Youth Drinking: Figures for the number of children being admitted to hospitals because of alcohol intoxication are currently being compiled and will shortly provide the first hard evidence of the extent of the problem across the State.
The research is being carried out by three Dublin-based paediatricians and will detail the age of those admitted, their alcohol levels, the type of drink consumed and whether they had taken other drugs or suffered injuries.
Analysis of such admissions already carried out by paediatricians working in hospitals in Tallaght and in Co Mayo have highlighted worrying trends. A significant proportion of under 16s admitted due to acute alcohol intoxication had been abandoned by friends, and were found comatose and alone. It has also emerged that a high proportion of the children involved were drinking spirits.
Dr Mary McKay, of Tallaght Hospital, a member of the research team compiling the statistics, said the information on hospital admissions was only a very small part of the overall picture of teenage drinking.
It was significant, however, because the health of these children were particularly at risk. "There are a lot of people talking about the problem of teenage drinking but we don't know what is really going on. So we are just looking at the one bit that we deal with, and are trying to get some accurate information," she said.
Findings will be presented at an Irish Paediatricians' Association meeting in May. Figures compiled at Tallaght Hospital over a two-year period show a total of 81 children aged 16 or under presented due to alcohol.
The youngest of these was aged only 10 and the average age was 14. Twelve of these children had either collapsed or were in a coma, 16 had head injuries and 12 had other injuries. Twelve had also taken other drugs. All had to be admitted to the hospital. None of the cases involved accidental consumption of alcohol.
"One of the things that surprised me is that they are almost all drinking spirits, nearly always vodka. And the other thing is that they often seem to be left alone, which is disturbing," said Dr McKay.
These attendances at Tallaght Hospital account for only a tiny proportion of the overall number presenting at the children's A&E, 0.2 per cent of all attendances by children, and just over 1 per cent of all teenage attendances.
A recently-published study carried out at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar also highlighted the problem of under-16s being abandoned by friends. Of 56 children admitted because of acute alcohol intoxication in 2000, it found that 17, or 30 per cent, were found comatose, outdoors and alone. A similar figure had associated head injuries. More than half of the children had taken spirits and a further 33 per cent had taken a mixture of beer and spirits. The 22 girls ranged in age from 13 to 15, while the youngest boy was only eight.
One of the authors of the study, Dr Michael O'Neill, said the problem of adolescent drinking needed to be tackled nationally with a comprehensive strategy with clear objectives, rather than short-term, reactive measures. The study recommends formal programmes in schools highlighting the consequence and impact of being drunk. It recommends abstinence and moderation be presented as both equal and viable options to reduce alcohol misuse.
Dr O'Neill said children had to be taught the importance of not leaving a drunk friend who is comatose. He said his advice to parents would be to encourage communication with their adolescent children, and to know where they are at all times. Parents also needed to be aware of role-modelling and of the importance of having a value system. If an adolescent gets drunk for the first time, he says repeated nagging from parents can be counter-productive.
"It is important to bring closure and not to bring it up again and again. So say 'I am really annoyed because you came in drunk, because you could have got seriously injured or even died. I'm worried about you', as opposed to saying I am really annoyed at you'," he said. If it occurs for a second or third time, he believes privileges should be withdrawn, but parents also need to look at possible reasons. He also believes alcohol advertising should be restricted.
Dr McKay said it was generally possible to divide the children into two groups, those who are experimenting and are unlikely to have repeat problems and the children who are "clearly in trouble in all sorts of way".
She said she would encourage parents to be aware of the issue, to talk to children and to ensure they are informed of the dangers, particularly in relation to drinking spirits. "You try and give them a sense of looking after themselves. You give them the information and hope they will make reasonable choices, that they will say 'I am a worthwhile person and I'm worth looking after'."