Alcohol and Young People |
| According to the World Health Organisation, all children and adolescents
have the right to grow up in an environment protected from negative consequences of
alcohol consumption and, to the extent possible, from the promotion of alcoholic
beverages. But does the society fulfil those expectations? There are a lot of statistical investigations showing that it does not, instead they tell us about an alcohol consumption among youths that is far too high. The danger with teenagers drinking is that they in general have not developed any tolerance towards alcohol and therefore they get easier affected than adults. When it comes to driving, alcohol often affects their judgement at a lower permillage of alcohol than the legal limit to drive. A report from CAN, Centralförbundet för Alkohol- och Narkotikaupplysning, points at an alarming increase of young people's alcohol consumption. Between 1990 and 1994 the consumption increased with 23 percent among 16 to 24-year-olds. They had increased their consumption of wine and beer, while they drunk less spirits. In comparation with teenagers in other European countries, Swedish youths still do not drink very much alcohol. Quite a new threat against youths' health are alcopops; a statistical investigation by TEMO and Systembolaget shows that 64 percent of all 15 to 24-year-olds have tasted alcopops. It is a scaring report since most of the interviewed people said that the alcopops did not replace some other alcohol. Instead it increases youths' alcohol consumption. The main problem is that it is easy to forget about the risks with alcopops since they do not taste like alcohol. At first Systembolaget did not want to sell alcopops because of the big problems they have caused for children and young people in other countries, but the problem in Sweden is that EU's regulations make it almost impossible to prevent the sale of a product that is allowed in another EU-country. It is also difficult to forbid the sale at Systembolaget for the reason that teenagers get harmed, since youths are not allowed to buy alcohol at all. |