The National Council on Drug Abuse, NCDA, is concentrating its efforts on under age drinking as it observes National Drug Awareness month throughout November.
The Council says it decided to zero-in on under age drinking after a revealing TVJ Prime Time News story showed youngsters getting access to alcohol at local parties.
Executive Director at the NCDA, Michael Tucker, says surveys done by the Council regarding under-age drinking have revealed alarming information about young persons access to and consumption of alcohol.
"Secenty-plus per cent of the young people experiment with alcohol. We find that over 80 per cent had their first drink before age 14. About 35 per cent were drunk more than one time during their lifetime and many of them have gotten into problems: poor performance at school; problems at home; get into conflicts; confrontations in events; in parties because of being drunk; and not being able to control themselves."
He says the problem persists because of the cultural attitude towards the use of alcohol, and in many cases, it is seen as a right of passage for many young men to take their first drink at a very young age.
The NCDA also says that more effort needs to be made to regulate the entry of underage patrons into parties where they have easy access to alcoholic beverages.
The Council in its month of activities, will among other things, be conducting parenting workshops with a view to educating parents about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption on the young.
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