Women outnumber men among young binge drinkers

By MELISSA CLARKE

One in four mid-teen girls drink so much alcohol they could be harming their physical and emotional health.

There has also been a significant rise in the number of 16 to 24-year-old women who binge drink, according to study by the University of Auckland.

Research director Dr Felicity Goodyear-Smith was surprised by the increase in risky drinking by young girls, especially 14 and 15-year-olds.

"We were anticipating a rise in drinking in young people because of the law change in 1999, but that it was only women surprised us," she said.

"Young women [aged 16 to 24 ] was the only age group where the number of females outnumbered males in risky or problematic drinking. It's usually males that have more problems with drinking."

The study, "Changes in drinking behaviour detected in Auckland general practice patients between 1995 and 2003", surveyed the drinking habits of Aucklanders before and after the lowering of the age of purchasing alcohol in 1999 from 20 to 18.

Dr Goodyear-Smith believes the law liberalisation has contributed to the trend and "needs to be revisited".

Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton, the chair of the Ministerial Committee on Drug Policy, would also like to see the minimum purchase age made 20 again.

"The lowering of the drinking age reinforces the acceptance of young people drinking," he said. "Over the years we have not had a good cultural attitude to drinking and we can't change that attitude when we're sending the wrong signals.

"By far and away the most serious drug issue in New Zealand is alcohol."

Dr David Richards, an emergency physician at Christchurch Hospital, regularly sees the consequences.

"There would be more young women in general who come in intoxicated or injured from falling over," Dr Richards said, "and all the things that intoxicated people do - getting into cars, getting into fights, getting into cars and crashing into people, trying to cook and setting themselves on fire."

Dr Richards has noticed a general increase in the number of intoxicated young people in the emergency department, and they're getting younger.

Dr Mike MacAvoy, chief executive of the Alcohol Advisory Council, said it was increasingly easy for young people to get alcohol. "There's a lot of pressure on parents to provide alcohol for their children. It's a matter of parents and older friends taking responsibility and setting limits."

Mr Anderton is worried that parents don't know what, how much or where their children are drinking. "The older generation has to ask itself where the young people get their cultural attitudes from."