14 December 2007

Times might be ‘a-changing’, but underage drinking is still against the law, and for very good reason according to Hunter New England Health’s Clinical Nurse Consultant for Drug and Alcohol Services, Andrew Taylor.

Andrew Taylor said that aside from health issues, there are legal ramifications for young people purchasing alcohol or having alcohol supplied by adults, even parents.

"It’s a complex process for parents. Do you give your underage child a small amount of alcohol in the hope that they will just sit with that, or say ‘No – you’re too young to drink’ and hope they don’t get it from someone else?", Mr Taylor said

"It’s quite a conundrum.

"There are also mixed messages for kids who can legally be supplied with alcohol by their parents to be consumed in their own home. However, parents can’t supply alcohol to underage visitors or to their child wanting to consume the alcohol somewhere else. They could get a $5,500 fine for this," he said.

Many young people argue that there is nothing wrong with having a few drinks, but Andrew said there are definite health issues to be considered.

"The biggest health issue is that research shows that a young person’s brain isn’t fully developed until they are 18-20 years old. When developing brains are exposed to mind altering substances, such as alcohol, it can interfere with this development.

"This is particularly the case with emotional regulation and neural (nerve) pathway development – and the more young people consume, the more developmental damage done," he said.

Then there are issues of inexperience and immaturity to throw into the mix.

Andrew said inexperience with life generally, means that decision-making isn’t always great in your teenage years. When alcohol is combined with inexperience and immaturity, adolescent experimentation can get young people into all sorts of trouble.

"Drink driving, unplanned and unsafe sex, and even experimentation with other drugs are all things that normally responsible kids avoid," Andrew said.

"One added problem with mixing drugs is that you can’t just add the effect of one drug – say cannabis, speed or ecstasy – onto the effect of alcohol, you have to multiply it. One drug potentiates the other – or makes it more potent," he said.

"The effect of these drug cocktails become even more erratic, and you can’t predict the outcome. There is therefore no safe level of consumption," he said.

The bottom line, Andrew said, is that parents have to take responsibility for their children. The best advice he can give is to get parents to talk to their children.

He said it is important that parents help their teenagers understand:

• The legal ramifications of expecting other people to supply alcohol particularly friends or parents of friends
• The impact of too much alcohol on their developing brains
• The value of a contract with you that if they ever find themselves in an unsafe environment, they will call you for a lift home, no questions asked
• Finally, the importance of knowing where their teenagers are and who they are with.

Contact: Kay Cope

Phone: 6776 9817