Young graduate dies in drinking competition

A Young bank worker drank himself to death in a boozing competition with a pal which they copied from a hit film.

David Reid, 22, and James Lynch knocked back half bottles of tequila and gin, along with whisky, in just 30 to 45 minutes.

They had earlier drunk cans of beer and margaritas.

They were recreating a scene from the film American Pie 5: the Naked Mile, in which two men have a drinking competition - known as `last man standing' - that goes on until one of them drops.

Manchester university graduate David, who worked at the Bank of New York in Manchester city centre, was carried to bed after saying he couldn't drink anymore.

He was found dead hours later. Yesterday an inquest ruled that David, of Carrill Grove, Levenshulme, died from alcohol poisoning which had stopped his brain from working. A blood alcohol sample had showed he was six to seven times over the legal driving limit.

Recording a verdict of misadventure, Manchester deputy coroner Leonard Gorodkin said: "He had drank a vast amount of alcohol and what can be alright so many times the next occasion can end in tragedy. We all know about excesses drinking and it has claimed the life of this young man."

Now David's father, Philip, has pleaded for other young people to learn from the tragedy.

Bullet

Philip, 55, said today: “Every shot David took was like another bullet. All the hard work he put in, through school, sixth form and university, was gone in an instant.

“David was always sensible but on this occasion decided to play this game and the concentration of alcohol was fatal.

“A lot is said about the superficial effects of binge drinking, such as fighting, but this shows it can kill. Young men have to realise how dangerous strong spirits are to them – your brain and body disconnect and you don't realise how much you've drunk until it's too late.

“A drinking contest might be fun for 15 minutes but the consequences are not worth it either for the person affected or their mates who have to deal with it.”

Philip, a retired pub landlord, warned against the fatal consequences of binge drinking and booze based competitions and insisted his son, who had a degree in international finance, was normally a sensible drinker and the tragic stunt was out of character.

Drink awareness groups have backed his pleas for people to drink responsibly. David's friend Mr Lynch said they had spent the evening at his home in Worsley Grove, Levenshulme, with other friends watching TV and playing cards.

“I cannot be too clear on what happened but on a normal night David would have about seven or eight pints but on this occasion drank far more than that,” he added.

Pathologist Raymond McMahon said the alcohol reading of 5,240 micrograms was in the range associated with death.

Rock concert

Mr Reid said his son was looking forward to going to a rock concert the following night so he and his friends had decided to stay in the house and wanted to watch a comedy film.

He added: “It was completely out of the blue. He never drank during the week because he didn't want anything to interfere with his work and when he did drink it was sensibly. This is why it shook us so much. It was completely out of character.”

David, whose parents Philip and Linda are divorced, is survived by older brother Christopher, 28. His family said the former-pupil at Wigan's Deanery High School was a keen sportsman who followed Arsenal FC.

He was reported to be well respected at the bank, which is based in central Manchester, where he worked as a financial recovery specialist.

Frank Soodeen, of drink misuse charity Alcohol Concern echoed Mr Reid's warning. He said: “Too often binge drinking is seen just as a subject for amusing anecdotes or as a rite of passage for young people. It's vital that we provide better information for young people about the inherent risks of drinking heavily during any one evening.

“In situations like these, we are too often nowhere as invincible as we're encouraged to think.”

Culture

A spokesman for alcohol treatment agency Addaction said: “Sadly, we live in a culture that turns a blind eye to the risks involved in heavy drinking. Excessive amounts of booze can kill and we have to do more to change attitudes that encourage young people to risk their health and even their lives by drinking too much - all in the name of having a good time.”

Jackie Williams, managing director of The Bank of New York Mellon in Manchester, said: “It was with great shock and sadness that we learned of David's death. He was a popular member of the team and showed great dedication to his work.

“Our thoughts have been with David's family ever since and he is greatly missed.”

Manchester Evening News

Underage Drinking Seen As Major Problem

“We have a major problem,” says Assistant Administrator Margie Weber, Wayne County Drug and Alcohol, when it comes to underage drinking in Wayne County. The problem includes middle school age kids, as young as 13, she said.

“It’s not just Wayne County. Every single county is experiencing this,” says Executive Director Bonnie Tolerico, Wayne County Drug and Alcohol.

Last year, 54 Wayne County adolescents completed an underage drinking class, mandated by the district magistrate, Tolerico said. “We don’t usually see it that often that kids come forward (for help) on their own,” Weber said. “Usually we see them when they’ve gotten into some other trouble.”

Tolerico says a Certified Prevention Specialist from Wayne County Drug and Alcohol meets daily with teachers from the three local school districts: Wayne Highlands, Western Wayne and Wallenpaupack, to see how students are doing. During those meetings, a teacher might mention a student who’s not doing their homework and is falling asleep in class. Tolerico said they’d look into that further to find out if that student is using. Students referred to them undergo a pre-assessment or initial screening. Questions include: What are you using? How much are you using? Who are your friends? Are they using? How is your home life? and more, Tolerico said. Some students are open, others are defensive. A total of 145 student pre-assessments were completed last year within the three school districts. Of that number, 40 students were assessed for treatment due to their use, requiring outpatient or inpatient treatment, Tolerico said. “They’re using so much, they need treatment,” she said.

Tolerico said they’d like to stop underage drinking from being the norm. Calling it “mood altering and against the law,” Tolerico said it’s, “a progressive disease. So, we’re going to try to intervene like we would in anyone’s life.”
Underage drinking can lead to a lot of hardship, including death, bad judgment, getting into trouble with the law and other negative consequences, Tolerico said.

The signs and symptoms of alcohol use might include: changes in attitude, grades dropping, staying out late, glassy eyes, odor of alcohol, change in their friends, things missing (items stolen from the family to buy drugs), Weber said.
Weber says the most important thing an adolescent or parent needs to remember is that, “There is help available. It’s here. It’s free. And it’s confidential.” Along with trained professionals on staff to sit down with a student or parent, Weber says they also have a lot of free literature available, such as: negative effects of the use of alcohol, what parents can do if they suspect their child has a problem, and signs and symptoms of use.

Advice For Parents

“I tell every parent who tells me, ‘I tell my kids not to drink and drive’ [that] you’re part of the problem,” says Tom Frisk, Site Coordinator for the Rural Communities Initiative (RCI) , Wayne County Drug and Alcohol. He tells parents to knock the “and drive” part off of the message. Tell them plain out — don’t drink, he says.

Frisk says some parents, not all, start conversations with their kids as if drinking is a foregone conclusion. “They don’t start where their supposed to start — ‘Don’t Drink.’ End of story.”

Frisk says they completed a study in 2005 at Honesdale High School. “Answers are confidential, so the kids are pretty honest,” he said. Of the kids who admitted drinking, 57 percent said they got the alcohol from their parents or a friend’s parent. “Not that they gave it to them,” Frisk said, but that they had easy access, in a refrigerator etc. “The same percentage said they were greatly influenced in their choices by their parent’s approval or disapproval,” Frisk said. He says kids are listening to what you have to say, so don’t send mixed messages. “Drinking is absolutely not allowed,” Frisk says sends a clear message. “Parents need to stop or somehow get away from that mindset, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it.’ There’s something they can do about it,” he says.

In 2005, as part of the RCI, Frisk helped form the Healthy Alcohol-Free Teens or HAFT program at Honesdale High School. “We actually recruited kids that were former drinkers,” he said. Those kids tell the story. They drank because they wanted to fit in. “You don’t have to be in that crowd that drinks to be cool and successful,” he said. “We have to change that perception that everybody’s doing it, because everyone’s not doing it,” Frisk said.

Wayne Independent

Rising toll of deaths from liver disease blamed on binge drinking and cheap alcohol

Britain is the only developed nation where deaths from liver disease are rising, secret Health Service documents reveal.

They paint an alarming picture of soaring deaths over the next 20 years due mainly to binge drinking, cheap alcohol and longer licensing hours.

Rising levels of obesity must also be cut to reduce the death toll, according to the papers accidentally released yesterday by the Department of Health.

Alcohol-related fatalities, which account for the vast majority of liver deaths, have doubled in 15 years, up from 4,144 in 1991 to 8,758 in 2006.

More than eight women die a day from liver problems, often at an earlier age than men.

Two million people are thought to have chronic liver disease, but many are unaware of it and up to half of sufferers die immediately when it becomes an acute illness.

The NHS, however, is ill-equipped to cope, its medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh admits in the documents.

The report calls for the Government to approve a specific "liver strategy" for England.

It found:

• Liver services are patchy across the country.

• Diagnosis is not occurring early enough, with many cases not diagnosed until they are in the final - and very costly - stages.

• Government campaigns to tackle alcohol, drug abuse and obesity are often not targeted at high risk and vulnerable groups.

"Liver disease is a significant issue," says Sir Bruce.

"It is the fifth more important cause of death in the UK - which is the only developed nation with an upward trend in mortality.

"Increasing numbers of younger people are dying from liver disease. Yet liver disease is almost entirely preventable."

The report commissioned research by Newcastle University to support the case for a national liver strategy.

It concludes that "the NHS requires more capacity to respond to liver disease, and needs to prepare for a potentially large burden of liver disease".

The study suggests a six-point plan to detect the disease earlier and improve treatment.

It aims to tackle the three main causes liver disease - alcohol, obesity and viral hepatitis B and C - and develop a national registry of patients and a comprehensive alcohol liaison service.

The plan - marked "restricted" - was yesterday released by accident to the media by the Department of Health.

However, the proposal is marked "not urgent" and, if agreed, a strategy would only be in place by summer next year.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "It's extraordinary that while we are staring at a growing epidemic of liver disease, particularly alcohol-related, the Government can be so remarkably complacent."

Professor Roger Williams, the liver expert and surgeon who fought in vain to save George Best, said a national liver strategy is "long overdue".

He added: "The three big changes needed are raising taxes, reducing access and dealing with advertising and so far they have been ducked by the Government. Education can only do so much, we need some teeth behind any new initiatives."

One in five women and one in three men drinks at a hazardous level - 14 units or more a week for women and 21 for men, with a unit being a glass of wine or half a pint of beer.

Frank Soodeen of the charity Alcohol Concern said the liver strategy had to encourage heavy drinkers to discuss the problem with their GP before they become patients.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo announced last week a £10million education campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of too much alcohol.

Daily Mail

My sister was a secret alcoholic

On the surface, lawyer Leonora Kawecki appeared to have it all.

But behind the scenes, she was slowly killing herself with alcohol.

Leonora was just 39 when she died of liver failure in 2003 – and, tragically, hers is not an isolated case.

Shock figures released by the Office For National Statistics last week showed that the number of women dying from drinking has DOUBLED in 15 years.

And women in their thirties – like Leonora – are most at risk.

For Leonora’s older sister Julia, 52, a business development consultant from Northants, the statistics do not come as much of a surprise.

“Sadly. heavy drinking is increasingly culturally acceptable in the UK,” she says.

“It isn’t just students having a good time. More and more adult women have unhealthy relationships with alcohol. It has become a way of dealing with the stress of busy lives.”

Intelligent beauty Leonora was the kind of girl who appeared to lead an enviable life.

She was the head girl at school and easily scored brilliant exam results at university before going on to a highflying career as a solicitor in Hull.

There were trips abroad, cruises and parties where pretty Leonora, always in the latest designer clothes, would socialise with ease.

But behind the confident front, she was hiding a terrible secret.

In her early thirties she began to rely more and more on alcohol, helped along by the social functions she attended almost nightly where champagne flowed freely.

Shaking

Living in Northamptonshire, Julia didn’t realise that Leonora’s “social” drinking was spiralling out of control until her sister had to come home early from a holiday in America suffering terrible withdrawal symptoms as a result of not drinking.

She says: “After a week of not drinking, Leonora was shaking constantly and had been hallucinating. I had no idea how much she depended on alcohol until then.”

Her sister, then aged 34, began the first of what was to be a series of supervised detox sessions at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Tests showed her liver had been affected by alcohol but, at that point, the damage was reversible. She was told that if she stopped drinking immediately, her liver should recover.

But she failed to heed the advice.

Julia says: “She gave the impression that she was still allowed to have a glass of wine as long as she didn’t overdo it.”

Leonora hid her drinking well. She never smelled of alcohol or seemed hungover.

But looking back, Julia can see there were signs. She says: “She had grown incredibly thin. Alcoholics often lose any interest in food.

“Her skin had grown kind of saggy and dull. Her eyes would often be glassy, even though she would swear she hadn’t touched a drop.”

Julia has her own theories about what may have pushed Leonora to drink more.

She says: “Our mother, Irene, died of cancer when Leonora was 12 and I was 20. As a result, she became very close to our father, Leon. Looking back, it could have been his sudden death in 1996 which threw her off kilter.”

Between 1998 and 2000, Leonora had three more detox sessions at Hull Royal Infirmary but she could never stay on the wagon for long.

In December 1999, she broke her shoulder after a fall at work and was stuck at home for three months unable to drive or even dress herself.

Julia says: “She was trapped in the house with wine in the cupboard, so it was the worst thing that could have happened. Drink helped dull the pain when the painkillers stopped working.”

A year after the accident, Leonora gave up her job, unable to cope with the demands of working – and her drinking increased.

The following year there was a glimmer of hope when she checked into the charity-backed Mount Carmel rehab centre in London for a six-month stint.

Although she later returned to Hull intent on staying sober and planning to attend local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, she did not have any proper aftercare and soon started drinking again.

Julia says: “She used to say she didn’t want to go to the AA meetings because they smelt of cigarette smoke. Looking back, I can see that was the excuse of an addict.”

By January 2003, Leonora’s liver was found to be beyond the point of repair and she needed a transplant.

While waiting for a donor she became critically ill – she had started bleeding internally. By the time Julia reached the hospital, her sister had lapsed into unconsciousness.

Tortured

She says: “The doctors explained to the family that there was nothing that could be done, so we agreed to switch off the machines and let her go.

“I was tortured by the idea that we could have done something more to help her.

“I’m sure there would have been a point before she had developed full-blown alcoholism that she could have been saved.”

With that in mind, Julia has set up The Leonora Trust, a charity aimed at tackling alcohol dependence, with the eventual aim of building a residential rehab centre.

She says: “We want to offer a longer programme for addicts like the one Julia did at Mount Carmel, but we also want to offer a shorter 12-day programme for those who feel they might have a problem with alcohol and need some way of tackling it.

“There are thousands of people out there like that. They may be functioning fine in their jobs but they are getting through the day with the promise of a bottle of wine at the end of it. Life shouldn’t be about that.

“Women are told that they can now have it all but that often just means they are under incredible amounts of pressure.

“If I can help just one woman from ending up in the place that my beautiful, witty sister found herself then her death will not have been in vain.”

So just how much is too much alcohol?

Frank Soodeen from the charity Alcohol Concern, says: “The easiest answer is to as far as possible stay within the recommended limits. For women that is two to three units each day. A unit is one small glass of wine or a 25ml measure of spirits.

“Try to keep better track of how much you’re drinking. The website drinkaware.co.uk has an online calculator to help you work out how much you are consuming.

“If you find that you are drinking above the guidance on a regular basis, you may be storing up problems for yourself in the future.

“It’s worth sitting down and trying to think through the sorts of situations that encourage you to exceed them. It might be that habit of buying rounds at the pub, or uncorking a second bottle of wine with your partner.

“Once you’ve pinned down why you might be drinking too much, it should be easier to then control your intake.

“If you find this isn’t working, then it may be worth making an appointment with your GP. The key challenge is to face the issue and not allow it to become a real problem in the future by ignoring it.”

The Sun

Alcohol 'huge problem for rehab centres'

Sydney's drug and alcohol rehabilitation services say a spike in the number of people seeking help for their addictions could be partly attributable to "a celebrity meltdown".

Odyssey House, one of the city's oldest and best known rehabilitation centres, says it has been forced to turn people away this month after demand on its services increased by more than one-third.

The centre's James Pitts says alcohol problems have been largely responsible for a record number of calls from people seeking help.

The increase also could be explained by publicity surrounding the celebrities who have sought treatment for their drug and alcohol problems, Mr Pitts said.

"Last year it seemed that seemingly every other day there was some report, particularly in the US, of people like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and other celebrities being in and out of rehab," Mr Pitts told the Fairfax Radio Network.

"They gained a lot of publicity and made the public aware that rehabilitation is a viable alternative.

"It tends to get sensationalised and trivialised, but it made the public much more aware, particularly the younger people who may have a problem.

"(They) look up to these people and think well, maybe if Lindsay Lohan has a problem, or Britney has a problem and goes into rehab, maybe I'll do the same thing."

Mr Pitts said January also was a peak period because people tended to put off seeking treatment until after the Christmas-New Year festivities.

"Most people tend to think that they're going to put it off until after the holidays, they're going to spend time with their family, they're going to do it later," he said.

Mr Pitts said for the first time, alcohol last year became the substance most responsible for people joining the Odyssey House program.

"It's only by a slight margin but it is the first time this has happened," he said.

"You now have 30 per cent of the people - 880 people last year - nominating alcohol as the primary drug of concern.

"We tend to miss the point about alcohol being a drug.

"In terms of how much damage it does, alcohol does more damage than all the illicit drugs put together."

The chief executive of the Family Drug Support service, Tony Trimingham, agreed that both the celebrity factor and increasing problems with alcohol could be linked to a rise in the number of people seeking help.

"I think the celebrity thing probably does raise awareness and have people talking more,' Mr Trimingham told Fairfax newspapers.

"That can only be a good thing but I think we have to accept there are more and more problems with alcohol."

The Age

We can have fun and not be drunk

Everybody enjoys a little tipple now and then but that little tipple can all too often turn into more - much more.

So is alcohol an important social lubricant or a worrying social cocktail?

On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics released data which put Brighton in the top bracket when it came to binge drinking and revealed Sussex had some of the highest hazardous drinking levels in the country.

In light of that, and the news we are drinking one-third more than had previously been thought, The Argus spoke to former director of The Priory rehab centre, Nick Gully, who is now director of Brighton-based Sanctuary Therapy Services.

"Enjoying a relaxing drink at the end of the day is nothing new for us," he said. "However, the pressure and pace of modern life mixed with the availability and acceptability of alcohol is creating a worrying social cocktail and one which is all too often leading to tragic consequences."

But he's not just talking about revealing too many of our embarrassing stories at a dinner party, or making a fool of ourselves on the dance floor at our daughter's wedding. He's talking about the inevitable outcome of alcohol addiction - jails, institutions or death.
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"Each of us is affected in some way by the significant harm caused by alcohol abuse and dependence in our culture," he continued.

"There is no family where with some degree of scratching at the surface, we couldn't find at least one person who has an alcohol problem or dependence.

"Our standard of living in the UK has never been higher and one knock-on effect is that most of us have created the kind of pressure in our lives that requires a fairly hefty release of tension. Alcohol is cheap, readily available, socially acceptable and very effective at enabling us to step outside of ourselves for a short while.

"Warnings about the harms caused through alcohol abuse fall largely on deaf ears. It is only when the problem hits each of us in a personal and direct way that we will finally take stock and make the necessary changes.

"We have become conditioned to view alcohol as an important social lubricant. However, the idea that we need alcohol to relax and have fun is simple nonsense. In my view, less is more."

Mr Gully, a leading addiction specialist who has worked in the field for almost 20 years, thinks that part of the cause of the worrying level of alcohol abuse in our country is due to a crisis of identity he believes we are experiencing.

"We no longer know who we are and where we belong," he said.

"Our families are more fragmented, our moral structure is fractured, social controls are increasing, finance without effort is available at the touch of a button, there is a growing confusion between happiness and materialism and most importantly, our willingness to take personal responsibility is diminishing.

"We can blame the politicians and drinks industry as much as we want but until we stand up and take personal and social responsibility for the mess we are creating for ourselves, our society and future generations will continue to be blighted by the effects of alcohol abuse and dependence."

Sanctuary Therapy Services helps dozens of patients a week at its Portland Road premises in Hove, but its visitors might not be quite what you imagined.

"Unlike the commonly held assumption, most of the alcoholic men and women we see are not morning drinkers whose lives are in tatters and can be readily identified by the waft of booze wherever they go," Mr Gully said. "Ninety per cent of our clients are functional alcoholics holding down a responsible job, staying on top of family commitments and can stop drinking when they have come to the end of their most recent binge.

"They are people who are facing up to their alcohol addiction and getting help before things have gone too far."

The data released by the Office for National Statistics put some of the blame for increased alcohol consumption down to ignorance.

Wine and beer have both become considerably stronger in recent years. Pub wisdom suggests a regular glass of wine contains one unit. But under new guidance a small glass of wine counts as one unit, an average glass as two and a large glass as three.

It means 31 per cent of men, 7.1 million, are drinking at hazardous levels of between 21 and 50 units a week and 20 per cent of women, or 4.9 million, are in the hazardous category as they consume between 14 and 35 units a week.

The Argus

Alcohol-related deaths 'rising'

The number of people in the UK dying from alcohol-related problems is continuing to rise.

Office for National Statistics figures show there were 13.4 alcohol-related deaths per 100,000 population in 2006 - up from 12.9 in 2005.

The mortality rate in men (18.3/100,000) was more than twice the rate for females (8.8/100,000).

The overall death rate has almost doubled from 6.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 1991.

It appears that for certain younger people who've been drinking heavily for most of their lives, the consequences are beginning to show themselves at ever earlier stages

In total 8,758 deaths were linked to alcohol in 2006, compared to 4,144 deaths in 1991.

For men, the death rates in all age groups increased between 1991 and 2006.

The biggest increase was for men aged 35-54. Rates in this age group more than doubled over the period, from 13.4 to 31.1 deaths per 100,000.

However, the highest rates in each year were for men aged 55-74.

Similar pattern in women

Death rates by age group for females were consistently lower than rates for males.

However, the death rate for women aged 35­54 doubled between 1991 and 2006, from 7.2 to 14.8 per 100,000 population.

Again, the highest rates in each year were for the 55-74 age group.

Frank Soodeen, of the charity Alcohol Concern, said: "The link between alcohol misuse and ill health is well established.

"However these figures reveal some disturbing trends. For the second year in a row, the biggest rise in deaths has been among men aged 35-54.

"It appears that for certain younger people who've been drinking heavily for most of their lives, the consequences are beginning to show themselves at ever earlier stages.

"It is vital that the government finally starts investing more in alcohol treatment to help problem drinkers address these issues before the situation becomes irretrievable."

Dr Christopher Record, a liver disease consultant based in Newcastle, said: "There is terrific pressure in society for people to drink. Those that don't drink are considered to be freaks and abnormal.

"But the main reason why, we are drinking more is alcohol is too cheap. Alcohol now is 50% less expensive that it was 25 years ago and, needless to say, consumption has gone up by 50% pro rata."

Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, was particularly concerned by the rise in deaths among women.

"My colleagues and I are certainly seeing more women with serious liver damage than ever before in our clinics," he said.

Tougher line call

Sarah Matthews, of the British Liver Trust, said that a major part of the problem was that alcohol was cheap, readily available and glamorised by celebrities.

"The government desperately needs to take a tougher approach with the alcohol and retail industry, clamping down on cheap promotions and irresponsible advertising - particularly before the 9pm watershed.

"Clear and effective health warnings on alcohol like 'alcohol kills' would also help in raising awareness of the damage that alcohol can have."

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said the government was launching a £10m education campaign to raise awareness of alcohol, and reviewing alcohol pricing and promotion.

It had also toughened enforcement of underage sales by retailers, and planned more help for people who wanted to drink less.

She said: "We know we're not going to change people's attitudes to alcohol overnight - it's going to take time, but it's reassuring to see that figures, published earlier this week, suggest alcohol consumption is no longer on the rise."

BBC News

Drunks And Fights - Is This High St UK?

The home town of Garry Newlove, who was beaten to death by drunken yobs, is plagued by alcohol-fuelled violence - and Sky News has witnessed the scale of the problem.

Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay went to the heart of Warrington and what he saw was shocking - yet seemingly typical. Here is his account:

Just after 2.30 in the morning I hear shouting about 100 yards from the intersection where I've been standing for about the past half hour.

Five police officers sprint down the road, followed by the Sky News team.

We have spent the night on patrol with 16 officers whose sole job on this Saturday night is to be a rapid reaction squad if violence breaks out... actually, it's not really if - but a certain when.

At least six separate battles are going on - men on men, girls on girls, girls on boys and so on. In the middle, a silver-haired woman, probably in her mid-60s, is lying motionless in the road.

The police pile in and after a while things calm down.

One person is arrested but confusion reigns.

At the time we didn't realise this was a fight about a taxi. An elderly couple apparently tried to jump the queue in front of a young couple. There was pushing from both sides and the lady was knocked to the ground. That's when the others joined in.

But forget what sparked the incident - there is absolutely no doubt that what caused the fighting was one single thing - alcohol.

Warrington has great nightlife and it is really good fun.

It is compact, there are dozens of bars, there are loads of young girls and boys and the booze is cheap - ridiculously cheap. At one bar we went to every drink was £1.50 - any drink.

The bars are really clubs but that's how they trade since the change in the licensing laws. They're hopping and they open early and close late.

The spread is quite clever, really. From the top of town they start closing from about 1am. At the bottom of the town, they close at about six.

So, serious party animals can get completely tanked from the nominal start time of about six in the evening until the immodest end time 12 hours later.

In truth, it's utterly bonkers and the police are completely at a loss about what to do to sort it out.

"This is a quiet night and we have had multiple arrests, two serious assaults, lots of fights and virtually everyone you see would actually fail the basic law that says it is illegal to be intoxicated in a public place," Inspector Richard Spedding, in charge of the overnight team, told me.

"What can I do? My officers used to finish their shift at three - now we can go on until six in the morning and then the domestic violence starts when the people get home.

"There has to be a change in the culture and the attitude of young people - that going out doesn't mean its cool to get absolutely bladdered," he said.

"It's expensive and it's a waste of my officers' time - we have to be here but we shouldn't have to be.

"The alcohol is too cheap. The clubs are undercutting each other. I simply don't believe the people of Warrington thought this would be a good thing - but this is what's happened after the laws changed."

While most of the youngsters we saw and spoke to did nothing wrong, how many mums and dads would like to see the state the vast majority ended up in?

In one four-hour period I did not meet one single person who was sober.

Most could not actually speak.

Sky News

One route to alcoholism

After the first drink, you want that 'rush' again

Sheryl, 55, a court reporter in the north suburbs, seemed to have the American dream: "a decent life -- two healthy kids, a nice husband, a two-car garage, what you're supposed to have," she said. "Only something was wrong. I was in my late 30s and miserable."

She began to drink -- not daily but three or four times a week. And once she had the first drink, "that was the end of it. I'd continue to drink for the rest of the day or evening," she said. "[After] you take that first drink, you want to replicate that rush, but it doesn't come. ... I wanted to get to that point [again], where it first goes into your blood and you have that calm, relaxed feeling."

Sheryl said she continued to function, cooking dinner for her family and fulfilling social obligations, though her friends could tell she'd been imbibing because she became unusually chatty. She typically drank vodka and wine; toward "the end," whiskey and beer, although she hated both. She would feel hung over and shaky the next morning -- and full of remorse. "You're so ashamed of yourself. This is not like your life's dream."

"The end" came on the eve of Rosh Hashana, one of the holiest days in the Jewish tradition, after about 12 years of using alcohol. Her husband came home from work that Friday for a holiday dinner, and she had been drinking. "Fear is what made me call a therapist Monday morning; I was afraid that my husband would take my kids away."

Sheryl suffers from alcohol dependence, or alcoholism, a disease affecting almost 4 percent of the U.S. population and more than 9 percent of those ages 18 through 29, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Alcoholism is a "brain disease," according to Dr. Seth Eisenberg, who specializes in addiction psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. It's a chronic disease seen as a "complex biological, medical, behavioral and psychological array." For some, it has genetic underpinnings; for others, it results from social and environmental dynamics. Scientists have yet to tease apart the relationships among those factors.

Characterized by a craving to drink, losing control once drinking starts, withdrawal symptoms and tolerance (meaning you need to drink more and more to feel the same effect), the disease cannot be cured. But it can be treated.

Abstinence generally is the best medicine, and "there are many pathways to recovery," Eisenberg said. They include professional treatment in a hospital or non-hospital facility, outpatient treatment and/or mutual aid, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Prescription medication to curb cravings or discourage drinking by making one feel sick when the drug is mixed with alcohol can help too.

Often patients need to be treated for other co-occurring mental health issues, including bipolar disorder, anxiety or depression. True recovery takes a long-term, holistic approach that addresses issues with work, family, health and spirituality, in addition to drinking, Eisenberg said.

Sheryl's therapist suggested she contact Alcoholics Anonymous. She has been attending meetings for 12 years and, she said, hasn't had a drink in all that time. The group has taught her coping skills; she has her self-respect and self-esteem back, and her marriage, going on 34 years, is "better than ever."

People can indeed change their lives, Eisenberg said. "The notion that you go into treatment for 28 days and you're cured is naive, and it sets people up for failure. ... The more flexible you are in trying to address needs, the more likely you're going to find something that will help."

Where to get help

If you think you might be dependent upon alcohol, Dr. Seth Eisenberg of Northwestern Memorial Hospital suggests first talking with your family doctor or contacting Alcoholics Anonymous.

Chicago Tribune

Pre-teens drinking alcohol

Youngsters aged under 13 are drinking alcohol to get drunk, a national survey of drinking attitudes has revealed today.

The poll by charity Crime Concern found that drinking to get drunk is starting at a younger age, increasing the risk of health- and crime-related problems.

Twenty-nine per cent of the 1,250 ten to 19-year-olds surveyed said they drink with the aim of being drunk and 42 per cent said they first had alcohol when under the age of 13.

Half of parents were reported to condone or not care about their children's drinking, despite a quarter of those surveyed saying they had been in trouble with the police due to drinking.

Half of the youngsters questioned said they had been involved in fighting, violence and aggression as a result of drinking.

Despite their own involvement in drinking alcohol, a high level of support was expressed by the youngsters for measures to reduce alcohol-related crime and antisocial behaviour.

Nearly half said sports and leisure activities aimed at young people are a good idea and 38 per cent said they wanted better information on the impact of alcohol consumption on health.

Crime Concern chief executive Clare Checksfield warned that by drinking alcohol at an early age "young people are taking risks with their health and with their future by getting involved in alcohol-related violence".

"When young people are drinking young, then prevention work has to start early, too," she added.

"Now is the time to act. We need to tackle a wider drinking culture and together make certain that parents and peer groups are involved."

Home Office minister Vernon Coaker welcomed the report and said it would impact on efforts to tackle harmful alcohol consumption among young people.

Children's minister Beverley Hughes added: "We have been working to develop [the alcohol] strategy with detailed plans for additional government action – specifically on young people and alcohol – that we will announce in March 2008.

"The report is important because it adds to our thinking and crucially tells us about young people's drinking patterns from the young people themselves. It's time to build on this knowledge."

In The News

Area's booze death shame

Booze is killing more men in Inverclyde than in almost any other part of the UK.

Government figures show the area now ranks second in the country for male alcohol-related death. Only Glasgow has a worse record and the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show the problem is continuing to rise.

Inverclyde men are four times more likely to die of drink than the average UK male.

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil said the area is reaping the grim consequences of generations of alcohol addiction.

He said: “There’s no quick fix. What we’re dealing with is 20 years of alcohol addiction.

“The consequences of our unhealthy relationship with drink are with us — violence on our streets, underage drinking and binge-drinking. It’s still going on and we have to face up to it.”

But he added that there is hope for the future: “We’ve seen that with smoking going down that part of that battle was government action, but it was also that smoking became less socially acceptable.

“Once people come to the opinion that is’s unacceptable to drink and shout and bawl and fight in the street, that is part of the process of solving the problem.”

Pub landlord and Inverclyde health campaigner Ciano Rebecchi says cheap booze and a culture of drinking in Inverclyde is to blame for the current situation.

But he says the Government also needs to do more to help Inverclyde escape its drink death sentence.

Councillor Rebecchi said: “Government keeps telling us what they’re doing about it but what have they done?

“They talk about putting the price of drink up but people still buy it.

“We have got to change the culture here as well, and we got to educate as well.

“The first thing we’ve got to do is make drink is not being sold cheaply.

“We’re in a situation where here in Inverclyde you can by a can of strong drink cheaper than bottled water. That has got to change.”

Inverclyde Council’s alcohol service say action is already being taken to tackle booze addiction.

A spokesperson said: “Through Social Work, we have a dedicated alcohol team that works tirelessly in the community to offer support to those who need it. Since last year they have achieved two COSLA awards for their efforts and held a successful community event in November to raise awareness about addiction.

“We obviously want a healthier Inverclyde and hope more local people realise that help and support for alcohol related problems is available.

Through Inverclyde Alcohol and Drug Forum we will continue to work with partners on this key issue and we would urge those who need support to contact our alcohol service on 715812/3.”

Women in Inverclyde fare slightly better in the booze league of shame. Whilst the area has the second highest level of drink related death in men, the area is the fourth worst for female related death.

Greenock Telegraph

Alcohol related deaths double, report shows

The number of people dying in the UK because of alcohol problems has doubled over the past 15 years, the government said today.

The number of alcohol-related deaths rose from 4,144 in 1991 to 8,758 in 2006, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics.

The alcohol death rate almost doubled over the same period, rising from 6.9 deaths per 100,000 to 13.4. Between 2005 and 2006, the death rate rose by 0.5 deaths per 100,000.

The study found that far more men are dying from alcohol-related causes than women.

In 2006, the alcohol-related death rate in men was 18.3 deaths per 100,000. It was more than double the rate for women, which stood at 8.8 deaths per 100,000. Men also accounted for two-thirds of the total number of deaths that year.

The largest rise in deaths in both sexes over the past 15 years has been among the middle-aged.

The death rate in men aged 35 to 54 more than doubled over the past 15 years from 13.4 to 31.1 deaths per 100,000.
A similar rise was seen in women of the same age group, rising from 7.2 to 14.8 deaths per 100,000.

Although death rates in men and women of all ages rose between 1991 and 2006, the rate for those aged 15 to 34 between 2005 and 2006 remained the same. The death rates for the over-75s also fell: 8% for men, 6% for women.

A spokesman for the charity Alcohol Concern said: "We are particularly concerned that, for the second year in a row, the biggest rise in deaths has been among men aged 35 to 54. And that female mortality has virtually doubled.

"It appears that for a number of younger people who came of age at a time when heavy drinking became increasingly common, the negative consequences are emerging at ever-earlier stages.

"Beyond labelling issues and information campaigns, it is vital that the government finally starts investing more in alcohol treatment to help problem drinkers address these issues before the situation becomes irretrievable."

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "The new figures are deeply worrying as women seem to be more susceptible to the damaging physical effects of alcohol.

"My colleagues and I are certainly seeing more women with serious liver damage than ever before in our clinics. The increase in deaths from liver disease in women from 35 to 54 is a consequence of heavy or binge drinking earlier in life in their twenties and thirties.

"As a nation, we need a properly funded and coordinated national strategy to deal with the problem, including increasing the price of alcohol and reducing its availability."

Alison Rogers, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "These figures are concerning, particularly when combined with the rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions. Alcohol is cheap, readily available and glamorised by celebrities."

"The government desperately needs to take a tougher approach with the alcohol and retail industry, clamping down on cheap promotions and irresponsible advertising, particularly before the 9pm watershed.

"Clear and effective health warnings on alcohol like 'alcohol kills' would also help in raising awareness of the damage that alcohol can have."

The Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Norman Lamb, accused the government of failing to tackle problem drinking.

"The doubling of people dying from causes linked to alcohol is a stark reminder of the government's failed alcohol strategy," he said.

"Urgent action is needed to tackle the binge drinking culture among young people, which can leave them with health problems for life."

Guardian

Support for youngsters with drink and drugs problems

Echoing the recent sentiments of Sheriff Kevin Drummond, Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, David Strang has voiced his concerns about adults buying alcohol for minors.

This is in the same week that fresh support for youngsters in the region with alcohol and drug problems was unveiled by the Big Lottery Fund.

Giving his first report of 2008 to Scottish Borders Council Licensing Board on Friday, January 18, Chief Constable Strang spoke about various court cases heard in the past few months involving people in both Berwickshire and Roxburghshire who were detected for purchasing alcohol for youngsters.

In the majority of these cases charges were brought after the children involved required medical attention, with one Coldingham girl arriving in hospital in a grave condition after drinking alcohol bought for her by an adult. Her levels were recorded as 235mg in 100ml of blood, just 10mg more and she could have died.

Commenting on the issue, the Chief Constable said: "There have been several cases of youngsters requiring medical attention after alcohol was purchased for them by adults.

"Sheriff Drummond has made his feelings extremely clear by stating 'buy drinks for youngsters and you'll be jailed'. He describes it as one of the worst problems in our community at the present time.

"Lothian and Borders Police will continue to work with their partner agencies to address this problem by prevention and enforcement. Recently there have been six people convicted of acting as an agent in the purchase of alcohol to persons under the legal age. Sentences have included 200 hours of community service and substantial fines."

In relation to this under-age drinking figures released last week show that once again the problem shows no signs of going away in Berwickshire.

For the period October 2006-January 2007, 11 youngsters were caught consuming alcohol but for the equivalent period this year the figure is 14. This is yet another increase for the area, although not as severe as results for other periods. Neighbouring Roxburghshire saw under-age drinking almost double, from 43 to 76.

On Tuesday it was announced that extra support for teenagers with drug misuse and alcohol problems in the Borders is to to be provided courtesy of a grant in excess of half a million pounds from the Big Lottery Fund.

Tackling the consequences of alcohol and drugs mis-use, the Reiver Project, to be re-named FACE2FACE in April, deals with the self esteem issues in young people aged 11-18 which often lead to substance abuse.

Led by Borders Counselling on Alcohol and Substances, the Project is one of 10 projects sharing over £3 million from the Big Lottery's Fund Scotland's Investing in Communities Fund announced this week.

Over the next five years FACE2FACE will offer individually tailored counselling services for young people and their families who find themselves in a circle of despair through alcohol, drugs or volatile substance abuse, thanks to their grant of £524,066 from the lottery. The project will also provide a mobile information service and will work with schools, hospitals and the local police to deal with the problem.

Michelle Ballantyne, Head of Services Borders Counselling of Alcohol and Substances said: "We are absolutely thrilled by this award from the Big Lottery Fund and the benefits it will bring to the people of the Scottish Borders. It will allow us to significantly develop our work with young people, reducing the harm that alcohol and substances can cause in their lives and bringing together their support networks within their families and wider community."

Berwickshire Today

Binge drinking fuels youth violence

Binge drinking by children and teenagers is increasing.

Drinking to get drunk is starting at a young age, in England and Wales, prompting children not yet into their teens to become involved in violence, vandalism and sexual risk, according to a study published today.

The survey of deprived communities reveals a picture of widespread binge drinking among pre-teens and teenagers, frequently of over 20 units a week, with parents ignoring or even condoning the habit.

The study, commissioned by Positive Futures, a Home Office-funded programme to provide activities for youngsters in poor areas, also highlights the ease with which more than half of the 10 to 19-year-olds questioned bought alcohol at their local supermarket or corner shop.

The report, based on interviews with 1,250 young people in 123 Positive Futures projects across the country, shows 42% began drinking when they were 13 or younger, while almost a quarter started at 14 or 15.

The study concludes that the findings underline the need to focus on the age of 13 as a "tipping point" in young people's introduction to alcohol, an age highlighted in the government's national alcohol strategy, Safe, Sensible, Social. The strategy identifies young people as a priority group, and says that excessive drinking is strongly linked to violent or risky behaviour.

In the study, half of young people said they had been involved in fighting, violence and aggression as a result of drinking, and a quarter had been in trouble with the police. Almost one in five said they had been sexually irresponsible after drinking.

The survey findings confirm that drinking is more widespread and consumption is higher among children from deprived backgrounds, researchers say.

One in four (39%) said they drank up to 20 units of alcohol per a week, while 15% drank over 20 units a week — well above safe levels.

They drank mainly beer, but also significant levels of spirits, cider and wine, with so-called alcopops less popular.

Parents turned a blind eye or even condoned youngsters their drinking, half the teenagers said.

Asked why they drank alcohol, seven in 10 said they enjoyed it, while one in three said they did so "for the sake of it" or to socialise with friends and have fun. One in three said they drank purely as a means of getting drunk and "getting a buzz".

Asked what they specifically enjoyed about drinking, some spoke of "going on a bender and getting off your face", or "getting pissed, wrecked and hammered", "getting wasted, steaming and mashed".

Almost half of teenagers questioned in the study said they thought more sports and leisure activities were the way to divert young people from alcohol and reduce crime and disorder.

Gary Stannett, programme director for the Positive Futures scheme, said: the report "confirms what we have suspected for some time: that for young people alcohol is the drug of choice".

He added: "The fact that so many of our young people, over 50%, believe the programme has helped them control their drinking demonstrates that by building strong relationships with young people in disadvantaged areas we can and do make a real difference to their attitudes to alcohol."

Society Guardian

More middle-class professionals turning to drink

High stress levels could be responsible for managers and businessmen turning to drink.

New figures reveal that the middle classes are bigger boozers than their working-class counterparts.

It is also thought that alcohol consumption is higher among managerial professions because they have more money to spend on drink.

Doctors’ leaders in Wales have warned that alcohol is not a good way to relax and said that the country’s drink culture remains a major problem.

The latest examination of Britain’s drinking culture has found that men drink an average of 18.7 units of alcohol a week, while the average for females was nine.

And the figures from the Office for National Statistics’ report, Drinking: Adults’ behaviour and knowledge in 2007, revealed that the Welsh are drinking more alcohol, on average, than their Scottish counterparts.

The alcohol consumption figures show an overall fall, with a drop of 2.5 units per week in men’s average weekly consumption compared with 2002, while women’s drinking fell by an average 1.5 units weekly over the same period.

But doctors last night said that the figures did not mean that Wales’ drinking culture is declining.

A government poll of teenagers, which is published today, found 42% started drinking before they were 13, with 29% saying they drink to get drunk.

Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the British Medical Association’s Welsh Council, said there is still a problem with excess drinking in Wales.

“A lot of men and women drink more than that,” he said. “But the figures are brought down by people who don’t drink at all.

“It’s a misleading figure to use an average.

“I’m not surprised about those statistics because some people don’t drink very much. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of people who drink more than the recommended amounts.”

The statistics, which were published yesterday, also reveal that one-in-five men and one-in- 10 women drink on at least five out of seven nights a week.

Dr Calland added that it was not simply a matter of how often people drink alcohol, but how much which is more important.

“There’s some evidence that binge drinking is more dangerous than constant low-level drinking. People still need to be aware of what they are drinking, whether it’s 10 pints on a Saturday night or a bottle of wine with dinner on a weeknight,” he said.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to minimise the risks of drinking too much. And these results don’t mean we can all drink freely without thinking about the consequences.”

The statistics also reveal that more people are opting to drink in their own homes, rather than spend their hard-earned money in the pub.

More than half the people asked, consumed their alcohol at home, with only a third of men and less than a quarter of women doing their drinking in a pub.

John Price, secretary of the Welsh Licensed Victuallers Association, said this was further evidence that the smoking ban, which was introduced last year, is “crippling” Welsh pubs.

He said, “It’s not a surprise and I warned people this would happen. The ban has completely killed off the community feeling in pubs.

“This was always going to happen. Trade in the Valleys has dropped by over 30% recently.

“People have their drinks at home and then go out because it’s cheaper. We can’t compete with the supermarket prices and a lot of pubs have to close down.”

Western Mail

'I just couldn't stop drinking'

Social drinking can be a major problem. Middle class men and women are drinking more than those lower down the socio-economic scale, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Men and women with managerial jobs were the most likely to have drunk alcohol in the previous week, says the survey.

The findings of the survey will ring true for Christina, a married professional.

In the end you need to drink to peel potatoes, dial a telephone number even

Christina - who does not want to give her full name - a lawyer and mother of two, is all too familiar with the perils of social drinking.

She is now 50, but her drinking started to get out of control when she was in her early 30s.

She had joined a social running club with her husband and used to go for drinks with friends after the run.

To begin with her drinking increased without her realising - but it rapidly became more important than anything else.

It also became a way to cope with a job that was becoming increasingly stressful.

"I was drinking at lunch time to help me cope with stressful clients in the afternoon, and I was waking up hung over, which increased the stress," she said.

The problem escalated to a stage where she was drinking at least a bottle of wine a day, was suffering memory loss and black outs, and was trying to hide the true extent of the situation from her husband.

She had to resort to looking at the Radio Times in the morning to find out what she had watched the previous night.

"In the end you need to drink to peel potatoes, dial a telephone number even. You need to drink for anxiety, for everything," she said.

Severe pain

At the age of 39 Christina began to have severe abdominal pain. Initially it was diagnosed as gall stones.

But by the age of 45, following an appointment with a new gastroenterologist, she was diagnosed with pancreatitis caused by alcohol abuse, gastric varices - dilated veins in the stomach which can be a life threatening cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding - a severe fatty liver, and alcohol dependency syndrome.

At that stage she had been drinking a bottle of vodka everyday, and she had also lost her job after being caught drinking in the office - a huge blow to her pride.

But even at that point Christina still could not believe she was an alcoholic.

"The main thing that convinced me I was an alcoholic was when I tried to stop drinking and I couldn't," she said.

"The thought of dying of pancreatitis, the loss of my job, and the fear of losing my marriage motivated me," she added.

Christina went to her first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in January 2003, after half a bottle of vodka to help her with the nerves.

"The great thing about it was I could see people in the meetings that were well. They were living examples of what I could be. So I copied them."

Christina is still sober, still married, and back doing law.

BBC News

Pre-teens report problem drinking

Nearly half of disadvantaged youngsters start drinking before the age of 13 - with serious consequences for health and crime, research shows.

A poll of youngsters in a national youth programme found 42% started drinking before they were 13, with 29% saying they drink to get drunk.

The survey covered 1,250 members of the Positive Futures scheme, aged between 10 and 19.

One in four said their drinking had got them into trouble with the police.

Half of those questioned said drinking had led to fights, violence and aggression.

Positive Futures, a Home Office-funded scheme, operates in some of the UK's most deprived communities.

The poll, which questioned young people involved in the group's sports, arts and activity based programmes, also found drinking led to vandalism, and 17% said it led to sexual irresponsibility.

Risk taking

Clare Checksfield, chief executive of Crime Concern, which manages the Positive Futures programme, said: "Young people are taking risks with their health and with their future by getting involved in alcohol related violence."

Beer was the most popular drink, with 35% usually drinking it; 29% said they usually drank spirits, and cider and wine were the next most likely choices.

The survey found that the most common reasons for taking up drinking were that friends drank, and it looked like fun.

Nearly 20% wanted to experiment and to know what it was like, the survey said.

Half of those questioned said their parents condoned or did not care about their drinking, and 42% knew family and friends with alcohol-related problems.

Just over half (52%) said they got alcohol from their local shops, 22% got alcohol at home from their parents, or other family members, and a small number admitted to stealing from their house without their parents' knowledge.

Ms Checksfield said: "Now is the time to act. We need to tackle a wider drinking culture and together make certain parents and peer groups are involved."

According to government statistics young drinkers are consuming twice as much as was drunk by the young in 1990.

The poll found that nearly half of the young people thought sports and leisure activities were the key to reduce alcohol related crime and anti social behaviour. Many wanted more health information.

A Spokesman from Young Minds, a children's mental health charity, said: "The survey shows the vital importance of well co-ordinated support and education so that children can manage daily stress in their lives.

"Access to training and support is needed for parents, teachers and all those working with children."

BBC News

Too young to be an alcoholic?

Ducking the gaze of the puffy-faced stranger in the mirror, Jessica reached for the green bottle of mouthwash and tipped it down her throat; then sagged in relief at the alcohol’s comforting burn.

Entire continents separated her dim, bottle-strewn flat from the spacious, loving home of her childhood in rural Cheshire, but the gulf between the two went far further and deeper than mere miles.

Ten years ago, she had been a hopeful university student. Now, stringy-haired, overweight and sinking five bottles of wine a day, the prospect of even leaving her flat left her in paroxysms of anxiety.

Even now, 30-year-old Jessica, who this month celebrates a year since leaving rehab, struggles to put her finger on why she became an alcoholic.

“We had a nice house in rural Cheshire,” she says. “I had a typical mum and dad, money was not an issue, I had a really good education. I went to music lessons, all kinds of dance, ballet, tap, acting classes, and we would go abroad on holiday. Everything you could possibly ask for, really.”

Over the past year, she has spent hours examining her past for any early signposts to her alcoholism. But the unsettling conclusion she has come to is that alcoholism could happen to just about anyone.

“I did ask mum the other day what I was like as a child,” she says. “She said I never wanted to share anything with them, and I was not always terribly motivated, but that could describe countless youngsters. I was quite bookish and loved going to the cinema, but, again, nothing overtly unusual in that.”

In her teens, she says, she started hanging around with older boys and drinking. But she describes herself as “naughty” rather than wild, managed to complete her A-Levels and take up a place at a university down south, studying foreign languages.

“It was the first time I was completely on my own,” she says. “I remember thinking that everyone else must have been given instructions on how to do all this stuff and I had no clue. I was completely out of my comfort zone, and it was then I really turned to alcohol in a big way.

“I’d drink a lot of wine, moving on to vodka and spirits. Basically, I’d drink until my money ran out or I passed out.”

She decided the seat of the anxiety lay in the city she’d chosen and the course, so she embarked on another subject at a more local university. The place changed, but she hadn’t.

“When I went on nights out with friends, I often wouldn’t remember where I’d been or how I got home when I woke up. It was quite dangerous.

“On one occasion, I got so drunk I didn’t know where I was. I made a reverse charges call home and my dad drove a couple of hundred miles through the night to pick me up from a police station. I wasn’t flavour of the month after that.”

She left university again, and landed a job in the entertainment hospitality industry back in Cheshire.

“There’s lots of alcohol around in hospitality, and you do take advantage of it,” she says. “You’re working anti-social hours and it was quite normal to start drinking at 2am when you finished your shift. I’d still be able to function the next day and paste a smile on my face, but I couldn’t understand why, compared to other people my age who were finishing university, my life was such a disaster.”

Her dependency stepped up a gear in her mid-20s.

“I went through stages where I could keep everything ticking over for a few months at a time, but following the break-up of a relationship my drinking started to get completely out of hand.” Her life was spent at work, now in a banking job, or drinking. She was frequently late or off sick.

“I would wake up anxious and not being able to go in was normal. I clearly remember sitting in work, watching the clock, and counting down the time until I could get back to the only thing that never let me down.”

She’d have a few gulps of vodka before work and a steadying swift one at lunch. Eventually, she was found drunk at her desk.

“I even couldn’t stop myself from having a drink on the way to my disciplinary hearing,” she confesses. “It was horrible. I’d kept going thinking nobody realised something was wrong and everything came crashing down, with the guilt and shame and all those things you would expect. But I quickly turned it round and decided to take the opportunity to borrow £10,000 and go off travelling.”

In Australia, she found a job with a not-for-profit company. For a while, it seemed, amid unfailing sunshine and her optimism in that country, she would be able to start over.

“As soon as people started saying ‘Come out for a drink’, it all just started again,” she says. “It’s a big drinking culture there, which wasn’t the best place for me perhaps. I’d go out once or twice a week on massive benders with friends, but I’d continue on my own for the rest of the week.

‘IT WAS the same old story. I would swear off drinking for a few days, weeks, once even a month, but as soon as I started again, and I always did, I would be back to square one in a very short space of time.”

The pattern continued over several years, each time she stopped and started again, bringing her a further circuit down the spiral.

“I hit a point where I couldn’t function any more,” she says. “I was drinking four to five bottles of wine a day, and if I had to go out for any reason I’d have miniatures of vodka first.

“In the morning, if I could get myself out of bed, I would be dry retching, shaking and soaked with sweat and I would promise myself that I wouldn’t do it again today. Ten minutes later, I would be drinking mouthwash because it has a high alcohol content. All I can remember thinking is that I didn’t want to be here any more. Not dead and not alive, just not to ‘be’. I spent my last week in Australia lying in a darkened room, scared if anyone came to the door and unable to get to the shower on my own.”

Concerned friends contacted Jessica’s family. She was taken back to the UK and she agreed to enter full-time treatment, at the Priory in Altrincham. Initially, she planned on staying for a week before heading back to Australia. “Deep down, I did not believe that there was anything on the face of this planet that could stop me drinking,” she admits.

But things she heard at the Priory began to make sense and she stayed on for three weeks, learning how to turn her life around. “For the first time, I began to see what a horrendous mess my life had been and, if I didn’t get help, I was going to die.” Today, she says, her booze-free life is often difficult, but it is challenging and ripe with opportunity.

She is studying to become a counsellor and does voluntary work at a care home. She’s lost a stone and, she says delightedly, her hair has started growing again.

But she can never become complacent, and part of her recovery is avoiding the people and places where she would drink.

“I’m always going to be an alcoholic, and I’d be lying if I said when I see people having fun drinking I didn’t think, ‘That would be nice’,” she says candidly. “The reality is, it would not be like that for me; I wouldn’t be in a sparkly dress with heels on, I would be vomiting in the gutter.

“When I do see girls who have had too much, of course it makes me shudder. It reminds me what I was like and what I have done. It’s horrible to watch what the likes of Amy Winehouse are going through and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But everyone has their own journey before they realise they have to seek help for themselves.”

She wants young women who read her story and identify with it to know they’re not alone and they can get better.

“I thought I was too young to become an alcoholic,” she says. “People need to be aware that it’s always possible for people to become addicted to alcohol, and it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from.”

Liverpool Daily Post

Alcohol a problem for some teens

Nate started drinking when he was 9 years old.

The alcohol came from his older brother, 14 or 15 at the time, who would pass along drinks given to him by their father.

When he was 13 years old, Nate was on his own, working and spending his cash on getting drunk.

He drank every day, before school and even at lunch, eventually reaching the point where he wasn't sure if he wanted alcohol or needed it. He got away with being intoxicated at school as long as he wasn't disruptive in class.

"Then it took me so much to get drunk," he said.

Now 17 years old and a student in the day treatment program at the Midland County Juvenile Care Center, Nate admits that he did reach a point where he thought he had a problem with alcohol.

He's not alone, according to statistics from the 2007 Midland County Youth Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug Use Report from the Circle of Health Partnership.

From year to year, the local survey results of students who said they used alcohol stayed pretty flat. In that respect, "we're following the nationwide trends," said Gaye Terwillegar, the partnership's executive director.

The survey also shows kids aren't getting alcohol from retailers.

In 1999, just over 60 percent of retail stores were successful in not selling to underagers. In 2006, no retailers flubbed during compliance checks.

"We don't have a retail problem," said Midland County Probate Judge Dorene Allen. "What we do have is relatives who supply it knowingly, or not."

"We deal with it all the time," she continued, adding alcoholism is a major problem for parents in neglect cases.

Her perception squares with what kids in a substance abuse group at the JCC said about their experiences with alcohol.

Like Nate, many got it from their parents.

Rebecca, who said she was 15, revealed her first drinks came at 13 when she snuck alcohol into a bathroom at her sister's wedding. Raquel, now 16, stole it from her alcoholic father without him catching on, beginning when she was 10.

"It's easy to take from parents when they're alcoholic," said Travis, 15. He said he also took his first drink when he was 10 years old, in fifth grade.

Kayla, 15, said her dad allowed her a sip of his beer, then she figured she could get more by scamming other relatives for a drink of their beer, too. It worked without anyone the wiser. She was only 10.

Almost half of the nine students raised their hands when asked if their parents were alcoholic.

Despite that, they also said they know their parents care about what they do, but they believe their parents have no control over them.

"My mom does care, but she knows she can't stop me," Rebecca said. Travis piped up, sharing that his parents let him throw parties after they take the keys so no one drives.

"It's one of those things they know you're gonna do, but they don't want you to go out and do something stupid," said Charlene, 15. She had her first drink at age 11. "It hurts them to see us do it."

"You want to have fun," she said. Many said they drink for fun, and couldn't imagine being at a party without alcohol.

Other reasons for drinking abound.

Rebecca said she sometimes drinks just to avoid her mom's bad mood when she gets home at the end of the day. Charlene said she drinks to cure boredom.

For Nate, drinking started as a way to have fun then turned into a way to get away from depression over his grades, family and girls.

When he stopped drinking, he surrounded himself with people who supported him rather than his old friends. He keeps busy, and fuels a positive outlook, with work, school, drawing and music, as well as his future.

He's come a long way since his drinking days, enrolling in Delta College in December with plans to work with other kids who face similar troubles.

"I want to be a probation officer," he said, adding he has the advantage of knowing what other kids are going through because he went through it himself. "I'll understand what they're saying."

Midland Daily News

Task force could help resolve DWI problem

Louisiana has made progress in the long battle to reduce the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents and fatalities. Here in the State Police Troop I area, a special effort is under way.

A three-person task force has been created and will patrol constantly in an effort to get impaired people off the highways. They will patrol for people under the influence of illegal and prescription drugs as well as alcohol.

Members of the task force will work the entire Troop I area, with special focus on areas that have high numbers of accidents involving impaired drivers.
Special efforts by law-enforcement officers have played a part in a significant drop in Louisiana's alcohol-related traffic deaths. The efforts have been strengthened recently by stricter laws passed by the Legislature. In the early '80s, a federal report showed that 60 percent of all Louisiana traffic accidents involved alcohol. Statistics for 2005, the latest available, showed that figure dropped to 36 percent.

Law-enforcement officers have always gone the extra mile to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road. The real reductions began when the Legislature finally gave officers strong, realistic laws to enforce.

Lawmakers managed for decades to maintain the mildest of penalties for driving while intoxicated. At times, lawmakers actually moved backward on the issue. A bill passed in the 2001 legislative session decreased prison time for the state's most serious drunken-driving offenders. (That same year, we ranked second in the nation in the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths.)

The legal drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 after a desperate struggle. Lawmakers dragged their feet for years on lowering the legal blood alcohol level from 0.10 to 0.08. Even then, the real motivation was millions of dollars in federal highway funds that would have been lost had the BAC limit not been lowered. We saw a reasonably strong open-container law passed after years of watching lawmakers vote for bills that were little more than bad jokes.

Another problem faced by law-enforcement agencies is still with us. The lifestyle in Louisiana - particularly in our area - is conducive to drinking. Alcohol use is accepted at fairs, festivals and sporting events. It is considered a rite of passage for young people.

Neither law-enforcement agencies nor the Legislature can resolve that problem. It would help if people realized the extent of consequences from DWI arrests. Brent Coreil, district attorney for the 13th Judicial District, pointed out facts that people should take into consideration before driving while using alcohol.

"The cost of a DWI carries over," Coreil said. "Between the penalties and the court costs and the effect it has on your insurance, I hope people realize that it's just not worth it."

The state police task force will help people realize that.

Daily Advertiser

Learning to think before you drink

It takes a lot to shock a room full of teenagers - especially at the end of the school day.

But in schools and colleges around Yorkshire an alcohol awareness scheme is managing to do just that.

Fresh Knowledge is a Yorkshire-based alcohol management service that aims to teach people how to drink safely.

Sue Stone is one of the alcohol management counsellors who travel around the region, advising youngsters and professionals on how to handle alcohol and keep drinks safe from spiking.

She does not want to stop anyone drinking - far from it. But she does want to make them think about the consequences.
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Binge drinking was highlighted in the news this week as the widow of a man kicked to death outside his home demanded action to stop yobs terrorising the streets.

Garry Newlove's widow, Helen, said her husband would be alive today if the Government and police had done more to curb the behaviour of drunken gangs of vandals.

Cheshire Police's chief constable Peter Fahy, who was on patrol the night Mr Newlove was attacked, has also said more should be done to prevent drunk teenagers doing "stupid things".

He called for age limits on buying alcohol to be raised and price promotions on drinks banned.

Statistics show that 16 to 24-year-olds are the biggest drinkers in the UK, points out Sue Stone, so it is vital to reach them early.

That does not mean spoiling anyone's fun, she assured a group of about 30 students at Askham Bryan College attending an afternoon session but, in the beginning, they do not seem convinced.

Sue has 20 years of experience as a counsellor, and once worked at Leeds Detoxification Centre.

The youngest person she saw there was 16. "His life had absolutely hit rock bottom," she tells the group.

"In this country, one in 20 adults are alcohol-dependant. Statistically, that means at least one of you in your thirties would not be able to live without alcohol in your system."

That does not have much effect on this class. In fact, few will even admit to drinking at all.

Eventually, 18-year-old Mary Watkinson, raises a reluctant hand.

"I'll admit it because nobody else will," she says, embarrassed.

"Tell me what you drink on a Friday night and don't worry," says Sue. "I'm not your mum. I'm not going to tell you off."

Mary's Friday night begins at about 8pm, with three 330ml bottles of WKD alcopop.

She will have another in the next bar she goes to, three shots of vodka with coke later on, and six more bottles of WKD before going home.

Mary knows that, as an adult female, she is only supposed to drink two to three units a day. "That's almost as much as what is in one bottle of WKD," she tells her classmates.

Yet she does not know why she should stick to her limits.

"Men's bodies are made up more of water and women's are made up more of fat," explains Sue.

"Alcohol stays in your fat content for slightly longer and it takes one hour for your body to detox one unit of alcohol.

"Who are the spirit drinkers in here?" she asks.

With growing confidence, more raise their hands. One girl comes to the front and is given a bottle of water and a wine glass.

"Show me how much vodka you would pour yourself," says Sue.

Next, she asks who drinks beer and whether they know how strong it is.

By now, most are happy to talk, shouting out their favourite tipples and guessing their alcohol content.

Surprisingly, none of the guesses are even close.

"Beer varies greatly from strength to strength," Sue reminds them.

"You will learn that half-a-pint of beer is one unit, but how strong is that beer in the guidelines?

"Actually, it's three per cent. If you're drinking something like Stella, it's 3.5 units."

By now, she has measured how much water was poured into the wine glass - three units.

The group was even more shocked to realise Mary's nine alcopops and three shots of vodka on a Friday made up more than 20 units of alcohol.

"That will take 20 hours to get out of your system," says Sue.

"If you drink at 9pm on a Saturday, it will take until 4pm on the Sunday for it to be completely through your system but, because you have drunk way over what your body can deal with, it is a minimum of another ten hours after that before your reaction speeds and thought processes are back to normal."

When you do drink, says Sue, it's important to realise the effect it has on your body. If they learn anything from today, she says, it should be not to mix vodka with Red Bull; a caffeine-based drink commonly mixed with the spirit.

"When you drink, you loose magnesium and potassium through your urine," she said.

"They are vital to help keep your heart rate up. When you drink vodka, your heart rate will drop slightly, but if you then drink Red Bull, your heart rate will soar up and you can't control it. It could cause heart palpitations and strokes.

"Don't, I beg you, drink vodka and Red Bull,"

Of course, in the long term, alcohol abuse can be even more serious.

Sue shows the group pictures of livers: normal, fatty and diseased.

"When your liver stops, you die," she said bluntly. "It's as simple as that."

At the beginning of the session, I never thought the group would heed Sue's warning. But by the end they seem genuinely touched.

"You might think it will never happen to you, and your body won't be affected, but it happens to somebody all the time so why shouldn't it be you?" she said.

"You might drink for years and nothing will happen, but one day it might come and bite you on the bum."

The expert

Yorkshire has one of the biggest drinking problems in the country, says Sue Stone, so education is important.

"I've found the sessions to be very successful," she said. "I think there is a definite need for them, as well as a demand.

"I think they (the students) are unaware of how much they drink because they tend not to realise that they drink as much as they do.

The sessions won't get them to stop drinking, she says, but that's not the point.

Instead, she wants them to drink safely, to be alert to the dangers of mixing caffeine and alcohol and to take care of their drinks in pubs and clubs.

"Unfortunately, it's that attitude of it's never going to happen to me'," she said.

"Most of these incidents happen when people are with their mates. Their mates are not the answer to keeping themselves safe."

The Press newspaper in York

Row over store's 24-hour booze bid

A supermarket which wants to sell alcohol 24 hours a day at weekends on a road once dubbed the most dangerous in the city today came in for heavy criticism.

On the same week that a national debate on Britain's booze culture was prompted after three teenagers were jailed for kicking a man to death while drunk, Budgens announced it wants to sell drink round the clock at a new store in Prince of Wales Road on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Police and angry neighbours have objected to the proposal, saying it will lead to a rise in crime and disorder and make the task of officers at controlling trouble in the street even harder.

The controversy was sparked in the same week that Cheshire's police chief Peter Fahy hit out at cheap alcohol in supermarkets, bad parenting and a culture of drinking too much for alcohol-related violence in youngsters.

The chief constable was speaking out after three teenagers were found guilty of kicking to death Garry Newlove, 47, after he confronted the drunk youngsters outside his home in Warrington last summer.

Mr Newlove's widow Helen, 44, called for politicians to take action to make the streets across the country safer.

While police in Norwich have cracked down on drink-related crime and antisocial behaviour in Prince of Wales Road in recent years, Budgens' application comes at a time when fears over alcohol-related violence are high.

Two neighbours have objected to the plans, and the police want several precautionary measures to be taken by Budgens to avoid trouble, before it withdraws its objection.

These include having two staff working on the premises at the close of business or, when the premises is open 24 hours, between 11pm and 4am.

Police also want a door supervisor to be on the premises from 9pm until 4am every Friday and Saturday night when the premises are open after midnight, and for 24 hour CCTV to be in operation.

Chf Insp Peter Walsh said they had spent years working with people, the licensed trade and local authorities tackling alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and violence in the Norwich area.

He said: “There is a strong link between alcohol and disorder, and especially crimes of violence where we reckon in 75pc of crimes either the offender or the victim is affected by alcohol.

“It is a complex situation and together we have worked on a range of different interventions. But I'm happy to say that, while we cannot claim to have eradicated crime and disorder associated with excessive drinking, it has been greatly reduced in recent years.

“This is partly because we take a tough stance when dealing with problems of disorder, but mainly because we carefully plan action and operations with our partners to prevent or reduce the likelihood of problems occurring in the first place.

“The key is to prevent young people, those who have already drunk too much and those who are disorderly, or have shown a pattern of disorderly behaviour in the past, from obtaining and consuming alcohol.

“We will continue to take firm action when problems occur but there will also be other work to promote safe drinking and responsible, considerate behaviour in and around the pubs and clubs in the city, suburbs and market towns.”

Budgens' plans are a concern to Eric Carman, 77, and Brian Cowell, both from Riverway Court, Recorder Road, who wrote to the council to object.

Mr Carman said: “We're already plagued with noise, drunkenness and urination in our car park, which costs us £300 each time to clear up, emanating from the pubs, clubs and fast food establishments in the area.

“To allow this will only add to the problems, and make the area even less attractive to the elderly population who live in the retirement homes.”

Mr Cowell added: “Our fear is that clubbers and those unable to get into clubs will use the proposed licensing hours as a means of obtaining further supplies of alcohol. We already suffer vandalism, shouting and screaming in the early hours, urination and defecation.”

Budgens' plans are also a concern to Neil Morris, 22, joint manager at The Compleat Angler pub in Prince of Wales Road.

He said: “We already get a lot of noise and disturbance throughout the night, and this will probably make it worse. I think it would be quite irresponsible of the council to approve it. On the one hand, it keeps saying it wants to stamp out antisocial behaviour, but allowing this could make it worse.”

But Mr Foster said he had no problem with a 24-hour Budgens if it could assure the police and the licensing authority it could prevent trouble.

He said: “In Norwich we have established a working relationship between the residents, the police, the licensing authority and licensees, and everyone knows that it's not to anyone's advantage for trouble like this to happen.

“We all work together in the licensing forum partnership and that's why I think we have escaped most of the problems that have occurred elsewhere in the country, and we get nothing like the problems cities like Nottingham, Birmingham or Cardiff do,

“I don't think we will get the type of incidents, such as the Newlove case, here.

“But I don't want to seem smug, as we have always got to be on our toes at all times. But we've got a working mechanism through the licensing forum to stop it happening.”

Last March the Evening News reported a sickening 30-second attack on a homeless man outside the KFC in Prince of Wales Road was filmed and posted on YouTube.

In September 2005 three soldiers were told they were fortunate not to be jailed for their part in a savage assault in Prince of Wales Road.

The two soldiers in the Household Cavalry and a Welsh Guardsman had been on a drinking spree after taking part in a two day sleep deprivation exercise. They attacked two city men on a night-out and their violent assault was caught on CCTV.

However, last month licensed premises across the county were praised by police after most businesses involved in a test purchasing operation refused to sell alcohol to youngsters.

Young volunteers working for the police were sent to several licensed premises in the city in order to buy booze but in three out of four cases the attempted purchases were refused.

A spokeswoman for Budgens confirmed that the 2,700 sq ft supermarket was opening on January 31, but could not comment on the licensing hours until the committee meeting next week.

The supermarket has applied to sell alcohol from 7am to midnight from Mondays to Wednesdays, and from 7am on Thursdays to midnight on Sunday. The plans will be discussed by Norwich City Council's licensing subcommittee on Friday .

Norwich Evening News

Parents 'see drink as better than drugs'

A Police chief has attacked parents for encouraging their children to abuse alcohol because they view it as less dangerous than drugs.

Northern Constabulary has become the first in Scotland to trial a scheme where off-licences use ultraviolet pens to mark bottles and cans with a code so police can track down where alcohol has been illegally bought by under-18s.

Police hope finding the source will allow them to snare off-licence owners who are breaking the law, or lead them to arrest older teenagers who often buy alcohol for those who are under-age.
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Chief Inspector Paul Eddington, the operational commander for Ross, Cromarty and Skye, who is behind the scheme, is frustrated that some parents view their children drinking as less dangerous than smoking cannabis.

He said: "We've lost the thread somewhere when parents come up to our front counter demanding the bottle of wine we've confiscated from their youngster, as has happened to us. It's very frustrating when this minority are rather upset we've taken alcohol off their 14-year-old bundle of joy. Parents need to know what their children are up to and speak to them about their responsibilities.

"The parents have as much, if not more, responsibility than police officers, who are not here to babysit youngsters on Friday and Saturday nights when they are let loose in towns. A lot of the time they don't have a clue where their children are or what they are up to.

"We are increasingly finding some parents are saying, well at least they are not taking drugs'. To be perfectly honest, to a 14-year-old a half-bottle of vodka is probably more lethal than a puff of cannabis. They can't seem to see that."

His comments echoed those of Helen Newlove, who spoke out last week after the drunken teenagers who kicked her husband to death in Warrington, Cheshire, were convicted. Newlove called for parents to be jailed if they can't stop their children getting high on drink and drugs like those who killed her husband.

Eddington said that people needed to be taught that alcohol can be as destructive as drugs after his division's latest figures showed the problem is as bad in rural communities as urban areas. His officers confiscated alcohol, including a high level of spirits which appeared to have been taken from family drinks supplies, from 490 youths last year and in another 50 cases after groups had been dispersed. The figures are exceptional because only about 50,000 people live in the mainly rural communities.

Eddington said that the age of the children being arrested was coming down. "We're getting children as young as 11 or 12, and regularly 14-year-olds, under the influence of drink," he said.

"We kickstarted the bottle-marking scheme after convincing licensees it was in their interests. The ultraviolet pen is visible under a special light and enables our officers to know which off-licence could have sold, say, 10 bottles of beer. It gives us a start if we can identify the source, but hopefully it will also make alcohol more difficult for youngsters to get hold of."

Wanda Mackay, a youth development worker at the Princes Trust-backed Cromarty Youth Cafe on the Black Isle, said that, in some cases, young people and their parents were reluctant for them to take part in education projects.

She said: "They think older people are making judgements about them, and think people are picking on them. They have seen the older people drinking and think they should be able to do it too."

Mackay, whose group has received £20,000 from Highland Council and Lloyds TSB's charitable fund to provide other activities for youngsters, advocates harm reduction to avoid placing young people - who she said would always find ways of experimenting with alcohol - in unnecessary danger.

She added: "Not all young people who are drinking are causing problems, but it's not good for them to be drinking in a cold or wooded area alone. We had a girl left by her fellow drinkers when she was drunk. She'd have been found dead if she hadn't been found in the dark."

Sunday Herald

'This isn't a problem just for Barrington'

Attention focused on Barrington in 2007 as the affluent suburb withstood a series of tragedies that authorities attribute at least in part to teen drinking and driving.

But Barrington was not alone. According to a list produced by the attorney general’s office last week, communities from Glocester to Bristol dealt with fatal crashes involving young people over the past two years.

In all, 13 teenagers and 4 people in their early 20s died in car crashes in Rhode Island in 2007. The year before that, 7 teenagers and 10 people in their early 20s died in car crashes. And alcohol was a factor in half of those cases, according to Assistant Attorney General Jay Sullivan, the state’s traffic-safety resource prosecutor.

“We’ve had some horribly tragic circumstances, repeatedly, in and around the Barrington area in a very short time frame,” Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said. “However, when you take a step back, the reality is this isn’t a problem just for Barrington. This is a problem that every community should be concerned about because it has affected virtually every community.”

Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. said, “I see the problem statewide. I think Barrington is tackling the problem more seriously than anyone else.”

In 2007, the focus on Barrington began in July when Patrick Murphy, 17, died on the Barrington River after being struck by a boat driven by another Barrington teen, Ryan Greenberg, who has since been charged with second-degree murder and underage possession of alcohol. Murphy’s death is not included in the year-end tally of fatal car crashes, but it is similar to those cases, Lynch said. “The vehicle happens to be a boat,” he said.

In November, Jonathan Converse, 16, of Barrington, was killed in a car crash, and the teen driver, Michael J. Silveira, is now serving a two-year sentence in the state Training School for driving under the influence with death resulting.

In December, another Barrington teenager was charged with eluding police in Bristol’s Colt State Park and nearly killing a pedestrian when his car slammed into a stone wall. He was charged with driving while impaired.

Lynch said Barrington, a town of fewer than 17,000 people, has seen a “terrible uptick of horrible tragedies,” including the 2005 crash that killed teenagers Zachary Stiness and Michael Neubauer.

“We all got caught up in Barrington,” Lynch said. “But when you look back statistically, it’s a problem we all have to be concerned about, in every county, every city, every town.”

In 2007, teens died in crashes in Barrington, Bristol, Glocester, Lincoln, Little Compton, Providence2, South Kingstown, Tiverton, Warwick and West Warwick, and people in their early 20s died in Barrington, Coventry and Warwick.

In 2006, teens died in crashes in Johnston, Lincoln, Pawtucket, Smithfield and South Kingstown, and people in their early 20s died in Cranston, North Providence, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Smithfield, South Kingstown, Warwick and Woonsocket.

Nationwide, car accidents of all types are the leading cause of death for people under 25, Sullivan said.

He said that while some of the Rhode Island crashes over the last two years were linked to speed, inexperience or other factors, half of them involved alcohol.

For example, a 16-year-old Warren girl, Kayleigh A. Raposa, died in February 2007 when the car in which she was riding hit a utility pole in Bristol. The driver, Julie E. Alfano, 17, of Warren, is now serving a one-year sentence at the Training School for driving under the influence with death resulting. Prosecutors have said Alfano had been drinking shots of Bacardi and Gatorade and was driving more than twice the speed limit when she crashed.

Also, two Glocester teens, Dylan Wood and Lucas Warner, died in July 2007 when an SUV left Snake Hill Road in Glocester, slammed into trees and burst into flames. The police have said excessive speed was one factor in the crash, and Sullivan said the attorney general’s office considers it an alcohol-related crash.

The attorney general’s list included victims in their ear