramatically, gangs of kids are purchasing (and asking adults to buy on their behalf) drink from local Off Licence stores,surely the Shopkeepers know this and as they can be prosecuted for their trading to these younger ones how then can it still be happening...xx

Answer 1

It all comes down to education and taking away the mystic of alcohol. On the continent they make alcohol more of the family occasion from an early age so you grow up with it and appreciate it. It should never get to the point where your experiencing it for the first time with your mates. This makes it intriguing, far more dangerous and uncontrolled. If you think you can't have it you want it more and this will lead to miss use. Same applies to cigarettes. But you can't have your kids sat around smoking a big fat cigar after dinner I suppose

Answer 2

It wont happen overnight, but it can be improved. In America the drinking age was raised to 21 in 1980.

I had just turned 18 at that time (the previous max age) so I was not affected by the change. They called it the grandfather clause. People who already could drink legally would not suddenly lose the privilege again.

Age 21 was selected in America because by that time the young people would be out of high school. There had been a big problem with a few high school students being able to legally buy alcohol at 18 for their friends who were not old enough yet.

Also in America you could get a full drivers licence at 16 and a provisional at 14. So the problems of 16 and 17 year olds drunk driving was massive. I had 4 friends killed in these accidents.

Because of the grandfather clause the problem wasn't solved immediately, but over the next 3 years things improved dramatically. The situation still is not solved completely, but it is much better than my teenage years.

In America the law comes down HARD on shops and bars which break the law. All workers in these industries have to be background checked and licensed before they can sell alcohol, even the lowliest shop clerk. Also the policy in most US facilities is to check the ID of anyone who appears to be under the age of 30. This really helps prevent any borderline mistakes.

I think the UK can really learn from this example. But it needs to be prepared to not cut corners and tiptoe around the issue. The full force of the law must be brought to bear on violators through vigilant enforcement. Fines and penalties need to be substantial and consistant.

(For what it's worth I think both countries should do the same with cigarettes, too!)

Answer 3

To be honest, I say lower the age limit!

My parents never had a problem with my trying their alcohol, bought me mixed drinks from when I was 12 (very occaisionally - holidays and celebrations mostly) and just controlled what I drank by only letting me drink with them.

To be honest, it took away the mystery of it all. I have only had 1 or 2 experiences when I got completely drunk and I'm 25 now. When everyone else was sneaking their parents alcohol I only had to ask, which took all the fun out of it! When I was younger alcohol tasted nasty to me, so once I'd tried it I didn't want to try it again for a long time!

They took the same approach with my sister, she's only got really drunk once too and is generally very responsible (we shall see, she's off to uni next week!).

I think if the limit was lowered to a more relaxed European style age (ie. wine is ok if watered down for youngsters but spirits frowned upon) and parents were made more responsible and culpable for their children's drinking behaviour, I think we would see a slight drop in young binge drinking culture.

That said, I have an alcoholic friend who is the same age as me, which I find shocking. There needs to be more lessons in schools about alcohol as a drug, not just the personal/social lessons where hard drugs are constantly being studied. Teens need to be aware that alcohol can be just as damaging. When I was at school these classes were seen effectively as a free period and we only ever did work in the ones about sex. The curriculum needs to tackle everyday issues such as alcohol and smoking as well as hard drugs and sex/stis/pregnancy.

Answer 4

Part of it is that some shop owners do not care, and part of it is that some of them are scared. If you are a small shop with maybe two staff, a gang of seven or more teenagers can be very intimidating. Think of the damage even a handful of kids could do to your stock, and staff may have to walk home.
What angers me is the attitude of many pub and club owners who sell to people clearly already drunk. Why is the law not enforced here also?
Trouble is that being drunk is considered acceptable. Even by adults who deal with the aftermath of drinking, such as police and NHS workers.
I am an holistic therapist and was once asked to explain the term 'toxin' so freely used in complementary medicine. I gave the example of alcohol, as a toxin most people have taken in and felt the ill effects of, to describe what a toxin was and how it can act on the body.
The expression on my student's faces (all mature women) spoke volumes. They did not want to address the fact that alcohol is poisonous.
The ambivalence of our attitude to drink is part of the problem. Many of these women would be parents. How can you advise kids to keep of drink if they see their parents do it and see it glamourised on TV and film?
As to how to stop it, the only thing I can think of is for teenagers who have had narrow escapes from alcohol, alcholics, police who have had to clear up after drunk drivers, and autopsy pictures to be used together in a proper health campaign for 12 year olds and up touring schools, making sure the truants get the message too. .
They did something similar in Liverpool to stop TWOCing amongst school kids, because so many kids were dying and causing deaths.
Parents had to agree, because of the disturbing nature of the photographs e.g almost decapitated pregnant woman. Kids who threw up were gently guided back in.
This campaign worked, and many lives were saved, but there is still a perception out there that stealing cars when you can't drive is a laugh, a kid's crime, and it is this same ambivalence to drink that is a problem.

Answer 5

They should prosecute any adults that buy under age drinkers alcohol and strip the shopkeepers alcohol license if caught selling to under age people.I know most teenagers experiment but they don't understand the bad affects alcohol has in society like violence and drink driving etc..
Also on a lighter note more beer for me xx

Answer 6

Bring back some real discipline. Make the punishments more severe for all involved. Stop being a bunch of hand holders. Make those involved take responsibility for their actions rather than passing the buck. Close the offending shops and pubs. Make it impossible for the offending businesses to get any type of licence that concerns drink or tobacco products.

Answer 7

By proper education on the subject of alcoholism in schools, and by raising the legal drinking age, you could always try filming people who sell alcohol to minors and then report them. Plus how about if a shop is caught selling to under aged people ban the shop for life from selling alcohol.

Answer 8

Unfortunately adults mainly parents of those that are drinking seem to lack order and discipline, what i mean is if the parents are drinking excessively and at all times then let there kids have a drink at the age of fifteen (coz they're almost at the age............. yeah right) then the chances of gangs drinking under age is high. Parents need to know they are in charge of this person until they reach the age of consent.

Answer 9

The whole of British culture would have to be changed. Punitive legislation has got us nowhere. You've got to get to the root of the problem. Children drink because drinking alcohol is accepted by British culture as a means of escape from everday life. They are only copying adults.

Answer 10

Watch the police arrest and the courts prosecute all those involved. However, don't hold your breath. It won't happen. the courts will not uphold the law in this area and seem afraid to do so.
Parents are not held responsible for what their kids do by the court of public opinion any more.
So...the answer ...I think... not a chance of stopping it.