Seven Drunken Nights

Binge Drinking. The latest teen craze that is downing the nation

 *Some names have been changed for privacy

It’s another Friday night. The weather is balmy- a sharp contrast to the heat explosion that blazed through the city, earlier that day. I’m sitting in one of Sydney’s busiest emergency wards.

Empty Corridors



What’s wrong with this picture? Well, besides the fact that the NSW's Health system is in shambles, there are virtually no doctors available to treat the several patients, who present themselves with varying degrees of alcohol intoxication.

“Everyone did it when they were our age, so I don’t know why they are making such a big fuss about it,” says Elizabeth*, a 16 year old from Sydney’s south west. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with it and I think they should be focusing on other issues.”

'They' are the Australian Federal Government, who has proposed to make drastic changes to the Drug and Alcohol policies as a result of the growing number of cases of binge drinking reported everyday. The National Alcohol Strategy 2006-2009 found approximately 3,100 deaths and 72, 000 hospitalisations were a direct result of drinking.

A Government lifeline?

With an annual cost to the Australian community of alcohol-related social problems estimated to be $7.6 billion, the strategy was developed through collaboration between the Australian government, non government and industry partners and the broader community.

But how do Australian teens feel about this? Is this all being done for nothing? Meeting up at one of Sydney’s busiest coffee shops, the seven young teenagers sitting before me resemble any other adolescent their age.

Their hair is styled to replicate the latest trends and their clothes are straight out of fashion magazines. But to assume that these teenagers are as equally aware of the damaging effects of binge drinking is to assume too much.

When I ask them if they know what a standard drink is, they look at each other and start firing off guesstimates.

“Isn’t it 0.5?” asks Michael. He turns to Rebecca, who assures him that he’s right. She tells him that she just went for her L’s and that was one of the questions. Rebecca, who at 17 is the eldest of the group, loudly proclaims that she ‘loves to drink.’ 
   


                                                               Credit: www.australia.gov.au

 “I really enjoy it. My friends and I will have shots or whatever is around,” she says.

None of them have any idea how much is in a standard drink and can’t even tell me how many drinks males and females should be drinking in an hour. It’s clear to see that these teens haven’t been properly informed of the damaging effects of alcohol.

“We do something called Crossroads at school. They talk to us about a lot of things and alcohol is one of them,” says Matthew, as he takes a sip of his Pepsi. Matthew is the quiet one of the group, yet when he wants to say something, everybody gives him their full attention. He adds that parents need to speak to their kids too otherwise kids will try to hide things from them and that could be disastrous.

Demi illustrates this point when she asks if her parents will ever find out what she says at this interview. I reassure her that her name won’t be used.

“My parents won’t let me drink, so I usually do it when I’m out with friends,” Demi says. Her parents don’t allow her 20 year old sister to drink at home, so ‘how does that help me,’ she adds. “It’s not like I drink that much, anyway.” But how much is too much?

“Over drinking…like going past a certain limit?” says John, 16,  whist admitting that he drinks at least three or four drinks in a session. “Yeah, I’ve done that. But really, I only go to parties once a month.” He looks around at his friends and then adds, “I drink at my mate’s house, once a week, but we never drink that much.” John adds that his mum always asks him if he’s had a few drinks when he gets home and if there was adult supervision.



The last drop



Does it really matter to these teens if adults are present when they drink? I put this question forward and all of them shake their head. It’s a unanimous no. To these teens it’s their choice they say, but some still believe that to an extent, peer pressure plays a vital role in choosing to drink.

“I don’t drink,” Sarah butts in. “My parent’s tell us they’ll buy us alcohol if we want. But I always say no. I don’t like the taste.” Matthew agrees and says that his parents don’t care if he drinks or not. He just chooses not to.

“I don’t drink either. I’ve had one, but I just don’t like the taste,” Matthew says, “My friends are cool with it. There’s no pressure.” 




                                                                                                Credit: www.australia.gov.au

 Maybe not for him, but Anabelle and Demi disagree. They believe that teenagers want to feel like part of the group and that’s why they drink.

“There is definitely pressure to drink at these parties,” Demi explains. “You do feel like an outcast if you don’t have a drink.”

Anabelle, who at 15 is the youngest of the group, agrees. She acknowledges that at some point peer pressure plays a huge part in why her friends drink.


“I don’t get it…they’re just acting drunk. What’s so cool about that?” Although she doesn’t feel the need to drink at parties, she can see how all her friends feel the pressure to ‘fit in’.

And what do they think about the ‘danger’ element? Knowing the effects of alcohol has not stopped , these teenagers from compromising their safety.

“I once got into a car with a guy, who was so drunk,” Anabelle explains. “He didn’t even have license plates on the car.” Anabelle looks to her friends to back her up. “How else are we meant to get home?”

 


                                                              Credit: www.australia.gov.au

 Demi adds that one time their friend was so drunk, that she began to walk towards oncoming traffic. It was only after a friend pulled her to safety, that she realised how close of a risk she had taken.

‘But, I agree with Anabelle,” she says. “Half the time our parents think we’re somewhere else so how can we get home without getting in trouble for lying.”
Jane, Elizabeth’s mother offers her views on the drinking debate. “Look, if we’re having a party, I’ll let her and her friends have a couple of cruisers. I’d rather they drink when we’re around.”

Alcohol abuse can lead to shattered lives, not just shattered glass

Jane says the new steps the government is taking to curb binge drinking are a joke. She believes increasing alcohol prices will not stop them from drinking.

In fact, the opposite will happen, she says.

“They’re just going to have to find more money to buy it. I think it boils down to each individual, but really if they’re going to drink, they’re going to drink. Who’s going to stop them?” she says, without the slightest hint of irony. One thing she is sure of, is that parents cannot be solely responsible.

So, whose problem is it then? Two PE teachers from Sydney, weigh in on the debate and believe that the government, teachers and most importantly the parents need to work together to stop this crisis from escalating further. Michelle believes that underage drinking is a serious problem and it’s due to the fact that teens are not informed on how much alcohol they should be consuming.

“They [teens] don’t realise their limits. They don’t realise the consequences,” says Michelle. She accepts that as a teacher, she could play a huge role in reducing underage drinking by supplying students with the tools and social skills to make informed decisions.

Kevin agrees, “We can provide correct, up to date information and stats on why young people drink. We need to show them the consequences of their actions.”







                                                                                Credit: www.australia.gov.au

 However, both agree that more funding needs to be put into place to allow them to do their job.
“There are no programs in place that identifies and assists students who may have alcohol or drug related problems,” says Kevin. “Our school doesn’t even reach out to families about the problems of underage drinking. So, what does that tell you?”

Michelle and Kevin are not alone in their belief that parents should step up and take some responsibility for their children.
Sergeant Michael Gibson, who is a NSW Licensing Supervisor and Sergeant Constable Alana Woodbury, believe that everybody, including parents, need to pull up their socks and tackle one of the biggest epidemics in Australian history.

“Parents, teachers, the government. We all need to get together and talk to these kids. At the end of the day their future is at risk,” he says.

Woodbury adds as a parent herself, she can’t imagine why any parent would not want to teach their child about the risks of such a harmful drug.

“That’s what alcohol is. A drug. We should teach these kids how to drink responsibly, instead of trying to prohibit it,” she says.


As we begin to take the last sips of our drinks, I ask Demi what it would take to get through to her about the dangerous effects of binge drinking.

“Honestly? Ads, warnings and all that won’t change anything. We want people to talk to us. Tell us about the effects. Show us,” she says. “Even this, us talking has opened my eyes a little.”

We hope so. Your future depends on it.