'Alcohol Behind One In Four Early Deaths'

Alcohol is killing tens of thousands of teenagers and young adults and should be restricted to over 21s, according to a new report.

The Adolescent Health Study, published by The Lancet, revealed one-in-four deaths of 15 to 29-year-olds in the developed world is down to drink, a total of 82,000 dead per year.

The figure is dominated by men, who accounted for 70,000 of the deaths, meaning booze is responsible for one-in-three young men who die in the developing world, compared to one-in-eight women.

The figure is mainly made up of accidents when the victims are inebriated, such as drink driving deaths, and drunk drowned swimmers.

Doctors speaking at the launch of the study at the Institute for Child Health in central London called for the legal age for buying alcohol to be raised to 21.

Dr Russell Viner, a paediatrician at University College, London, said Britain had only just woken up to the alcohol problem, which is most prevalent in northern Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

He said: "We are recognising that binge drinking in young people is a serious problem. We thought it was a lot of fun, but we now realise that particularly amongst young people, not drinking much all week and splurging at the weekend is harmful."

He claimed the solution was to raise the legal limit for buying alcohol to that in American where the number of young people drinking has been falling for 20 years.

He continued: "I would like to see a European model where most young people drink with their family at a younger age, learning to drink in a social context.

"But it would be difficult to bolt this on to established Anglo-Saxon practise, so the best is probably what Americans do. We need a rethink of ages we licence young people to buy various products."

The report, a collection of several studies from around the world, claims brain development continues through adolescence and can be placed at risk by the use of alcohol.

It also claims: "The reduction in youth alcohol use in the USA began in the mid 1980s, encouraged by facts such as the 21 year age limit for legal drinking."

The report also claims zero tolerance approaches to alcohol prevention are ineffective, and says harm reduction strategies, such as random breath testing and early intervention from GPs advising youngsters on the risks of alcohol consumption, can be more effective.

The study says that, partly as a result of alcohol misuse, there is a danger of a substantial drop in life expectancy, with chronic diseases such as diabetes and early signs of cardiovascular disease appearing in teenagers and young adults.

Professor Glenn Bowes, head of the paediatric department at the University of Melbourne, said alcohol misuse was likely to cause further problems later in life.

Citing the statistic that 98 per cent of adult drinkers began drinking in their adolescence, he said: "Adults who have alcohol related health issues, often exhibit behaviour patterns that began in their teenage years.

"Preventative work needs to be done at the stage where the behaviour starts.

"The education in school is important, but we really have to look at what the health system is doing.

"Doctors need to be shown how to talk to adolescents, so that when they come in to a GP's surgery with a cold for example, to doctor can use it as an opportunity to ask them about their lifestyle and advise them on the health risks."

National News