Alcohol The International Problem

The excessive use of alcohol is becoming a problem on a global scale, resulting in many social problems touching all walks of life. In northern Ireland the Chief Medical Officer  Dr Michael McBride has identified the extensive use of alcohol among the younger generation. In Northern Ireland children as young as 11 are consuming alcohol and by the age of 16 it is thought four out of five teenagers will have had an alcoholic drink of some type. Dr McBride suggests that the motive behind so many young people are turning to drink in Northern Ireland is to enhance their social and sexual confidence and called on more awareness of the damage that alcohol can do.

Regrettably excessive consumption of alcohol amid teenagers is having a adverse effect on communities across Northern Ireland particularly in urban areas. Within 2 years child crime has risen by roughly 20% mainly fueled by alcoholic consumption among children as young as seven. In contrast, burglary, vehicle crime and criminal damage have seen little or no rise while alcohol-related offences have grown by as much as a third.

In Northern Ireland The Garda youth diversion programme has been put in place to try and curb this anti social behavior with some positive results. Children suspected of crimes under this system are given the opportunity to redeem themselves by compensating or apologizing to victims. Around 60-70% of the children have not re-offended within the first year after being accepted into this scheme.

Obviously these problems are not confined to Northern Ireland and across the globe countries are taking their own steps to battle the social impact of alcohol-related incidents.

In recent years millions have been invested on an annual basis by drink manufacturers in Kenya on measures to reduce alcohol abuse, underage drinking and drink driving. Purchases of alcoholic beverages have soared and these companies have invested a great deal of time in projects to try and decrease the sometimes negative impact. Advertising, warnings on bottle labels and bartender training are just some of the steps that have been employed.

The National Alcohol Beverages Association of Kenya (Nabak) working alongside The Pubs Entertainment Restaurants Association of Kenya (Perak) have been guiding the drinking habits of Kenyans by encouraging alcohol selling outlets to encourage sensible drinking. The results have been very positive resulting in a significant downward trend in underage drinking following recent campaigns.

Other countries are using other techniques in their battle to combat alcohol abuse. Australia has initiated restrictions in its Northern Territory, and in some towns photo identification must be shown when buying alcoholic drinks. These new measures have not gone down well with everyone and some publicans have been subjected to insults, but on the whole the general consensus amongst retailers is that this is a decisive step in the right direction in the battle against the rising social problems connected with alcohol.

About The Author Maria is a freelance journalist writing about The Drink Shop at eComparison.