News and views: Teenagers Drinking Shocking Amounts
Teenagers are drinking a shocking amount of alcohol every year.
An average of 44 bottles of wine or 177 pints of beer are drunk over the year, a study into under-age intake and violence has revealed.
The study of nearly 10,000 teenagers in the North West between 15- and 16-year-olds also indicates there is a growing problem with binge-drinking; that is five or more drinks in one session.
It found that the binge drinkers from poorer areas were more likely to be involved in violence - or to be violent - than those from more affluent areas.
"These figures highlight the sheer quantity of alcohol being consumed by under-age drinkers across the North West," said report co-author Professor Mark Bellis, who is also director of the Centre for Public Health.
"Sadly, there is still practically no information publicly available on what is a safe amount of alcohol for children to consume or on how parents can best moderate their children's drinking.
"Without a clear message that under-age drunkenness will not be tolerated, we will continue to see the high levels of alcohol bingeing and related violence identified in this study.
"All too often such bingeing and violence not only damages children's lives but also results in whole communities feeling threatened by gangs of drunk teenagers."