’s
e
l
p
o
e
P
g
n
u
Basildon Yo
l
o
h
o
c
Al
e
c
n
e
r
Confe
Information Booklet
Basildon Young People’s
Alcohol Conference
|Information Booklet
The Basildon Young People’s Alcohol Conference was organised by the
Basildon Community Safety Partnership to provide you with information in an effort
to inform and influence your future decisions when it comes to drinking alcohol.
We appreciate that a lot of information was covered during the conference therefore, this
booklet has been developed to outline all the topics and learning points, to provide you with
the key information that you can refer back to at anytime after the event.
It also includes some interesting facts and figures in relation to alcohol and useful
contact numbers and website addresses.
We hope that you enjoyed attending the conference and have learnt that whilst drinking
alcohol sensibly, moderately and legally is acceptable, the misuse use of alcohol and drinking
underage can have severe consequences.
The Basildon Young People Alcohol Conference Working Group
On behalf of Basildon Community Safety Partnership
Alcohol
The Law and Licensing
What age can you drink?
In a pub:
If you are under 14 you can go into a pub that has a children’s certificate, but must be with
an adult and stay in the garden or family room. You cannot drink alcohol.
If you are under 16 you can go into the pub accompanied by an adult but you cannot
drink or buy alcohol.
If you are 16 or 17 years old and accompanied by an adult you can drink (not buy) beer,
wine or cider with a table meal (this is defined as a meal not a snack).
Otherwise it is illegal for someone under 18 to drink alcohol in licensed premises.
Drinking in public places:
Only people over 18 years old can drink in public, except in ‘alcohol-free zones’ (areas in some
towns where no one can drink in public).
If caught drinking in an ‘alcohol free zone’, police can confiscate your alcohol.
Even outside of alcohol-free zones the police can take away alcohol or move on under 18s
if they have been drinking. You could even be fined or arrested.
Alcohol Proxy Sales:
The police can issue fixed penalty notices to people who buy alcohol for people under the age
of 18 years old. The person buying could end up in court and receive a fine of £5,000.
Alcohol Underage Sales:
If a shop sells alcohol to someone under the age of 18 years old the member of staff selling
(seller) will receive an £80 fixed penalty notice, other avenues of enforcement could also be
used such as licence reviews where shops can receive a suspension or withdrawal of their
licence or have conditions applied to their licence.
Test Purchasing:
This is carried out on all aged restricted products including knives, tobacco, spray paints and
alcohol. If a retailer sells to an underage person the possible fines and penalties include; the
seller being formally interviewed, a fine and/or prosecution for the seller and/or the store, as
well special measures being implemented in the store.
Challenge 25 Scheme:
This is a scheme which operates across the Basildon Borough and requires shopkeepers
to ask anyone who looks under the age of 25 for identification when buying an age
restricted product, which includes alcohol.
Fake IDs:
There are many fake IDs in circulation, and you will know now that some of them look pretty
genuine; some even contain chips and holograms.
These fake ID cards are sold as novelty items and the companies are often run from abroad
which means it is difficult for the UK to stop the source of the cards.
It is a criminal offence under the Identity Cards Act 2010 to possess a passport or
driving licence which doesn’t belong to you.
It is a criminal offence under the Fraud Act 2006 to possess fake ID.
It is a criminal offence under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 to use completely
false documents.
Fines and prison terms apply to these offences.
Alcohol
Personal Safety
Alcohol Content (Units)
The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the daily unit
guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for men and 2-3 units of alcohol for women. ‘Regularly’
means drinking every day or most days of the week.
Alcohol and unsafe sex
Alcohol can affect your decision making skills. Sometimes making you feel more confident
and lowering your inhibitions. This can lead you to make decisions which are out of character
such as having unprotected sex because you forget or do not bother to use a condom.
Sex without a condom can lead to an unwanted pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted
infections (STIs).
Drinking alcohol can lead to you getting close to someone you hardly know. The ‘beer goggles’
effect can make people appear attractive when you drink too much alcohol. This can be both
embarrassing and dangerous.
Alcohol and Violence
Alcohol can make you more aggressive, which can lead to arguments, or even fights,
about things that don’t seem important the next morning. Being with drunken people can
mean you get caught up in fights that you didn’t start.
Alcohol and VulneraBIlity
Too much alcohol makes you vulnerable. You could be attacked, or sexually assaulted.
Some people may try and get you drunk in order to have sex with you.
Alcohol can impair your judgement and leave you more vulnerable to putting yourself
in risky situations, like walking home alone.
Binge Drinking
The NHS definition of binge drinking is ‘drinking heavily in a short space of time to get drunk
or feel the effects of alcohol’.
Binge drinking for men is drinking more than 8 units of alcohol
equivalent to three pints of strong beer
Binge drinking for women is drinking more than 6 units of alcohol
equivalent to two large glasses of wine
Studies show that drinking a large amount of alcohol over a short period of time may be
significantly worse for your health than frequently drinking small quantities.
Alcohol Poisoning
Drinking more alcohol than your body can handle is very risky. If you’re not used to the effects
of alcohol it’s hard to judge how much is ‘too much’. In serious cases, alcohol will poison your
system to the point where your brain may stop controlling your body’s vital functions. After
drinking too much you may have to have your stomach pumped, or face a night in hospital.
Drink Spiking
Drink spiking occurs when a substance, such as drugs or alcohol, is added to your drink
without you knowing about it.
Alcohol is the most common date rape drug. It can be added to a soft (non-alcoholic) drink
without you knowing, or double measure can be used instead of singles. If you have had a
drink already, you may find it harder to tell how much alcohol you are drinking.
What to do if you think your drink may have
Been spiked?
Tell someone you trust – this could be a friend, pub landlord or the bar manager and get
to a safe place. If you are not with a friend, ask the pub landlord or bar manager to call
someone you trust.
If you feel unwell, someone you trust should take you to the accident and emergency (A&E)
department of your nearest hospital and tell the medical staff that you think your drink has
been spiked.
฀ Report it to the police as soon as you can.
How to avoid drink spiking
If your drink has been spiked it is unlikely that you will be able to see, smell or taste
any difference.
The following steps may help prevent someone
from spiking your drink:
฀
฀
฀
฀
฀
Never leave your drink unattended
Don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know
Keep an eye on your friends’ drinks
Stay away from situations that you don’t feel comfortable with
Let someone know where you are and what time you expect to be home, especially if
you’re going on a date with someone you don’t know
Don’t give out too much information to someone you’ve just met, such as your address
It’s important to remember that if you’ve already been drinking, it may make you less
aware of any danger
Drink spiking is illegal, whether or not an attack or assault has been carried out. It can result in
a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for anyone who is found guilty of doing it. If an
assault, rape or robbery has also taken place, the sentence will be even higher.
Liquid Nitrogen
Liquid Nitrogen is a chemical which is super-cold and only exists at temperatures of between
-210C and -196C; it starts to evaporate the moment it comes into contact with room
temperature air, creating a dramatic dry-ice effect.
It is completely harmless as a gas – most of the air we breathe is made up of nitrogen – but
as a liquid it has the power to freeze objects in a matter of seconds. Touching the liquid can
give you severe cold burns.
If swallowed, liquid nitrogen can cause cold burns to the mouth, throat and stomach, killing
the tissue. As the frozen vapour hits the stomach it rapidly warms, releasing large volumes of
air which can burst the stomach.
Case Study
Gaby Scanlon, from Heysham, Lancashire, was celebrating her 18th birthday with
friends when she drank two shots of the liqueur Jagermeister, which was laced
with liquid nitrogen.
After her second shot, Gaby felt ill and was soon doubled up in pain. Her friends
took her to hospital where a scan found a large perforation in her stomach. During
a subsequent operation, surgeons found that the extremely low temperature of the
liquid nitrogen had not only burned a hole in Gaby’s stomach but had completely
destroyed her stomach lining.
Her whole stomach had to be removed and surgeons had to connect her
oesophagus, which takes food from the mouth to the stomach, directly to her bowel.
Alcohol
Long Term Health Effects
Liver
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver and can lead to a variety of problems and liver
inflammations including:
฀ Steatosis or fatty liver – this is the first stage of alcoholic liver disease. Drinking a large
amount of alcohol, even for only a few days, can lead to a build up of fatty acids in the liver.
It rarely causes any symptoms but it is an important warning sign that you are drinking at
a level that is harmful to your health. Fatty liver disease is reversible and stopping drinking
alcohol for two weeks should return your liver to normal.
฀ Alcoholic hepatitis – this is the second more serious stage of alcoholic liver disease.
Prolonged alcohol misuse over many years can cause the tissues of the liver to become
inflamed. Less commonly, alcoholic hepatitis can occur if you drink a large amount of alcohol
in a short period of time (binge drinking). It is usually reversible, although could mean you
would need to stop drinking alcohol for several months or years.
฀ Cirrhosis – this is the final stage of alcoholic liver disease and happens when prolonged
inflammation causes scarring of the liver and loss of function, which can be life threatening.
The damage caused by Cirrhosis is not reversible; in mild to moderate cases stopping
drinking alcohol should prevent further damage and lead to the gradual recovery of liver
function. In more severe cases, a liver transplant may be required.
Pancreas
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to
pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that
prevents proper digestion.
Cancer
Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing certain cancers, including
cancers of the:
฀ Mouth – also known as oral cancer this is when an abnormal group of cells, known as a
tumour, develops on the surface of the tongue, mouth, lips or gums. Symptoms include one
or more mouth ulcers that do not heal; red, or red and white, patches on the lining of the
mouth or tongue and/or swelling in the mouth that lasts for more than three weeks. Alcohol
is one of the things known to increase the risk of developing mouth cancer.
฀ Oesophagus – known as oesophageal cancer, this cancer is uncommon but serious. The
oesophagus is the long tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. Symptoms
include difficulties swallowing, weight loss, throat pain and persistent cough. They don’t
necessarily mean that you have oesophageal cancer but should be investigated. Smoking
and drinking alcohol are the two biggest risk factors for oesophageal cancer, particularly if
both are combined. People who drink heavily but do not smoke are four times more likely to
develop the disease and people who smoke and drink heavily (more than 30 units a week)
are eight times more likely to develop the disease.
฀ Liver – this is a rare but serious type of cancer. Symptoms are often vague and non-specific
including: unexplained weight loss, nausea, vomiting, tiredness and jaundice. In many cases,
cancer of the liver does not cause noticeable symptoms until it has reached an advanced stage.
A risk factor for liver cancer includes drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol.
Immune System
Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for
disease. Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis
than people who do not drink too much. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s
ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.
Brain
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain
looks and works. These disruptions can change the mood and behaviour, and make it harder to
think clearly and move with co-ordination.
Heart
Drinking a lot over a long period of time or too much on a single occasion can damage the
heart, causing problems including:
฀
฀
฀
฀
Cardiomyopathy – stretching and dropping of heart muscles
Arrhythmias – irregular heart beat
Stroke
High blood pressure
Basildon SOS Bus
The Basildon SOS Bus is located at Festival Leisure Park every Friday and Saturday night from
9pm until 3am, helping vulnerable people at the site well into the early hours.
It acts as the first point of contact for those whose well-being is threatened by an inability to
get home, illness or injury, emotional distress or vulnerability.
The bus is run by trained first aid volunteers who have access to the medical centre on the
downstairs of the bus for those presenting minor injuries, ensuring less serious problems are
treated on the spot rather than going to hospital.
The bus offers support to individuals at Festival
Leisure Park, helping the overall night time
economy and reducing crime and anti-social
behaviour caused by alcohol misuse.
During the week the bus travels around the
borough promoting awareness of health issues,
drug and alcohol misuse, benefits advice,
community safety and services for children and
young people.
Community Wheels
The Community Wheels vehicle is a ‘multi-media’ vehicle that takes road safety messages
straight to the heart of local communities across Essex.
The vehicle includes a full driving simulator which visitors are able to use to test all aspects
of their driving, including testing reactions times on the road, television and DVD player
and a range of teaching tools used to get across road safety messages.
‘
Mocktail Recipes
Here are some recipes for alcohol free cocktails, better known as ‘mocktails’ to try
and make yourself.
Mocktail one:
Ingredients:
3 oz cranberry juice
3 oz orange juice
1 lime wheel
How TO MAke
1.
2.
3.
4.
Fill a glass with ice cubes
Add the juices to the shaker.
Shake the mixture vigorously for 5 to 10 seconds.
Pour the contents of the shaker into a glass and garnish with lime wheel.
Mocktail Two:
Ingredients:
3 oz lemonade
3 oz cranberry juice
2 oz pineapple juice
1 lime wheel
How TO MAke
1. Fill a glass with ice cubes
2. Add the lemonade, cranberry juice and
pineapple juice to the shaker.
3. Shake the mixture vigorously for 5 to 10 seconds.
4. Pour the contents of the shaker into a glass and
garnish with lime wheel.
Alcohol
Facts and Figures
฀
Either on its own or in conjunction with other factors, alcohol is estimated to be
responsible for at least 33,000 deaths in the UK each year.
Around 6% of road casualties and 17% of all deaths on the road occur when someone
has been drinking over the legal limit.
In young adults, binge drinking is associated with a range of risky behaviours, including
a higher risk of contracting a sexually transmitted illness.
The harmful effects of drinking are almost entirely related to the alcohol content of what
you drink, NOT the type of drink. In other words, beers are no safer than spirits, what
matters is how much you drink.
A Home Office survey found that 1 in 5 of 12-13 years olds and more than 1 in 4 of
14-15 year olds caused damaged whilst drinking. 1 in 10 of 15-16 years olds said that
drinking had led them to get into trouble with the police.
Research by Alcohol Concern shows that 5% of deaths in young people can be
attributed to alcohol.
Young people who drink are more likely to be involved in an accident and end up in
hospital. During 2011, the NHS reported that injuries as a result of teenage drinking are
at the highest level in the UK and are far greater than other European countries.
Over 1000 young people under the age of 15 are admitted to hospital each year with
acute alcohol poisoning.
The British Medical Association stated that alcohol is a factor in 75% of stabbings and
60-70% of murders.
More than 40% of children who start drinking before the age of 13 will go on to abuse
alcohol or to become alcoholics at some point in their lives.
Data released by the NHS revealed that 33 children are admitted to hospital each day in
England, with drink related problems. The NHS figures also reveal that 7034 young people
under 18 years old received treatment for problems related to drinking alcohol in the first
six months of 2011.
Alcohol is now causing more deaths than heroin, speed, cocaine, ecstasy and
cannabis combined.
Useful Websites
and Contact Numbers
Choices
Choices combines the skills of Open Road and the Children’s Society, Essex Young People’s
Drug and Alcohol Service (EYPDAS), to provide a single gateway to recovery for clients of all
ages including young people, adults and families. We support clients with recovery from drug
and alcohol misuse and ensure that all clients benefit from a consistent single relationship to
support them through their recovery journey.
We do this through help with specialist prescribing, needle/syringe programmes, one to one
support and group work as well as support in accessing any relevant services. For young
people we ensure that we go to them, and meet in a place where they feel comfortable.
Choices also provide information, advice and support to family members or carers who may
be affected by substance misuse.
To access our service, for referral or advise you may speak to us through our single point
of contact:
Tel: 08444 991323
Email: [email protected]
Text: 80800
Website: www.eypdas.org.uk
Drinkaware
Drinkaware aims to change the UK’s drinking habits for the better. We promote responsible
drinking and find innovative ways to challenge the national drinking culture to help reduce
alcohol misuse and minimise alcohol-related harm.
An independent, UK-wide charity, we are supported by voluntary donations from across the
drinks industry to equip people with the knowledge they need to make decisions about how
much they drink.
Website: www.drinkaware.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 7766 9900
Alcohol Concern
Alcohol Concern is the leading national charity working on alcohol issues. Our goal is to
improve people’s lives through reducing the harm caused by alcohol. We have an ambitious
long-term aim to change the drinking culture in this country.
We want to live in a world where people can manage the risks and make sense of alcohol.
Website: www.alcoholconcern.org.uk
Tel: 020 7566 9800
Alcohelp
Primarily, we aim to inform young people about how harmful alcohol is as a drug. Since 2005 more
than 50,000 children and young people in Essex have taken part in alcoHELP workshops and events,
gaining a greater understanding of the consequential effects of alcohol, and the dangers of alcohol
abuse.
By working in partnership with schools, the local police, councils and youth groups, alcoHELP
provides children and young people with the facts about alcohol: its impact on the brain and
the resulting effects on judgement, emotions, memory, balance, speech and anger levels.
Website: www.alcohelp.com
Helpline: 0300 365 0001
FRANK
Website: www.talktofrank.com
Telephone: 0800 77 66 00
Text: 82111 with a question and FRANK will text you back
Samaritans
Website: www.samaritans.org
Telephone: 08457 90 90 90
Health Outreach Workers - Basildon Council
Tel: 01268 294052
Essex Police
Non emergency number 101
(always dial 999 in an emergency)