DRINKING, SMOKING AND DRUG USE SHOW DRAMATIC RISE AMONG CHILDREN

Drinking among young teenage boys has risen almost threefold in the
past 10 years, with more than 50 per cent indulging regularly by the
age of 15, a study reveals today.

The Social Trends report, by the Office of National Statistics,
paints a gloomy picture. Not only are youngsters drinking, smoking and
taking drugs more, but an increasing number are obese, with many
failing to meet government guidelines on eating and exercise.

Boys aged 11 to 13 are now consuming the equivalent of four pints of
beer or more a week (8.4 units of alcohol), compared with about 3
units in the early 1990s. Overall, children are drinking twice as much
as they did a decade ago