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ARTICLES, ARGUMENTS, FACTS

AND STATISTICS.
ALCOHOL: should the UKs drinking age be lowered?
 Knowledge: Sector insight Alcohol
Alcohol has a natural affinity with entertainment.
It may be a good idea to ask interviewees what they associate with alcohol or when/why they would drink it
themselves, this could present us with information as to whether people drink socially (and are in control of
this and well informed) or whether they rely on alcohol (for example to relax). When asking these questions
their age should definitely be considered.

Changing times
Lifestyles and behaviour are changing, with younger people apparently more health-conscious than
older generations.
According to 2013 research from Ipsos Mori and Drinkaware, 47 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds in
the UK are regular drinkers, compared with 67 per cent of 25 to 44-year-olds.
Tastes and palates are also shifting, with younger consumers preferring sweeter drinks over beers,
according to statistics from CGA Strategy.

When interviewing young people, we could ask them about lifestyle choices and see if this is associated
with their drinking habits. Something else we can ask is what is their preferred alcoholic beverage.
 Alcohol, Strenk, T.H.
Alcohol is ultimately a depressant drug, generally lowering brain activity.
Perhaps we could analyse regular drinkers quality of life in contrast to people who perhaps dont drink or
dont drink regularly. This is an argument against the drinking age being lowered because it lowers brain
activity, this could harm a young person and therefore the drinking age should be kept as it is.
 FACTS
Your body can only process one unit of alcohol an hour.
Alcohol is a poison.
Around 35,620 people were admitted to hospital because of the toxic effect of alcohol in
England in 2013/14.
360 people died from accidental alcohol poisoning in England in 2011.
45,290 people under 24 were admitted to hospital in England as a result of drinking alcohol in
2013/14.
Alcoholic drinks account for 10% of 29 to 64 year olds in the UKs daily intake of added sugar,
and 6% for over 65s.

After asking people the question: should the UKs drinking age be lowered? I think it would be interesting to
explain these facts to them, or ask people if they are aware of these facts. As well as this we could use these facts
on screen with archival footage to make the audience aware of the darker side of alcoholism.
 NHS report.
There were 1.1 million estimated admissions related to alcohol consumption in 2015/16. This is 4
per cent more than 2014/15.
Just under two-thirds of patients were male.
57 per cent of adults reported drinking alcohol in the previous week in 2016 which is a fall from 64
per cent in 2006. This equates to 25.3 million adults in England.
In 2015, there were 6,813 deaths which were related to the consumption of alcohol. This is 1.4 per
cent of all deaths.

(adults are counted as 16+)

Questions to ask in interviews:

Do they have opinions on these figures? If so, do they think there are more ways to make people aware or
more safe? Are these figures shocking? After being made aware of these facts, do they think the UKs drinking
age should still be lowered?
As I mentioned previously it would be interesting to use write these facts on screen in front of archival footage.
This graph Arguments for the drinking age to be lowered- or
shows that stay the same as there are visible improvements.
young people
arent
dangerously
drinking- it is
the opposite
end of the
scale.

Perhaps
young
people drink
less
because
they have
less
disposable
income
There has been a huge decrease in the amount of
compared to
alcohol young people drink, suggesting they are
middle-aged
better educated and exposed to the
people.
consequences and effects of alcoholism.
 Two-thirds (67%) said they have either never drunk or dont
drink now (not shown on chart).
Of current drinkers, 91% said their family was aware they
drank alcohol.
62% of 15 year olds in England had ever had an alcoholic
drink.
Source

Once again this suggests young people are

better educated etc.
 The Independent article.
15 January 2016 - highlights of the article.
Time was when to be young and not drink was unusual, to say the least. Not any more. Oscar Quine goes non-alcoholic
with Generation Abstemious and finds out why they've turned their backs on booze.
The proportion of 16-24-year-olds who do not drink increased by more than 40 per cent between 2005 and 2013.
Binge drinking has fallen by more than a third and just one in 50 young adults describe themselves as a frequent
drinker.
In reality, a number of factors less disposable income, a reaction to the overindulgence of the previous generation, the
prominence of social media have apparently converged to call time at the bar for Britain's young people.
"I was talking to my dad and he said people used to be down the pub every night," says Bishop. "Now, it's just not like
that. Maybe once a week, or twice at a push. But it's too expensive. And I didn't come to university for the social
experience. First and foremost, I came to get a degree.
says Dr James Nicholls, director of research and policy development at Alcohol Research UK, children of hedonistic
generations often turn away from alcohol.
The web has been crucial to the rise of the "clean eating" movement.

Is todays society is perhaps more accepting than in the past? Do the people being interviewed think that
the majority of people aged 16-24 drink alcohol? If so why do you think young people drink a lot/not
much? What has affected young peoples attitudes (for/against) towards drinking? HOW is drinking
culture different between generations? Do you think technological advances have affected drinking?
 DR Richard de Visser: reasons why young
people dont drink as much as previous
generations.
The effect on alcohol consumption by young people is manifold, says Dr Richard de
Visser of Sussex University 's Centre of Innovation and Research in Childhood and
Youth. They are more fearful of losing control, concerned that pictures of any
misdemeanours may be posted online the next morning. To the same end,
socialising online diminishes the need for alcohol as a social lubricant.
"There's much greater awareness and acceptance of people not fitting into standard
categories of 'you eat meat', 'you drink alcohol', 'you do these things'.

Argument for the drinking age should be lowered, as would young people even be interested in the drinking
age to be lowered? Perhaps this would be a question to ask in the documentary.
 Health risks government website.
The effects of alcohol on young people are not the same as they are on adults.
Because young peoples bodies are still growing, alcohol can interfere with their development. This makes young people
particularly vulnerable to the long-term damage caused by alcohol. This damage can include:
cancer of the mouth and throat
sexual and mental health problems, including depression and suicidal thoughts
liver cirrhosis and heart disease
Research also suggests that drinking alcohol in adolescence can harm the development of the brain.
Research shows that a girl who drinks alcohol is more than twice as likely to have an unwanted pregnancy as a girl who
doesnt drink.
If young people drink alcohol, they are more likely to end up in dangerous situations.
Every year in the UK, more than 10,000 fines for being drunk and disorderly are issued to young people aged 16 to 19.
Young people who get drunk at least once a month are twice as likely to commit a criminal offence as those who dont.
When young people drink, it takes longer for the alcohol to get out of their system than it does in adults. So if young people
drink alcohol on a night before school, then they can do less well in lessons the next day.
Young people who regularly drink alcohol are twice as likely to miss school and get poor grades as those who dont.

Arguments against the drinking age being lowered.

Bench Girl

This renowned
image could be a
discussion point
where people say
what they associate
or know about this
image.
The Guardian- aged and matured.
Highlights
Young people like a drink but are sick of being portrayed as out-of-control drunks
vomiting, fighting or crying away their lives. At least that was the consensus of the group
of 17 young people (aged 16-17) invited to air their opinions by the Guardian and alcohol
charity Drinkaware at a youth roundtable.
While the majority feel that media portrayals of blitzed high streets are a gross
exaggeration, a straw poll revealed that many have friends whose drinking and
destructive behaviour worried them. With startling honesty, one panellist described the
death of a friend. And many said that they copied their parents, which meant using or
abusing alcohol to drown their sorrows or cope with pressures.
What is it that attracts young people to alcohol? "It's taboo," said Aaron. "You've seen
your mum or dad doing it but you're not allowed to."
"It's a cultural thing you are brought up with. You just drink like everyone else," said Jack
One. (There were two Jacks taking part.)
"It's the experience that alcohol gives you - the element of fun and the party
environment," said Nick.
 .
When asked if boredom played a part, Henna said yes: "What shall we do? 'Let's go out and get pished.'"
Richard said he was happy not drinking but knows it can give you more confidence when meeting people.
As Frankie said: "If you do say something stupid you can always blame the alcohol.
Many said their first drink was at 13 or 14.
A Drinkaware survey revealed that the average age for a first drink for 16- to 17-year-olds is 13.4 years
and the average age for getting drunk for the first time is 14.2 years. Figures for their parents' generation
were 15.7 and 16.7 years respectively.
Frankie said we should copy the French and drink at family meal times. "Then when people get older they
are less likely to think: 'Oh alcohol - what a novelty.'" She also wanted pubs to lower the age limit for
having a drink with a meal from 16 to 12 .
The participants all thought schools needed to improve alcohol education and that they needed
consistent messages.
Tess said the language and the message should not be about prohibition, but drinking sensibly.

Questions to ask:
Does the interviewee think that young people drinking are represented negatively in the media? What
attracts/ deters young people to alcohol? How do you feel when you drink alcohol? When did you try alcohol
for the first time? Were you taught about alcohol at school?
 The Guardian- How sensible of young
people to lose their bottle
For many older people, cigarettes and alcohol remain classic signifiers of a Good
Time.
theyre (young adults) not quite so burdened with the pressure to live up (or down) to
hedonistic expectations.

The journalist seems to have pre-conceived stereotypes of young people being heavy drinkers, and is
almost critical of the actual fact that they are not.
 Health issues

Nine in 10 mothers and eight in 10 fathers of overweight children did not recognise
the problem, according to the Health Survey for England 2015, published by NHS
Digital on Wednesday, with charities warning that obesity is still an urgent public
health epidemic.

Alcohol perhaps isnt the problem in young people, more so education on healthy eating and living.