A new report analysing the drinking behaviour of young people between the ages of 11 and 16 in Northern Ireland has revealed worrying trends, the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) has said.

'Drinking behaviour among young people in Northern Ireland - secondary analysis of alcohol data from 1997 to 2003', showed that young people here start drinking as young as 11 and that many young people are drinking to dangerous levels.

Other key findings found that:

• Traditionally boys were more likely than girls to experiment with alcohol and to get drunk but gender differences are now disappearing – 59% of boys had tried a drink compared with 58% of girls in 2003.
• Some 24% of young people in the 2003 survey were classed as regular drinkers (drinking at least once a month) indicating drinking had become part of their lifestyle.
• The majority of young people in the 2000 survey got their first alcoholic drink from friends (45%) or parents (20%), indicating both peer and parental influence on young people’s initial experiences of drinking.

Victoria Creasy, Senior Manager for Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking at the HPA said: “These figures are of real concern because young people are more vulnerable than adults to suffering physical, emotional and social harm from their own and other people’s drinking. There are strong links between high risk drinking and unsafe sexual behaviour, unintended pregnancy, traffic and other accidents, failure at school and mental health problems.

“Responsibility for reducing underage drinking lies with parents, schools, the Government, the drinks industry and our communities and requires a ‘joined-up’ approach."

The results from the report, produced by the HPA in association with the Irish Temperance League (ITL), were revealed at a seminar in Belfast on Wednesday.

(MB/SP)