THE GUV'NOR

Graham Rowson

Drinks producers must take their share of the blame for binge drinking, says the licensee of the Plungington Tavern in Preston, Lancashire

When did you have your first proper drink and get drunk? Quite likely it was sampling your dad's pint of bitter - and wasn't it vile? The next occasion would probably have been around 15, drinking cider with your mates in the park. Your mum told you off and dad gave you a clout, so you didn't bother with alcohol as much as today's youth.

One of the main problems facing the youth of today is that manufacturers have made alcohol - and especially alcopops - taste sweet and just like ordinary pop, and it is cheaply and readily available.

Add to this the advertising campaigns aimed at the younger generation. Trendy shots and shooters are becoming the norm. Coupled with extended licensing hours and young people's relative disposable income, it's no surprise that society has nurtured an underage and binge-drinking culture.

When last orders used to be called, most people were home by midnight. But now, regardless of what they have already drunk, they'll down more alcohol, get legless and fail to make work the next day. Recorded sickness absence is on the increase - surely this is not beneficial to maintaining a healthy economy?

Stopping supermarket and off-trade discounting and making a national minimum price for trendy drinks would be a good start. Limiting the amount of products aimed at our younger generation, along with a ban on alcohol advertising to this age group may ease the situation.

In the educational system, we teach our children in order to prepare them for adult life, so why not include alcohol education in the national curriculum?

But above all don't always blame our kids! The Government - by freely allowing the production of these products and extending the time available for the consumption of alcohol - is making huge profits for itself and the manufacturers while contributing to the degradation and demise of our society.