England child alcohol use tops global chart, finds WHO report

England child alcohol use tops global chart, finds WHO report

In a research by global health experts, the percentage of 11-year-olds and 13-year-olds in England who have consumed alcohol is 33% and 56%, respectively, out of 44 countries examined.

In England, Wales, and Scotland, girls were shown to be more likely than males to start drinking at the age of fifteen and get intoxicated.

Alcohol has been normalized, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, despite the fact that it can harm children’s developing brains.

It urged nations to enact further child protection laws.

The study examined data from 4,500 school-age children in each of the countries of Europe, Central Asia, and Canada between 2021 and 2022 about teenage cannabis, alcohol, and cigarette use.

Although youth alcohol consumption in the UK has historically been relatively high, it has been steadily falling.

Glasgow University study supervisor Dr. Jo Inchley called it “concerning” that more kids were beginning to drink at as early age.

“Trying substances is part of growing up and experimenting but alcohol has long-term effects on health,” she stated.

According to Dr. Inchley, the tendency may be caused by increased exposure to alcohol at home, shifting parental views, and the rebound effects following the Covid lockdown.

According to research, child alcohol use in England

Family problems: Drunk mother with alcohol and little son. Alcoholic addiction. Focus on bottle.can become a major threat to society.

According to the survey, at the age of 13, 12% of girls and 9% of boys in England experienced at least two drunken experiences.

By the age of 15, it had increased to 25% for males and 33% for girls. Of the girls, almost 50% admitted to having consumed alcohol during the previous 30 days.

‘I wanted to drink vodka at school’

Thirty-year-old Harriet Strange began consuming alcohol at the age of 14.

“My dad was an alcoholic so I think there’s a chance that I may have done it because it was learned behaviour from him,” she stated.

“Once I started drinking it was a spiral of self-destruction.”Since my pals were usually older than I was, I would either ask them to buy me alcohol or take it from home.”

When Harriet was fourteen or fifteen, she would go to home parties and “nobody would bat an eyelid, it was just normal”.

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She claimed that she had known since a young age that her relationship with alcohol was unique from others’. “It got to the point where I wanted to drink vodka at school,” she stated.

“My father’s death when I was 16 was really the catalyst of absolute self-destruct.” She attributes her daughter’s pregnancy to saving her life, and she has been clean for three and a half years.

“I know what it’s like being a child of an alcoholic and I didn’t want to give that to her.” Currently, Harriet works as a volunteer recovery coach for Nacoa, a group that supports people impacted by a parent’s alcoholism.

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Most kids have their first drink at home, according to Helena Conibear of Talk About Trust, a program that teaches kids about alcohol and other drugs in schools. “If teens think parents don’t mind, they will drink outside the home,” she stated.

According to official health recommendations, minors and young adults shouldn’t use alcohol before the age of 18, and if they do, they should wait until they are at least 15.

Their bodies and minds are being protected because they are too young to handle it.

Rising rates of vaping

The study also examined the use of other drugs by teenagers. Compared to all other countries examined, the data on cannabis use revealed that a higher percentage of boys in Scotland (23%) had tried the drug.

According to Dr. Inchley, although cannabis use has decreased and stabilized in recent years, some susceptible kids are still using it. There was no cannabis data available for England.

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