Alcohol education urged

ALCOHOL education courses need to be taught to children in primary schools, an expert on the medical effects of alcohol said yesterday.

Following reports of hospitals regularly treating drunk children as young as nine-years of age, the adviser on alcohol consumption to the country’s family doctors group said there was a need to broaden the scope of education courses in schools.

Expressing surprise at the reports, Irish College of General Practitioners alcohol policy adviser Rolande Anderson said he felt it would be quite rare for young children to be binge-drinking as underage drinking usually begins in teenage years.

“Children who drink under 10 years is quite rare,” said Mr Anderson, “but even one or two cases is really serious.”

According to Mr Anderson, it is often not until teenagers reach fifth or sixth year in secondary school that they receive education on alcohol consumption and the information programmes need to begin a lot earlier.