Article 2 - Representing Youth

Toll of teenage drinking revealed

Preventing access to drink is said to be an "ongoing challenge" Teenagers are drinking an average of 44 bottles of wine or 177 pints of beer a year each, a study suggests. Almost 10,000 15-to-16-year-olds in the North West of England were questioned as part of the study into underage drinking and violence. The report, produced by Liverpool John Moores University, found as many as 40% of teenagers in poor areas binge drink. Recent high-profile murders in the region were carried out by teenagers who had been drinking heavily. On Thursday, Brendan Harris, 15, was convicted of murdering 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster in a Lancashire park after drinking two litres of cider, peach schnapps and lager. In February, three teenagers were jailed for life for murdering Garry Newlove, 47, from Warrington, in an act that the judge described as "drunken aggression" carried out for entertainment.  These figures highlight the sheer quantity of alcohol being consumed by under-age drinkers across the North West.  Professor Mark Bellis The latest report into teenage drinking was produced by the university's Centre for Public Health in conjunction with the Home Office and Trading Standards North West. Researchers also estimate that of 190,000 15-to-16-year-olds in England, 57,000 binge by drinking five or more drinks in one session. Just under half of those surveyed drank at least once a week, with 40% of girls and 42% of boys later involved in violence. The report also found that poor children were 45% more likely to be violent after drinking than children in affluent areas.