The Communities That Care (CTC) youth survey has highlighted a number of issues facing adolescents across the south-west. Each week RACHAEL HOULIHAN will explore these problems and the people trying to find solutions.
ONE in five grade six pupils have had alcohol and four out of five got it from their parents, according to a worrying trend found in the CTC Warrnambool survey.
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CTC Warrnambool co-ordinator Cameron Price said the most common source of alcohol for under-age drinking is from parents.
“Two in five year 8 students have had alcohol and of those, over half got it from their parents. Two in three year 10 students have had alcohol and two in five got it from their parents.”
Warrnambool and Region Drug and Alcohol Centre director Geoff Soma said he was unhappy with the results, but not surprised.
“It is consistent with the experience and knowledge we have of young people that present (at WRAD),” he said.
“We are certainly aware of drinking around year 10 students. Overall substance misuse is a problem that affects the whole community. I think this study highlights the need to help our young people into becoming healthy and happy individuals.”
Mr Soma welcomed the CTC Warrnambool survey as a good starting point to tackle the problems.
“It gives the community an opportunity to unite and to achieve positive outcomes – I take an optimistic view that if you have the information and share it and unite people, then you have an opportunity to address it,” he said.
Data from the National Health and Medical Research Council in 2009 warned that the risks of accidents, injuries, violence and self-harm are high among drinkers aged under 18 and that young people who drink are more prone to risky and antisocial behaviour than older drinkers.
The research council’s advice to parents and carers is that children under 15 shouldn’t drink alcohol as they are at the greatest risk of harm and for young people aged 15−17 years the safest option is to delay drinking for as long as possible.
Mr Price said the national trend of less risky drinking needs to be reinforced in Warrnambool to ensure young people are safe.
“I have confidence that as a community we can make positive changes,” he said.
“We are identifying existing local programmes to scale up and evidence-based prevention programmes that have been run elsewhere in Australia to fill any gaps.
“Let’s do more of what we know works to improve the well-being of our local children and young people.”
A parent of two teenage boys spoke anonymously to The Standard said alcohol consumption was very common among adolescents.
“I think a lot of it is being done with the knowledge of the parents,” he said.
The south-west father does not supply alcohol to his children, but said he knows some other parents who do.
“I think it sets up a reliance on alcohol in social situations,” he said.
“It’s the responsibility of the parents to show their children other ways to go out and have fun, without alcohol or drugs.”
