A survey by young journalists from Children's Express found children and young teens planning to get very drunk at Christmas.
| A 13-year-old boy was so drunk he just lay in the street. Some kids thought it was funny, others raided his pockets for money. |
Christmas presents and a tasty turkey dinner were not at the top of every young person's Christmas list, if you believe conversations overhead in school cloakrooms.
Siobhan Quinn, 12 said: "People are talking about what drink they're getting and who they're getting it off."
Thomas Kielty, 15 agreed: "Many of my friends are bragging about getting 'blocked' over the Christmas holidays. They think it is cool to get blitzed, a bit of a laugh. But it is not so funny if somebody walks into the middle of the road and gets run over."
For many adults the Christmas holidays provide an opportunity to relax, have fun and take time off work. Many teenagers are thinking along similar lines, they are fully aware parent and adults, full of Christmas cheer may not be at their most vigilant.
According to a recent survey carried out by Children's Express, underage drinking is part of growing up for many children in Northern Ireland and certainly not specific to Christmas. The legal drinking age of 18 seems to mean little to many teenagers - being seen as grown up by their friends, experimenting with a prohibited substance and copying adults holds more sway.
Twenty-two young people surveyed said they drink alcohol on a regular basis while thirteen said they had not tried it. Although Northern Ireland has a higher proportion of non-drinking young people than in Britain, those who do drink tend to consume excessive amounts.
"A 13-year-old boy was so drunk on Friday night he just lay in the street. Kids walked by and thought it was funny, others raided his pockets searching for money," said Sheena Hall, 13. "Personally I think it's not cool. At that age young people's livers can't cope with alcohol and that is why 18-years-old is set as the legal drinking age," she added.
But alcohol is easy to obtain. Most teenagers find getting drink from the local off licence poses no problem. Other drinkers get older friends or siblings to buy alcohol for them.
"Some of my friends buy drink from a person who buys drink wholesale and sells it to children as young as eight," Sheena said.
Many teenagers see drinking alcohol as part of an initiation ceremony to adulthood. Health hazards associated with developing bodies and excessive alcohol intake are waived aside.
Stephanie McCann, 14, said: "Most young people I know drink to get blocked. They don't know when to stop."
Thomas Kielty added: "Some young people even go to other neighbourhoods so as not to be found out."
About the team
This article was produced by Siobhan Quinn, 12, Sheena Hall and Amanda McAteer, 13. It was published in the Irish News.
