Alcohol draws young people into danger

Underage drinking is exposing young people to situations they cannot yet understand

Few will be surprised by the findings of our investigation yesterday that teenagers in the capital – and by extension in other major cities – are engaging in underage drinking. “That’s what teenagers do,” is likely to be the response. It is certainly true that teenagers everywhere seek ways to push boundaries, to escape the rules of their lives. It is equally true that many of those drinking underage will be expatriates from countries where drinking at that age is more socially acceptable. Yet something being socially acceptable doesn’t make it right, and, moreover, most of those countries have laws against underage drinking – for good reason.

Let’s start with the dangers. Alcohol is a drug that has a serious effect on adult bodies; in still-developing bodies it can cause physical and mental health issues, which, of course, teenagers are unlikely to understand and therefore seek help for. Moreover, teenagers, more than adults, are susceptible to excessive drinking, putting them even more at risk.

Consider then, too, the places where young people are drinking: empty villas, perhaps half-built, or secluded beaches. The very places where accidents could easily happen while intoxicated. That is to say nothing of the serious legal consequences that teenagers could face if caught drinking or drunk.

Deterrence and education must start in the family. Of course, parents cannot watch their children all the time, especially as they begin to seek independence. But there are usually warning signs which some parents either miss, choose to ignore, or feel powerless to do anything about. Parents must take responsibility for what their children are doing – and we say that with a full awareness of how difficult it can be to maintain discipline, particularly for expatriates who may lack wider community support networks.

That relates to the second aspect of tackling underage drinking, which is a greater focus on things for teenagers to do and places for them to gather. The teenage years are a difficult time and teenagers need safe spaces where they can get together with friends away from parents. We need more youth clubs, parks with activities, and sporting and artistic clubs that allow teenagers to be with friends and away from parents.

Small steps, but taken together they would keep young people away from some of the worst temptations of the modern world.