Alcohol is frequently the first drug which young people try, and it comes with a barrage of mixed messages. For all the warnings they receive about binge drinking, most children learn early on that alcohol - even when used to excess - is both accepted and acceptable among the adults in their lives.
Arguably Government policy only adds to this confusion. Under new legislation, pubs can now apply for 24-hour licences - yet several proposals in the consultation paper Drinking Responsibly, published in January, have a distinctly punitive spin. They include fixed penalty notices for underage drinkers seeking to buy alcohol as well as "drinking banning orders" for individuals of 16 and over.
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