Kids treated for drink habit
CHILDREN as young as nine are being treated for alcohol-related brain damage.
Figures show 163 kids living in Glasgow have been affected since January 2011.
A nine-year-old boy, who was seen by doctors in 2012, was the youngest person to be treated for a mental or behavioural disorder caused by prolonged alcohol misuse.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have treated more than 17,000 people of all ages for some form of booze-related brain damage since 2011.
Of those, 93 were boys and 69 were girls aged 13-17.
Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “Glasgow has the highest rate of alcohol-related hospital stays in Scotland. It is particularly concerning that so many children and young people need hospital treatment because of their drinking.
“Children’s bodies and brains are still developing, so even small amounts of alcohol can have serious consequences.
“To prevent so many people needing hospital treatment because of alcohol, we need to tackle the cheap prices, easy availability and constant promotions which encourage us to drink too much.”
A health board spokesman said: “Alcohol-related brain damage is the term used to describe serious conditions where the function of the brain is impaired as a result of prolonged alcohol misuse.
“These include WernickeKorsakoff’s syndrome, alcohol-related dementia and amnesic syndrome.”