DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 29 January 2009
For the first
time, young people and their parents will have clear medical
guidance on alcohol consumption. The guidance, will be announced
today by Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, to be
published for consultation. It will recommend that young people up
to the age of 15 should avoid alcohol altogether.
The five-point guidance document will form part of a consultation
on alcohol and young people launched by Children Schools and
Families Secretary, Ed Balls, Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, and
the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson.
The guidance was a commitment in the Youth Alcohol Action Plan,
launched in June last year and responds to calls from parents for
clear messages on the health effects and risks of young people
drinking alcohol.
The Chief Medical Officer's Guidance on the Consumption of
Alcohol by Children and Young People advises:
1. an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option -
if children drink alcohol, it shouldn't be before they reach
15 years old;
2. for those aged 15 - 17 years old all alcohol consumption
should always be with the guidance of a parent or carer or in a
supervised environment;
3. parents and young people should be aware that drinking, even
at age 15 or older, can be hazardous to health and not drinking is
the healthiest option for young people. If children aged 15 - 17
consume alcohol the should do so infrequently and certainly on no
more than one day a week;
4. the importance of parental influences on children's
alcohol use should be communicated to parents, carers and
professionals. Parents and carers need advice on how to respond to
alcohol use and misuse by children;
5. support services must be available for children and young
people who have alcohol related problems and their parents
Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer for England, led
the development of the guidance, following extensive research and
work with a panel of experts who reviewed the latest available
medical evidence and data from across the UK on the impact of
alcohol and young people.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer for England, said:
"This guidance aims to support parents, give them the
confidence to set boundaries and to help them engage with young
people about drinking and risks associated with it.
"More than 10,000 children end up in hospital every year due
to drinking and research tells us that 15 per cent of young people
think it is normal to get drunk at least once a week. They are
putting themselves at risk of harm to the liver, depression and
damage to the developing brain. Resulting social issues can lead
to children and young people doing less well at school and
struggling to interact with friends and family."
Children, Schools and Families Secretary, Ed Balls, said:
"Parents have told us that they lack the health information
and advice they need to make decisions about whether or how their
children should be introduced to alcohol. So I hope the Chief
Medical Officer's advice will help them with the tricky task
of deciding the best way of doing that.
"We want this advice and information to be a success and
really help families. That's why we're asking young
people, parents and all those interested for their views. I think
all of us as parents need to look at this advice, see whether
it's right for us and ask whether we are doing the best thing
for our children.
"Alcohol is a part of our national culture and if managed
responsibly can have a positive influence in social circumstances.
However when it is not managed responsibly it can cause real problems.
"That's why the Chief Medical Officer's guidance
is important and why it is vital that we now discuss it in detail
with parents and young people.. We hope that it will help parents
to set realistic boundaries for their children and help them to
introduce alcohol to young people in a safe and sensible way as
they get older."
Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health said:
"The decision about when young people should first drink
alcohol is clearly best taken by their parents or carers. But we
know that parents want more information about the harms associated
with drinking to help them make this decision. Government has a
responsibility to provide straightforward information and
guidance, which is exactly what we are doing."
Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said:
"Young people who drink too much put their own health at
risk, and are more likely to get involved in antisocial behaviour
and crime.
"As part of the Youth Alcohol Action Plan the Government is
working in partnership with parents, industry, police and
communities to tackle underage drinking which damages community
safety and the health of young people.
"This includes giving police the powers to disperse under
18s who are drinking and behaving anti-socially from any location
and cracking down on irresponsible retailers who persistently sell
alcohol to those under 18."
The consultation will run for 12 weeks and will seek the views of
young people, carers, parents and other interested parties.
Notes to editors
1. The following individuals made up the expert panel:
* Professor Mark Bellis
* Professor Illana Crome
*
Professor Ian Gilmore
* Dr Eilish Gilvarry
* Professor
Matthew Hickman
* Dr Anne Lingford-Hughes
* Professor Sir
Michael Rutter
* Dr Rachel Seabrook
* Lorna
Templeton
* Dr Russell Viner
2. The Government advises that:
* Adult women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units of
alcohol a day
* Adult men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of
alcohol a day
* Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid
drinking alcohol. If they do choose to drink, to protect the baby
they should not drink more than 1-2 units of alcohol once or twice
a week and should not get drunk.
3. The Alcohol Strategy 'Safe. Sensible. Social.' (June
2007) identified young people as one of 3 key priority groups.
Actions set out in the strategy included:
* Review efforts to reduce underage sales;
* Convene an Expert Panel to review evidence and develop guidance
for parents and young people; and
* Develop a social marketing campaign focusing on young people
and alcohol.
* The Youth Alcohol Action Plan (June 2008) set out what the
Government will do to address drinking by young people in three
main ways:
- Working with police and the courts to make it clear that
unsupervised drinking by young people under-18 in public places is unacceptable;
- Recognising that drinking by young people in the home is
clearly the responsibility of parents and families, but providing
clearer health information for parents and young people about how
consumption of alcohol can affect children and young people. The
Action Plan announced that the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam
Donaldson will produce clear guidance for families; and
- Working with the alcohol industry to continue the good progress
made to reduce the sale of alcohol to under-18s but also in
marketing and promoting alcohol in a more responsible way.
4. Government has played an important role so far to tackle
dangerous drinking by children and young people by:
* Introducing new legislation to make it an offence for under
-18's to persistently possess alcohol in public places
* Taking action with industry through mandatory Alcohol Social
Responsibility Standards
* And cracking down on shops who sell alcohol to those underage,
which means that any seller caught twice selling to under-age
drinkers could face prosecution
Stakeholder Support for Consultation on Children, Young People
and Alcohol
"Drinking among young people is a major concern for parents,
many of whom have previously had no clear guidance on how to
approach what can be a sensitive issue. We support the Chief
Medical Officer's guidelines and hope that the information
will now enable parents to be better informed about the health
risks under 18s face when drinking. The guidelines will
especially help parents who want to establish clear boundaries
with their children and clarify that drinking above these
guidelines carries increased health risks "
Don Shenker, Chief Executive, Alcohol Concern
"This consultation presents a unique opportunity to have a
sensible public debate about the issues surrounding youth and
alcohol. It is clear that we must urgently address the harm that
young people, families and the community experience as a result of
youth drinking and alcohol misuse and encourage parents and carers
to think about and eventually change their own drinking behaviour.
It is also time for a much more holistic approach to tackling
young people's alcohol consumption that brings together
education, treatment and enforcement and public awareness of the
potentially harmful long-term implications of heavy drinking
during adolescence."
Professor Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance and
RCP President
"Adfam is often contacted by parents worried about their
children's drinking, with a lot of their concerns stemming
from uncertainty about how much is 'too much' and how to
approach young people in an effective way. We therefore welcome
the release of clear government guidelines on young people's
drinking, which we hope will counter some of the doubts that
parents experience when tackling the issue with their children.
The family environment clearly has a key role in determining
drinking habits so we are pleased to see that parents will be
heavily involved in the consultation process."
Viv Evans, Chief Executive, Adfam
"Drinkaware welcomes the Government giving increased
attention to the issues facing young people and families as they
consider alcohol use. Evidence underlines the importance of
parental figures in establishing young people's attitudes to drinking.
The alcohol culture is a pivotal issue of our time and it is
essential that information is made available to all people in
order that they can make informed choices about their lives and
lifestyles. Drinkaware exists to provide accurate, independent and
evidenced-based information about alcohol to everyone - whatever
their life-stage."
Drinkaware Trust
"The Institute of Alcohol Studies welcomes these new
guidelines recommending that children should not start to drink
alcohol before the age of 15 and emphasising the importance of
parental influence on young people's drinking. We know of no
evidence supporting the idea that introducing alcohol to children
or young teenagers can protect them against dangerous drinking
habits, whereas there is a considerable body of research showing a
link between starting to drink at a young age and problems with
alcohol in later life. Additionally, young people need to be aware
of the risks of drunkenness. Some of the dangers are far worse
than vomiting and waking up on a friend's sofa."
Dr. Rachel Seabrook, Institute of Alcohol Studies & Member of
DCSF Alcohol Expert Panel
"Comic Relief welcomes the DCSF consultation and hopes it
will provide an opportunity for genuine engagement with the
alcohol sector and young people and their families, reflecting
the real experience of young people and alcohol and help ensure
future guidance on this difficult issue is clear and practical.
" Peter Argall, UK Grant Manager, Comic Relief
"Addaction welcomes the Guidance on Young People and Alcohol
as a positive step forward. By providing clear guidance to parents
and young people on how to be safe and responsible, it gives
families a good foundation on which to make decisions about their
attitudes and behaviours in relation to alcohol use."
Addaction
"Mentor UK is delighted to support the DCSFs public
consultation with regards the Guidance on Young People and
Alcohol. As the leading drugs prevention charity working with
children and young people, we're particularly pleased that
the consultation process will offer a wide range of young people
an opportunity to make their voices heard along with the views of
parents/carers and other key stakeholders. Research shows that
good parenting is a key protective factor for young people but
that parents/carers themselves sometimes require greater support
when talking to young people about issues around alcohol. This
consultation document gives parents/carers that important support
by offering practical guidance in setting boundaries and
discussing alcohol with young people. Crucially as well, the
consultation process recognises the fact that parents/carers have
a vital contribution to make too in the fight to prevent our young
people from misusing alcohol - both now and in their future lives.
Therefore the opportunity the consultation process gives for
parents/carers to debate and offer their input will be vital in
helping shape the final direction of the Guidance. Mentor UK
therefore thoroughly commends this initiative."
Eric Carlin, Chief Executive, Mentor UK
'NCB warmly welcomes this new guidance on alcohol and young
people for parents, carers and young people. Government has taken
a bold step in setting some 'age and stage' parameters
for alcohol use in childhood and teenage years. We hope it will
provide the clarity and support both children, young people and
parents need to effectively discuss and manage alcohol use.
Evidence about the early years shows that early exposure to
disease and health problems affects young children's long
term outcomes. So this guidance is important not only for the
young people themselves but also for the children of young parents.
We are particularly pleased that Government is seeking to
actively engage young people and parents in the public
consultation, it is important that their views are heard and
inform the content of the guidance so it best meets their needs'.
Jo Butcher, Assistant Director - Well-being, National
Children's Bureau