Alcohol has several drawbacks for people of all ages, including children, adults, and the elderly.
Young individuals are more vulnerable to the effects of drinking than adults. Drinking alcohol as a teen may substantially raise the threat of harm to the growing brain, especially because the brain continues to develop until the mid-twenties. This can also contribute to later-life alcoholism.
Although it is unlawful for anybody under the age of 18 to drink alcohol in public, purchase alcohol, attempt to purchase alcohol, or be sold alcohol, alcohol is the most widely used addictive substance by young teenagers in the UK.
It is particularly difficult to prevent youngsters from experimenting with alcohol.
According to the data, it is seen that 32% of 13-year-olds and 70% of 15-year-olds had consumed alcoholic beverages in Scotland. 44% of the teenager at the age of 13years and 70% of the teenager at the age of 15 years who have consumed alcohol have been intoxicated once. 4% of 13-year-olds and 20% of 15-year-olds say they have been drunk 10 times or more.
However, in England, school children of various ages are reported to use alcohol in 2018. According to the data, it is seen that 12% of 15 years old drink alcohol once every two weeks, whereas 27% of the same age bracket claim to drink alcohol just a couple of times a year.
According to the national Offending, Crime, and Justice Survey (2008), young drinkers who use alcohol once a week engages in a significant number of crimes, especially violent crimes. The United Kingdom is currently one of the very few nations in Europe where females aged 15/16 years are reported to binge drink and inebriation at higher rates than boys.
As per the Youth Justice Board Annual Workload Data, 2007, below the age of 18 who committed violent crimes grew from 8702 to 15,672 from 2003 to 2007. The probability of girls being hospitalized to the emergency room for alcohol-related illness increased by 1.3 times that of boys.
The rate of adolescent pregnancy in the UK is also the highest in Western Europe which is linked to Binge drinking among teenagers. There is also additional data to prove a link between binge drinking among young people and a higher chance of forced sex.
Increased alcohol consumption follows the number of children and adolescents requiring alcohol-related medical care. According to a survey published by the United Kingdom's Department for Children, Schools and Families in2008, about 1245 young people visit hospital emergency departments (ED) each week for alcohol-related treatment, equating to 64,750 each year. But, hardly 6% of the emergency rooms in the United Kingdom provide alcohol harm reduction treatments for patients aging 16 and younger.