Hundreds of young Bay people are seeking help for addiction for alcohola and drugs. Photo/file
Hundreds of youngsters, some as young as 12, are receiving help for drug and booze abuse in the Bay.
New data reveals alcohol and drug treatment services dealt with a total of 266 children aged between 12 and 18 between July 2015 and April this year.
The information was obtained under the Official Information Act from the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
The health board also revealed that chilldren were seriously affected by everyday alcohol and drug use, the DHB revealed.
A young person suffered burns to their body following a session huffing petrol and another, with a background of abuse, had at times turned to prostitution to get alcohol.
Another young person's dependence on cannabis meant they were stealing from family and becoming aggressive towards parents and siblings when unable to access the substance.
Get Smart Tauranga's free drug and alcohol counselling service had a constant flow of referrals.
Manager Stuart Caldwell said the most common age was 17 to 20 and the youngest was 13.
He said it was usually a combination of factors that led young people to have substance abuse issues including family influences and other underlying problems.
"We normally have three to eight sessions with each client, helping them with a plan to reduce their use and associated harm."
In following sessions clients were taken on activities including surfing, walking Mauao, cooking, and ropes course to build self-confidence and explore new hobbies, Mr Caldwell said.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board's Youth Alcohol and Other Drug Services (SORTED) co-ordinator Caleb Putt said cannabis and alcohol were the two main substances used by young people referred to their service.
Any substance use was harmful to children as their brains were still under developing, Mr Putt said.
Other types of harm of drug and alcohol use included acting in regrettable ways, injuring themselves or offending while under the influence.
Mr Putt said everybody had a responsibility when it came to underage substance abuse.
"Legislators have a responsibility to legislate responsibly, parents have a responsibility to parent responsibly and young people have a responsibility for their own decisions."
Alcohol Action New Zealand member and Mount Maunganui GP Tony Farrell believed the legislation was too loose, indirectly allowing teenagers to have access to alcohol.
The Tauranga branch of Alcohol Action NZ had "formally rekindled" recently and wanted to see changes such as an increase excise tax on alcohol, a reduction in availability in terms of hours and location, increase the purchase age of alcohol to 20, and reductions in advertising and marketing.
The next step for the group was to "denormalise" alcohol as it was not a safe drug, especially for younger brains which were "more vulnerable to the neuro toxic effect of alcohol, Dr Farrell said.