Wednesday 12 November 2008

I found this story on the GMTV's website about a woman who named and shamed her own son inregards to binge drinking, the full story is shown below:

Warning for teen bingers Binge drinking

Sue Strom has named and shamed her son for binge drinking as a warning to others. Would you do the same?
A mother has released a photograph of her seriously ill son who at just 13 could barely breathe after drinking up to a litre bottle of vodka in a park. Sue Strom, from Brighton decided to release the picture as a warning to other youngsters and their parents. Jack was very close to death and his mother wants to warn other parents and teenagers of the perils of binge drinking.When she arrived at hospital, Jack was attached to an oxegen mask and was fighting alcohol poisoning and hypothermia. She has been a wreck ever since and is having trouble sleeping at night.
Sussex police issued a warning to all teenagers and confirmed they were trying to trace and prosecute the person who purchased the drink.
They have been cracking down on underage drinking and last week a local Tesco Express store was banned from selling any alcohol for a month after being caught selling to 15 and 16 year olds.
Since Labour have been in power, the number of children being treated for alcohol-related illnesses have increased by a third, with girls and boys in their late teens that are being treated for cirrhosis.

Binge driking Research

BRITIAN & BINGE DRINKING
http://www.gmtv.com/

A group of MPs are calling for curbs on Britain's booze culture by banning happy hours along
with minimum alcohol prices. Email us
A group of MPs called for a ban on "happy hour" drink promotions today. Supermarkets should also be prevented by law from selling alcohol at a loss to encourage people into their stores, they said.

Citing research that showed the real price of alcohol has fallen dramatically, the Home Affairs Select Committee urged ministers to clamp down on irresponsible bars and pubs. They found the "whole focus" of police resources was in targeting booze-fuelled and football violence, meaning officers were "hitting their targets but missing the point".
Chairman Keith Vaz said: "We cannot have on one hand a world of alcohol promotions for profit that fuels surges of crime and disorder, and on the other the police diverting all their resources to cope with it." He also called for previously voluntary codes of conduct for the drinks industry to be legally enforceable. Last week a senior officer said police did not need new powers to tackle errant licensees.

Compulsory code
Simon O'Brien, who speaks for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) on pubs and clubs, said those selling drink irresponsibly were a "minority". Ministers are reportedly considering a compulsory code for pubs and bars that would outlaw discounts and happy hours. The rules could also ensure cut price offers extend to soft drinks, and put cigarette-style health warnings on alcohol. The report also called for police to be given electronic notebooks to speed up the recording of crime. Officers could then file reports without having to return to the station, the MPs said.

Child drinkers
Government figures released today reveal a child under 10 is admitted to hospital due to alcohol problems every three days in England. Over the past five years, a total of 648 under-10s were hospitalised because of alcohol. The figures, contained in a parliamentary answer revealed by the Liberal Democrats, also showed that more than 24,000 children under 16 were admitted due to alcohol over the past five years.Some 12,500 young people aged 16-17 were admitted to Accident and Emergency because of alcohol problems over the past five years - an increase of 95% from 2002 to 2007.The Liberal Democrats highlighted the figures ahead of the launch of their strategy to tackle underage and binge drinking tomorrow.Lib Dem culture spokesman Don Foster said the Government had "completely failed" to tackle Britain's "growing alcohol problem".

Shocking findingsHe said: "For so many children of such a young age to be hospitalised is scandalous. Ministers must conduct an urgent review of the systems in place which are meant to be ensuring that young children cannot have access to such harmful substances. "Only a complete change to our drinking culture will prevent a whole generation of young people from being condemned to serious alcohol-related illnesses."The figures from the Department of Health also showed that just over 600,000 adults were admitted with alcohol problems to English NHS trusts over the last five years. Some 85,000 over-18s were admitted in 2002-03, while 153,000 were hospitalised in 2006-07 - an increase of 80%.
Hospital admissionsOn average, 130 children under 10 were admitted to hospital each year between 2002 and 2007, equating to an admission every 72 hours.The hospital admissions related to episodes where one or more of the following three diagnoses were mentioned: mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol use, alcoholic liver disease or the toxic effect of alcohol. A total of 36,585 under-18s were hospitalised due to alcohol over the last five years.


Lib Dem recommendations :

  • Stop irresponsible drink promotions by introducing a minimum price for alcohol
    Put an end to the sale of alcohol to minors by imposing a "one strike and you're out policy
    Provide educational resources for parents so that they can teacher their children how to drink responsibly
  • Increase funding for alcohol treatment services
    Protect A&E staff by ensuring that drunks who are disruptive in hospital A&E departments are dealt with
  • Give local authorities the power to target irresponsible premises and make them pay their fair shareHelp local authorities to share best practice from their experiences
    Support the roll out of pilot schemes that help the police such as identifiable barcodes for off-licence sales
  • Promote choice in bars by re-introducing smaller glass measures.


    A group of MPs are calling for curbs on Britain's booze culture by banning happy hours along with minimum alcohol prices. Email us
    A group of MPs called for a ban on "happy hour" drink promotions today. Supermarkets should also be prevented by law from selling alcohol at a loss to encourage people into their stores, they said.

Citing research that showed the real price of alcohol has fallen dramatically, the Home Affairs Select Committee urged ministers to clamp down on irresponsible bars and pubs. They found the "whole focus" of police resources was in targeting booze-fuelled and football violence, meaning officers were "hitting their targets but missing the point".
Chairman Keith Vaz said: "We cannot have on one hand a world of alcohol promotions for profit that fuels surges of crime and disorder, and on the other the police diverting all their resources to cope with it." He also called for previously voluntary codes of conduct for the drinks industry to be legally enforceable. Last week a senior officer said police did not need new powers to tackle errant licensees.


Wednesday 5 November 2008

Yard Gal Review

EVENING STANDARD newspaper 03/11/08

Yard Gal is astonishing By Fiona Mountford
*****
It is a rare and delightful treat to encounter a production as splendid as this, especially in a lesser known fringe venue. A credit-crunch-friendly £8 buys entry to 21-year-old director Stef O’Driscoll’s revival of Rebecca Prichard’s terrifying look at two teenage girls posturing around the streets of Hackney. From the opening seconds, O’Driscoll’s confidence-packed production has us gripped, as Boo (Stefanie Di Rubbo) and Marie (Monsay Whitney) saunter on and eyeball individual audience members with menacing intent. Thus begins a hurtling 90-minute account of drug taking and dealing, casual prostitution and girl gang etiquette. Di Rubbo and Whitney are charismatic young actors with great futures. They capture with unflagging vocal and physical energy the high spirits and black humour of these lifelong friends, as well as recounting the exploits of fellow “yard gals”, including one who loved fighting so long as it didn’t mess with her hair. All the bounce in the world, however, cannot mask the frighteningly nihilistic lives that Boo and Marie lead. A bigger yard — or transfer to a larger theatre — would be just reward for these astonishing gals.