More Young Girls in London are Drinking Alcohol
A new study finds that 11- to 15-year-olds in London drink about 180,000 bottles of alcohol a week. In addition, young Bangladeshis and Pakistanis—whose Islamic faith forbids alcohol—are drinking far more. The increase is most significant in young girls, who have caught up with boys in terms of drinking.
The report by the London Assembly comes after a government survey for the Know Your Limits campaign, which found that men over 18 fear that excessive drinking will damage their health and appearance. According to the survey, one in six men are concerned that drinking will lead to “man boobs,” one in four are worried about developing a beer belly, more than one in eight are afraid their drinking will affect their appearance, and nearly one in ten worry that it will affect their sexual performance.
The London Assembly’s report focuses on alcohol abuse among school-aged children, especially after a report that during 2007-2008 there were more than 863,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions in England, an increase of 69% since 2002-2003. As of now, school-aged children drink less than their older counterparts across the UK, but that could be changing.
During 1998 and 2004, around 10% of boys and 89% of girls in the 11-15 age group admitted drinking two or more units of alcohol in the last seven days. By 2005-2007, the figures for both boys and girls had risen to 14%. The report quotes one 16-year-old girl who admitted drinking up to 10 beers a day to deal with her parents’ separation and her mother’s attempted suicide.
The report also states that young people from Pakistani and Bangladesh communities are more likely to drink than they were a few years ago. "Young Pakistani and Bangladeshi Londoners may be more likely to conceal their alcohol misuse, and may be less likely to seek help for alcohol misuse and their parents and carers may be less equipped to identify problem drinking," the study adds.
The study highlights the relatively low price of alcohol as one of the reasons for the increase. In addition, many young people see drinking alcohol as a rite of passage and an ordinary part of growing up. “…But rather than being ‘cool,’ drinking too much can put young Londoners at risk of violence, health harms, and unwanted pregnancies,” said Chris Sorek, chief executive of the charity Drinkaware.
He continued, “The reality is that many young people don't actually drink – but those that do can increasingly get themselves into tricky situations."
