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

The law in this country states that it is under-the-counter for anyone under 18 years to consume inebriant or to subject in licensed premises to buy alcohol or to fork over it bought for them anywhere. Those over 16 may drink a small sum of money with a meal in a specially allocated area, but beyond that they face arrest and prosecution.In spite of this the law is frequently broken. Following the illustration 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 bemuse tried it by the epoch of thirteen. The mass may not drink to excess but umpteen have already experimented with the effects of intoxication. The young do not seem to endure the dangers and public houses frequently hold discos which attract them in. Stewards find it difficult to appraise who is below the age limit. The increase in consumption expected when the impairment of alcohol falls is bound to include young sters. the serious 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 back up to enforce age limits, and, if necessary, licensing hours should be restricted. Unfortunately, this may inconvenience legitimate drinkers and loot landlords of potential legal business. Having extra police and stewards may be worthless since 16 year olds are not easy to pick fall out anymore. One solution offered by the Portman Group is the identification card placement whereby exactly 18 year old will carry age identification cards. This should help, but even one of the director involved admits it is only a contribution.The alternative lies in education. Adults can help by font and by de-glamorising alcohol. Children can be taught about the risks to health and to performance, about the chances of world involved in violence or serious accidents and the dependency which lands many in hospital ward s.