Last orders for under-21s?

A government think-tank recommends that raising the drinking age to 21 could be the remedy. But would this stop the problems alcohol causes, and how would this affect student culture?

Drinking seems to have become so ingrained into university culture now, that it’s hard to imagine degree life without it. However, that’s precisely what one government think-tank has recommended; raising the drinking age from 18 to 21.

Alcohol-related illnesses and injuries cost the NHS approximately £1.6 billion a year, and in Wales the cost of dealing with drink-related crime and disorder is £365 million a year. These are just some of the reasons why the Institute for Public Policy Research has suggested that raising the drinking age is the solution.

The UK has ‘lost the plot’ in how it regulates alcohol, argues Jasper Gerard, columnist for The Observer in an article published in the Institute’s journal, Public Policy Research. Gerard believes that the social effect of binge drinking is now so severe that the government should be practising ‘tough love’. He argues: “By raising the age threshold it is at least possible that those in their early and mid-teens will not see drink as something they will soon be allowed to do and therefore might as well start doing it surreptitiously now.

“Instead they might see it as it should be: forbidden.”

It’s a common idea that the habits young people adopt will often carry on until their later life, but some university students do not believe that drinking is a habit they will continue. Victoria Gale, a third year Cardiff Ancient History student, thinks that drinking is just a part of student culture. She commented: “Drinking is so central to university life that you can’t ignore it.

“Just look at freshers’ week. There are drinks promotions everywhere you look; it’s basically sold to you as a week to get wasted. I’m about to leave university now, but I don’t think that I’ll drink as much as I do now forever, it’s just because of where I am and who I’m around.”

However, contrary to public belief it’s not just older people that can suffer from drinking heavily. The number of drink-related deaths among 15 to 34-year-olds has increased by almost 60% since 1991, the Office for National Statistics revealed in February, and alcohol abuse in Wales causes the premature deaths of 1,100 people every year.

These shocking figures prove that university students should be more aware of how much they drink, and come at a time when the government has launched its new ‘drink responsibly’ campaign.

The televised adverts show a man and a woman ‘seeing’ themselves drunk before they go to order a drink, opting to condemn their possible future actions and drink responsibly. But some students are dubious of its effect, one Cardiff student said: “To me it just looks like the drunk people are having a great time, I don’t think it really has the shock factor at all.”

How the government then can change young people’s views without raising the drinking age seems dubious. Alison Rogers, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust, thinks that teenagers can recognise the damage alcohol can do to their health through clear communication. She said: “The combination of cheap prices, easy accessibility and the rolling back of barriers to consumption – including the removal of aisle restrictions in supermarkets, the 24-hour licensing laws and the licensing of garages – all combine to send the message that drinking ‘anytime anywhere anyplace’ is acceptable and normal.”

But little has been done by the British government and the Welsh Assembly to turn young people off binge-drinking. And it’s not only long-term health problems that those who drink alcohol in excess need to consider. Current figures say that 367,000 violent attacks a year are caused by alcohol in England and Wales. Professor Jonathon Shepherd, of Cardiff University’s Violence and Society research group, has come to the conclusion that a drinking age rise should be implemented, in line with the USA. He said: “The research evidence is that raising the minimum purchasing age to 21 years would reduce alcohol-related harm substantially.”

Whether raising the drinking age to 21 is the solution to binge-drinking problems though is questionable. The Royal College of Physicians have recommended banning all alcohol advertising, but the Portman Group, which regulates the alcohol industry, disagrees. Chief executive of the group David Poley told the BBC: “What we really need to do is change the drinking culture through education rather than making drinking a social taboo by raising the drinking age.”

If the drinking age was raised it would have a massive impact not just on young people but businesses too. Bars and clubs with a big student customer base may also suffer, and adults under 21 may feel they need to buy alcohol illegally. Students’ unions, which get a large amount of their income from alcohol sales, may also feel disadvantaged.

Cardiff University Students’ Union president, Joe Al-Khayat, does not think that new legislation would help the binge-drinking problem. He said: “I wouldn’t like to think any student would be forced to break the law, but that said it would be difficult for any student between the ages of 18-21 to suddenly have their rights curtailed under new legislation.”

With no measures declared by the Welsh Assembly or the British government on how they will tackle the binge-drinking culture, apart from the odd advert we will have to wait and see if better education prevails, or if things get worse. So until then, students will be free to stagger home after a night out clubbing at the Students’ Union and for most, the only consequence will be the hangover the morning after.

gair rhydd