Underage drinking: The importance of delaying the age at which young people start to drink alcohol is the key message in a new advice booklet on teenage drinking, aimed at parents.
Research shows that the earlier a teenager starts drinking, the more severe the damage will be - if a boy or girl starts drinking before they are 15, they are four times more likely to become dependent on alcohol than those who wait until they are 21 to start.
They are also more likely to be involved in accidents, to suffer injuries, to have crisis pregnancies and to contract sexually transmitted diseases.
The booklet, Straight Talk - a Guide for Parents on Teenage Drinking, grew out of an initiative in the northwest but has now been funded as a national guide by the Department of Health. It is a joint project between the North West Alcohol Forum and the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The forum has a five-year alcohol action plan, which takes a "community mobilisation" approach spanning the four different sectors of health, community, education and justice. It has been found internationally that such an approach is needed when the problem is too great for education or health to tackle.
Moira Mills, manager of the mental health and addiction service with the HSE in the northwest, said attempts to tackle teenage drinking often made the mistake of focusing mainly on work in schools in the belief that education programmes would change behaviour. However, the evidence suggested this was not the most effective approach.
"The most effective measure is community action, particularly in non-formal educational settings," she said. For this reason, the action plan has put particular emphasis on working with community and voluntary groups. Youth groups, sports organisations and church-related activities could all play an important role, she said.
The guide is just one part of the implementation of the action plan. It includes four main messages for parents. The first stresses the need to talk and listen to teenagers. The second urges parents to have family rules, which should be discussed with each family member. Teenagers should be clear about what is allowed and what is not.
There should be consequences for breaking the rules and these should be enforced consistently, but the guide warns against empty threats or very harsh punishment.
The third message is to know where your teenager is at all times and to make sure your child is where they said they would be. The fourth urges parents to drink responsibly themselves. The booklet's advice also focuses on action that can be taken in schools and the community.
Ms Mills said the guide would be of most use to parents of children aged eight to nine who were beginning to talk to children about such issues as drinking.
Research conducted by the forum has confirmed the scale of the problem caused by drinking, with alcohol being "widely used" by under-18s. A high level of concern was found among teachers, juvenile liaison officers and other professionals dealing with teenagers about the damage alcohol was causing. One study found one-quarter of 10- to 17-year-olds had taken alcohol within the previous four weeks.
In 2004 alcohol was the third most common reason for admission to acute psychiatric services in the northwest, and one in four patients in medical and surgical wards in Sligo General Hospital met criteria for high-risk drinking.