The average age at which pupils in Northern Ireland were first offered drugs was 13, it emerged today.
Hundreds of young people were treated in one year for alcohol abuse and almost a tenth of children are regular smokers, Dr Michael McBride’s annual report also revealed.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure that young people know the facts about alcohol, about the real harm it does, about how getting drunk can lead to all sorts of unwanted consequences - and not just the hangover,” it said.
Excess alcohol consumption across all age groups costs Northern Ireland approximately £800 million per year.
Figures from 2006/07 reveal that 8,313 people were admitted to acute hospitals with alcohol-related problems, around 200 aged under 18.
In March 2007 3,476 people were in treatment for alcohol misuse - 11% under age 18.
The report added: “We all need to ensure that young people find it difficult to get hold of alcohol.
“Above all, we as adults and as parents need to ensure that we help young people learn about alcohol.
“We also need to be aware that they are already learning from us in how we talk about alcohol and how we ourselves use alcohol.”
The document revealed that the average age of first drug use, not including solvents, was just under 13 years. Four out of five 16-year-olds have had an alcoholic drink. By the age of 13 almost half of all children and young people have had an alcoholic drink.
By the age of 16, three out of four of those who have had an alcoholic drink have been drunk at least once.
The report added: “Alcohol misuse can cause real and lasting damage to a person’s health and well-being.”
It added: “The extent of alcohol misuse among children and young people is a major concern.”
It also outlined efforts to develop a vaccine for swine flu, the impact of climate change in increasing the spread of warm weather diseases and the problem with young people smoking.
The report said: “An unacceptably high number of children are still exposed to smoke at home or in the car by one or more of their parents.
“High smoking prevalence among manual workers is also an area of concern.” A quarter of girls in p1 are overweight or obese, the paper added.
“Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, and children of obese adults are significantly more likely to become obese — creating the potential for an upward spiral in levels of obesity,” it said.