Congress explores teenage drinking

NEARLY 5'000 schoolchildren aged between 12 and 18 attended the Adolesence and Alcohol programme during the last school year.
The programme was designed to prevent alcohol consumption which starts at an average age of 14, according to the Alcohol and Society Foundation.
The programme, which the Foundation also runs in Catalonia, Galicia and Andalucia, should reach all school children during the current school year, according to director general Jaime Gil, speaking at the opening of the first national congress on young people and alcohol now being held in Palma. The congress aims to explore alcohol consumption by young people, binge drinking in particular, and to share the experiences of other cities.
Gil explained that the Foundation, set up by the Spanish Federation of Spirits, runs the educational campaign to reduce alcohol consumption and to delay the start of drinking in the 12 to 18 age group. It includes sessions not only for the children, but also for their families and teachers. It also has a project called “one driver for the evening” to make young people aware that drinking and driving are “incompatible” and the person who is driver for the night should not have anything to drink. This campaign has not yet been held in the Balearics, although the Foundation plans to introduce it in the near future.