Industry encouraged over decline in teenage drinking
The drinks industry is encouraged by figures from the recent NHS study on teenage drinking, but also sends a warning about becoming complacent.
An NHS study shows the amount of 11 to 16 year-olds who reported having drunk alcohol at least once in their life dropped from 51% in 2009 to 45% in 2010.
The survey, which questioned nearly 8,000 young people, also says 55% of 11 to 16-year-olds said they had never had a drink, which is up 6% on the year before.
Chris Sorek, chief executive of Drinkaware, thinks the new statistics are encouraging and show a positive shift in attitudes and is an early sign of a change in the nation's drinking culture.
"But while 55% of children haven't tried alcohol, this still means 45% have," says Sorek and he thinks peer pressure is still ever-present among 11 to 15 year olds.
"This shows that alcohol education should focus both on the harms of underage drinking and adopt a life-skills approach to give children the confidence they need to challenge the pressures they feel to fit in."
Also encouraged by the findings was Simon Litherland, managing director for Diageo GB. He said he hoped to see the pattern of young people's drinking continue to fall over the next few years.
"We continue to see that parents' attitudes are crucial in whether young people choose to drink or not and that the attitudes of the young people themselves are becoming less tolerant towards drunkenness."
WSTA chief executive Jeremy Beadles welcomed the survey results saying: "It suggests the message about the risks of underage drinking is getting through, which is why the industry continues to invest millions of pounds in a campaign to change attitudes to alcohol misuse."
drinkaware.co.uk.
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