TEEN SPIRITS

Drinking Responsibly: Adults Must Show The Way.

IN ALL the noise and heat generated by the drugs debate, there has
been little discussion of one fact: the drugs most widely used and
abused by Australians are legal, and they are alcohol and tobacco.

It is disturbing, but it should come as no real surprise because
exposure to these drugs begins early.

They are freely available, and alcohol use in particular is a core
part of our culture.

Having a celebration? Open a bottle of champagne.

Going to a barbecue?

Stock the Esky with beer. It is to be expected that even those
children who are not exposed to alcohol use at home will come to see
drinking as a normal part of social intercourse. After all, it is all
around them: in advertising, on television, at the football.

What is surprising is the growing number of young adolescents who not
only consume alcohol regularly but drink to excess.

A Department of Human Services study, released last week, found 80 per
cent of Victorian secondary school students in years 7 to 12 had
consumed alcohol at some time in their lives - 36 per cent in the week
before the survey was conducted.

Of more concern, in the two weeks before the survey more than a third
had engaged in binge drinking - defined as five or more drinks on one
occasion for boys, and three or more drinks for girls.

Among year 7s 19 per cent had engaged in binge drinking, and among
year 12s the figure rose to 54 per cent. The study, based on data
collected in 1996, also found that the proportion of younger students
drinking heavily had increased significantly since 1993.

The findings are of concern for a number of reasons.

Apart from the long-term health consequences of excessive drinking,
binge behavior has been associated with increased risk-taking among
young people, including unsafe sex, drink-driving and other forms of
self harm. A study by the Australian Drug Foundation, conducted last
year, found that one in three youth deaths were alcohol-related.

The question is what to do about the problem.

It is difficult to persuade teenagers that they should not drink
alcohol at all when all around them are messages that booze is not
only fun but necessary if you want to have a good time. If we accept
that alcohol is part of everyday life and we cannot prevent young
people gaining access to it, all we can hope to do is warn them of the
potential harm it can cause and encourage them to act responsibly.
Although the education system, health authorities and awareness
campaigns all have a role to play, the primary responsibility will
remain with parents.

Whether or not children learn to drink responsibly will depend in
large part on the conduct of the adults around them.