In support of the work underway to tackle alcohol and drug misuse among young people, Professor Hawkins gave a seminar to key policy makers at the British Irish Council’s Misuse of Drugs Sectoral meeting.
The Minister said: “Across the UK and the Republic of Ireland we are facing the challenge of preventing and addressing alcohol and drug misuse among our children and young people – and the impact this has on individuals, on families and friends, and on communities.
“I am therefore keen to share learning and best practice, locally and from elsewhere, to see how we can most effectively address these issues – both at a policy and at a community level.
“Today’s seminar is an example of how beneficial this type of cross jurisdiction work can be.
“Professor Hawkins is a leading thinker in this area, and we can all learn from his groundbreaking work – and we can all learn from work we are each undertaking – to improve the health and the quality of life of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.”
He added: “Alcohol is still very much the ‘drug of choice’ in Northern Ireland, and I am very concerned about young people’s drinking, and the way they seem to adopt adult ‘binge drinking’ patterns.
“Today’s seminar, and the subsequent informed debate, will be used to support the development of a cross-departmental, cross-sectoral action plan aimed at addressing young people’s drinking in Northern Ireland.”
The Minister concluded: “Tackling the issue will not be easy; we need to change Northern Ireland’s drinking culture, and that can take time. But by all key stakeholders working in partnership with our communities to look at enforcement and access to alcohol, improving knowledge and awareness, and providing treatment and support services for those who require addition help – we can begin to effectively address the issue.”
Notes to Editors:
1. The New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs (NSD), which was launched in 2006, identified addressing underage and binge drinking as key priorities. In relation to alcohol misuse, the approximate costs to Northern Ireland of excess alcohol consumption have been estimated at approximately £770 million per annum. Under the NSD the Department of Health is now developing a cross-sectoral, multi-agency action plan to address young people’s drinking.
2. Dr. J. David Hawkins is the Professor of Prevention and Founding Director of the Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle. His research focuses on understanding and preventing child and adolescent health and behaviour problems. He seeks to identify risk and protective factors for health and behaviour problems across multiple domains; to understand how these factors interact in the development of healthy behaviour and the prevention of problem behaviours. He develops and tests prevention strategies which seek to reduce risk through the enhancement of strengths and protective factors in families, schools, and communities.
3. Binge drinking, (i.e. adult males drinking five drinks or more and adult females drinking four drinks or more in a single session) is a particular feature of Northern Ireland’s drinking culture. Around 43% of men and 33% of women who drink, engage in at least one binge session per week.
4. Consequences of binge drinking can include:
- damage to brain cells;
- alcohol poisoning;
- a UK study in 2007 found that binge drinking in adolescence was associated with increased risk of health, social, educational and economic adversity continuing into later adult life;
- increased risk of high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, some types of cancer, skeletal muscle damage,
- increased risk of violence, accidents and anti-social behaviour;
- increased risk taking behaviour, such as unsafe/unwanted sexual activity
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