Alcohol misuse - young people

79% of young people said they found it very or fairly easy to obtain alcohol, and 61% said they had it provided by their parents. Some young people said they sourced alcohol from friends or other people buying it for them. 6% of young people stated they brought it themselves from an off license, and 2% buying alcohol from a supermarket.

Staffordshire Trading Standards carried out 13 test purchases in Cannock Chase in 2011/12 with 3 illegal sales detected. This highlights that schemes such as ‘Challenge 25’ are effective, but illegal sales are still occurring.

83% of young people confirmed that they consumed alcohol at home or at someone else’s house. 9% confirmed they consumed alcohol on the street, in a park or somewhere else outside.

One in ten young people identified that through consuming alcohol they had become involved in an argument or a fight, with 3% stating they had got into trouble with the Police.

This evidence would suggest that alcohol amongst young people is prevalent. Whilst licensing seems to be effective in preventing sales to young people, the majority find it relatively easy to get hold of alcohol.

Alcohol related hospital admissions for males of all ages is below the national average however, the rate for females is above. It is thought that more than 20% of adults in Cannock Chase regularly binge drink and the district has 7% high risk drinkers, which is similar to the regional rate. Over a 3 year period there has been 75 alcohol related admissions in people under 18 in Cannock Chase with rates being higher than the England average.