Why Let Drink Decide?
Drinking alcohol with your friends can seem like fun, but it can often take away your inhibitions. This means that it’s more likely you’ll do something dangerous that you wouldn’t normally decide to do. Did you know that:
- 10,000 young people go to hospital every year because they have been drinking
- More than one in ten 15 and 16-year-olds are involved in an accident caused by drinking
- One in five 15-year-old girls say they have had sex after drinking alcohol that they later regretted
- You’re more likely to have unprotected sex if you’ve been drinking
- Young women who drink alcohol are twice as likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than those who don’t
- You’re more likely to get a criminal record or get into trouble with the police if you drink too much on a regular basis
Effects of alcohol on your health
Drinking too much alcohol when you’re under 18 also has negative effects on your physical appearance. Too much alcohol can:
- Make you put on weight, as most alcoholic drinks are full of calories
- Reduce your level of fitness
- Dry out your skin and cause an outbreak of spots
Drinking alcohol as a teenager can also lead to longer-term health issues like:
- Liver failure
- Heart disease
- Cancer of the mouth and throat
- Mental health problems
The government asked doctors to get together to work out what’s best for you and your health when it comes to alcohol. Here are their recommendations:
- Don’t drink alcohol before you’re 15 – it can interfere with the way your body develops.
- The healthiest option is to stay alcohol-free until you’re 18.
- If you’re drinking make sure there’s a responsible adult present.
- Only drink every now and again – and certainly don’t do it more than once a week.
- Never consume more than the recommended daily number of units for adults (which is 3–4 units a day for men and 2–3 units a day for women)
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