Teenagers drinking up to 20 units a week
Under-age binge drinkers are consuming up to 20 units of alcohol a week, reports the Independent.
A new survey that looked at the drinking habits of 13,000 14-17 year olds in the north west of England revealed that half drink to get drunk and that one in 20 drink alone. The survey was published by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), and carried out on their behalf.
However it also found that the number of teenagers drinking alcohol at least once a week had dropped by 12% since 2005.
Phil Woolas MP, regional minister for the North West, said: “Although the number of our teenagers regularly drinking alcohol has fallen since the last survey was carried out, the amount that some of them are drinking is worrying.
“The Government’s youth action plan set out a range of commitments including stronger powers to tackle unsupervised drinking in public places and also stressed the important role that the alcohol industry has to play in refusing to sell it to under 18s and marketing their products responsibly.”
