Alcohol and Drugs

Most people are aware that drinking to excess can damage their health.

There is also a clear link between excessive drinking and certain types of crime. Some offences are alcohol-related by definition - drink-driving - for example. But these are by no means the only ones in which alcohol plays a large part. Public disorder, including football hooliganism and vandalism is particularly associated with it. There is also an indirect link, in that alcohol abuse may create the sort of unhappy family from which children are more likely to turn to crime.

Drinking and Driving

Alcohol is a major cause of accidents on the road.

One in five drivers killed in road accidents have drunk more than the legal limit for driving.

The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

But there is no sure way of telling how much you can drink before you reach this limit. It varies with each person depending on weight, your sex, whether you've just eaten and what sort of drinks you've had.

Your driving ability can be affected by just one or two drinks - even if you are below the legal limit, you can still be prosecuted if a police officer considers your driving has been affected by alcohol.

The best advice is never drink and drive.

Alcohol and Your Children

Young people, like adults, need to know how to drink safely. By the time they reach their teens, many will be drinking socially at parties, clubs and discos. Although most do so sensibly, a number come to harm through excessive drinking.

The risk is that, as inexperienced drinkers, young people may make mistakes about when and how much is safe to drink. Heavy drinking and drunkenness are more common in the late teens and early twenties than in any other age group.

Their chances of coming to harm - hangovers and sickness, fights, trouble with the police and accidents resulting in injury or even death are that much greater.

Advice to help protect your children from these dangers:

• Set a good example by drinking sensibly yourself. Children pick up their early knowledge of alcohol by watching adults and are strongly influenced by what they see.
• Alcohol is often shown in a glamorous light. Point out that it has a negative as well as a positive side, and that it is not essential to socialising and having fun.
• Try to explain to your children why you want them to understand alcohol and drink sensibly. Try to discuss the subject, and to understand their views as well as putting your own.
• Tell them it is alright to stop when they have had enough, or to have a soft drink. Encourage them to choose low alcohol rather than stronger drinks. Tell them they shouldn't mix strong drinks.
• Warn them of the risks. Drunkenness can lead to arguments, fights and trouble with the police. Discourage them from drinking in the street, especially in groups, as this can be intimidating to other people.
• Remind them that driving is much more dangerous after any amount of alcohol.

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