Parents' worrying role in under-age drinking
A CHANGE of attitude towards alcohol must be brought about within parents, both to ensure that young children are not left feeling threatened by its effects and to combat the problem of excessive under-age drinking, according to one of the people involved with a project looking specifically at the problem in Brechin.
Focus on Alcohol Angus, which draws partners from Tayside Police, Angus Council, NHS Tayside and Tayside Fire and Rescue Service, initiated Happy Healthy Communities projects in both Brechin and Kirriemuir to try and bring about a cultural change in relation to how communities think about alcohol and its impact.
And Jim Milne, who is also a director at the Attic youth project, told the June meeting of Brechin and District Partnership that there were reports of parents supplying their children with booze and then dropping them off at public places.
Just as concerning, though, were the findings that many younger kids admitted to being scared of those supposed to be looking after them after excessive alcohol consumption.
A poster has been produced by the project containing three actual statements made by young people in and around Brechin to try and hammer the message home alongside the statement: "It's up to you: make a change for the better."
The statements read: "My mum's not nice when she is drinking, she gets really angry" - boy aged ten; "When my dad drinks he shouts really loud and scares me" - girl aged ten; "My mum and her boyfriend fight when they get drunk" - boy 11.
Jim had told the meeting: "The Happy, Healthy Communities Project has run in Brechin and Kirriemuir for a year now.
"It was split into two halves, with one which looked at alcohol with regard to older people and another which looked at alcohol with regard to younger people.
"I was involved with the young folks side of things and it concluded with primary school pupils getting a leaflet.
"What we found was that there is a problem with alcohol - it is not just a Brechin problem. The on-line surveys that were done at both Brechin and Webster's High Schools were identical, with some alarming results.
"The main problem is not youngsters getting older ones to buy drink from Somerfield for them, it is not Polish guys going into Lidl to buy cheap vodka for them, it is the parents.
"We heard some scary stories. For example, there were stories of parents giving them drink and then dropping them off at the public park.
"This is very worrying and it is not the kids themselves - this is the parents.
"Another alarming thing with the primary seven kids was not them drinking, but the fear they had of their parents when they've been drinking. The poster that was made summarises society and that of broken families.
"Work over the coming years has to focus on parents, not kids, which will be very hard I think. Hopefully, next year, it will get going again and we'll see if we can make a difference."
Tayside Police constable Clark Renilson added: "Tayside Police have been highlighting issues, not just for kids but with parents, of the problem of alcohol.
"Operation dry-up has been very successful, but if kids want to consume alcohol and hide away then they will do it. We can never contain it 100%."
If you need help or advice please click on www.focusonalcohol.org or telephone Drinkline on 0800 7914 314 or Childline on 0800 1111.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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