YPDAAT will be on hand in the the Town Centre this weekend (17/18 May) offering advice and information to members of the public. Call into the Healthy Living Event around Parish Church on Friday and Saturday to meet with the team. We wil be happy to chat about our work in supporting young people and families in St Helens to reduce the harms caused by drug and alcohol use, and also offer advice and information to parents and family members on how to support teenagers make the right decisions about drug and alcohol use.
Safer St Helens are cracking down on underage alcohol sales. Buying alcohol for under 18s is illegal and can land you with an unlimited fine. Shops selling alcohol to under 18s, or to adults they suspect are giving alcohol to under 18s are liable to fines, and can end up losing their licences.
Of course the consequences of underage drinking can be much greater for young people. Although we know more and more young people are choosing not to drink, those that do are at risk of both long and short term harms.
Some of the risks associated with adolescent drinking are:
Young people tell us they drink because 'that's what everyone does at weekends'. However the earlier young people start drinking alcohol, the greater the risk for harm in the future. In St Helens we have some of the highest rates in the country for alcohol related harm in our adult population, and recent data shows we have the highest rate of under 18 admissions to hospital linked to alcohol use.
We need parents and the community to support us to address some of these issues. We are asking parents to take the ACE Pledge; to
YPDAAT and Safer St Helens are asking members of the public NOT to buy alcohol for children and to report any issues around underage sales to Trading Standards. Click the link to find out more.
St Helens Young People's Drug and Alcohol Team (YPDAAT), provide young people and their families in St Helens with a range of interventions to help them to make informed choices around drug and alcohol use in order to achieve their full potential.
Despite what you might think, most young people chose not to use drugs or alcohol. Of those that do most young people will grow out of this without any issues.