POLICE have issued a warning to young people about the dangers of excessive drinking.
Officers have recently been called to deal with a number of cases where young people have drunk so much alcohol they have put their lives at risk.
The warning has gone out to parents, teachers and other adults who have a responsibility to educate young people about the harm alcohol can cause.
Cheshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Ruth Purdie said: “My officers are facing situations where they are dealing with young people who have passed out on the streets.
“Officers deliver messages to parents that their child’s life is hanging by a thread because of alcohol poisoning and it is just not acceptable.
“I am challenging everyone who cares about or has a responsibility for a young person, if you are a parent, older brother or sister, a teacher, youth worker, doctor, social worker or just someone else involved with young people I want you to consider this question – what have you done today to protect the children you know from the harm alcohol can cause if misused?
“I want you to consider this – would you willingly provide money or allow the young people in your care or their friends to buy drugs and take enough of them to poison their body and put their life in danger?
“You might think this is a ridiculous question to put to you, but alcohol acts like a drug in young peoples bodies because they are not developed enough to cope with the side effects.
“Research shows that young people often drink with the consent of those people closest to them, their parents, sisters, brothers or older friends and the alcohol is bought for them knowing they are underage.
“Drinking alcohol causes anxiety, slowed breathing and heartbeat, loss of consciousness. Young people can suffocate on their own vomit, it leaves them vulnerable and clouds their ability to think, putting them at risk of becoming a victim of crime and potentially, alcohol like drugs, can have fatal consequences.”
ACC Purdie points out that parents’ drinking habits will influence their children.
“Young people might not want to drink but may feel peer pressure from their friends or family. Make sure if you are a parent that your children are aware of the risks and implications of underage drinking.
“Research has shown that the most common place for alcohol to be accessed is the home.”
