Student drinking

With the start of the school year just around the corner, many students are looking beyond the books they’ll be hitting, to the booze and bars.

But the Canadian Medical Association has just come out with some startling numbers that show teen girls are now drinking just as much alcohol as boys.

And as Kate Carnegie shows us, girls are now starting to drink at a very young age.
Brianna and Nikki are both 16-years old. They say drinking alcohol at their age is normal.

“That’s what you do in high school basically. Yah, there is a lot of drinking.”

While both girls admit to underage drinking they say it starts at an even younger age.

“What’s the youngest age that you find girls are drinking? Ummm, I have seen very young girls drinking. Like grade 8’s; it’s getting pretty bad.”

18-year old Jessica has seen even younger girls drinking.

“It’s an average thing. Like I am from the country, Simcoe, Ontario and it’s crazy out there.”

The President of the Ontario Medical Association, Dr. Scott Wooder says advertising plays a big role in the rise of young girls drinking.

“Companies that make alcohol are designing beverages specifically to appeal to young women they are flavoured drinks you can’t really taste the alcohol.”

The medical community is calling on warning labels on bottles of alcohol that are just as graphic as the ones you find on cigarette packs.

So what’s the drink of choice among teen girls?

“Usually the flavoured vodkas like the birthday cake vodka that one is really popular.”

“They don’t see it as being a substance abuse problem. And they don’t drink to socialize they are drinking to get drunk. So they are using more shots.”

“Usually you just drink out of the bottle and take shots out of the bottle and when you want to stop. Depends on what your preference is.”

To help curb the rise in youth binge drinking, Dr. Wooder would like to see the government get involved.

“We would like the Ontario government and the LCBO to direct some of their funds to harm reduction and educating young people.”

And for parents to keep lines of communication open.

Kate Carnegie, CHCH news.