Boozy pre-teens in hospital

SCHOOLCHILDREN under the age of 13 are being admitted to hospital in the Lothians on an almost monthly basis after abusing alcohol.

New figures show 11 children aged 12 and under had to spend at least one night in hospital due to drinking alcohol in the year to last April.

The figures were today described as "chilling", while experts warned children who start drinking so young run the risk of developing serious problems in their adolescence.

Health chiefs have warned society must take the issue of young people drinking to excess and endangering their lives on cocktails of drugs seriously.

Today, a spokesman for the NCH children's charity, which runs Help for Young People in Edinburgh (Hype), warned that many teenagers who seek help for alcohol problems in their teens started drinking early.

Hype offers support and counselling to older teenagers who have sought help – or had help sought on their behalf by parents or teachers – for alcohol problems.

He said: "If the question is are there many children under the age of 12 starting to drink, our experience is yes – it is not unheard of among children aged eight and nine.

"The situation where that's happening is where there's a lot of alcohol in the home, or when they are hanging out a lot with an older group.

"It is the kids starting off at that age who we are picking up at 17 and 18. There are concerns about children who start aged eight or nine, and carry on until they are drinking more and more.

"They have problems with behaviour, problems with school attendance, all sorts of things."

The figure was derived from a parliamentary question asked by Lothians MSP Gavin Brown, showing that 59 children under 15 had been admitted to hospital, and previous NHS Lothian figures which revealed 48 of them were aged 13 or 14. Mr Brown said: "These statistics are absolutely chilling.

"We have seen in recent years the number of people discharged from hospital with alcoholic liver disease more than doubling and these latest figures raise fears that the problem of alcoholic liver disease is likely to get worse.

"It is vitally important that the Scottish Government acts quickly to tackle the problem."

David Steedman, A&E consultant, said the number of children brought into acute hospitals because of alcohol was "very small". He added: "It does happen from time to time, and may be due to a one-off incident in the home rather than indicate a deeper problem.

"However, the issue of young people taking alcohol or drugs is one that society should take very seriously.

"It is clearly a matter of concern that there are vulnerable young people who are being exposed to alcohol and drugs."

• www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
• Hype: Help for Young People in Edinburgh