Binge drinking among teenagers has once again come under the spotlight after a spate of tragic, alcohol-related deaths of young people. Two teenagers died in Newquay after falling from nearby cliffs during a night out. In London, Gary Reinbach died from alcoholic liver failure at the age of just 22. It emerged that he had been drinking heavily since he was 11.
The government has taken action: Children's Secretary Ed Balls launched a £1.4m crackdown on teenage summer binge drinking in June. It will see police and children's services professionals team up to prevent and stop alcohol-influenced antisocial behaviour in 69 youth crime hotspots.
But this action has already been criticised. The YWCA is concerned the government crackdown will be too punitive and fail to address the reasons why young people drink. It wants more emphasis on engaging with young people to find out why they drink and to highlight the dangers of alcohol consumption.
Alison Reynolds, a YWCA youth worker in Northampton, recommends developing a multiple-choice exercise, similar to those used in women's magazines, where the answers reveal what type of drinker you are.
This encourages young people to see the alternatives to drinking heavily. She also recommends youth workers bring in some of their own personal experiences with alcohol, but only those examples they feel comfortable sharing.
One common mistake that adults can make regarding teenage drinking is to assume that all young people drink and do not know their limits, says youth work trainer and consultant Vanessa Rogers. It is worth probing what other misconceptions there are among young people surrounding teenage drinking.
While the tragic story of Gary Reinbach shows that health problems around drinking are no myth, Rogers points out that such concerns surrounding drinking rarely have an impact on young people. Instead she recommends pointing out the dangers of losing control and looking foolish, which are far more immediate concerns for young people. Involving publicans in discussions on alcohol is another idea: pubs are often at the heart of a community and a place of eating and entertainment as well as drinking.
For instance, a pub in Cornwall dedicates one evening a week to hosting an underage night. No alcohol is served, but it gives young people a chance to meet in a more adult environment. The landlord also explains the laws surrounding underage drinking. The concept has worked successfully, says Rogers.
