Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

THERE CAN be few parents of teenagers who don’t worry about the possibility of drink or drugs derailing their youngster’s life. If there was a vaccination available against substance abuse for children entering adolescence, I suspect the uptake would be widespread.

But there is no instant way to protect a youngster who is growing up in this country among teenage peers who binge drink more than any of their European counterparts, following the lead of adults around them.