The Facts.. 1. Alcohol gets into the bloodstream within a few minutes of drinking and is carried to all parts of the body. The effects can take hours to wear off and vary depending on: -how much and how quickly a person is drinking;   -what they've been drinking (strong drinks like spirits and fizzy drinks like cider are absorbed more quickly);   -how used they are to drinking alcohol;   -their size and weight and other factors, such as whether they have eaten. 2. If a person is smaller or lighter, the alcohol will be concentrated in a smaller body. So alcohol will affect a person who isn't fully grown more quickly. 3. Alcohol is addictive - this means you develop a tolerance with regular use and need more to get the same effect 4. Alcohol is implicated in over 22,000 deaths per year in England and Wales and is directly responsible for over 6,000 deaths per year. 5. It's a biological fact - drink for drink, alcohol will affect a woman more than a man. Women are generally smaller, their bodies contain less water and the metabolism is different; making them more vulnerable to diseases such as breast cancer and digestive problems. 6. Alcohol affects physical co-ordination, reaction times and decision making. People who have been drinking are more likely to have an accident, get into arguments or take stupid risks. If they have drunk too much they may feel sick, have blackouts or lose consciousness. Alcohol poisoning can be fatal. 7. Drinking alcohol together with taking illegal drugs is particularly dangerous, increasing the likelihood of a serious drug overdose. 8. Two thirds of 12-15 year olds get most of their alcohol from their parents. 9. Young people give three reasons for drinking alcohol: -To change their mood -To facilitate social relations -Peer influence   The Government's Youth Alcohol Action Plan identifies.. The DfCSF produced their Youth Alcohol Action Plan in June 2008 outlining how the government plan to tackle the increasing problems of alcohol consumption in under 18's. Below is a summary of some of their findings:   How and why young people drink: - The average weekly consumption of alcohol for 11 - 15 year olds increased from 5 units in 1990 to more than 11 units in 2006 - 35% of 11 - 15 year olds who have drunk alcohol in the previous four weeks have done so deliberately to get drunk - 11 - 13 year olds are less likely to have had a drink in the previous week (14% in 2001 to 9% in 2006), but of those who were drinking, their level of consumption had risen from 5.6 units a week in 2001 to 10.1 in 2006 -The proportion of 11 - 15 year olds who drink on the street, in a park or somewhere else outside has increased from 21% in 1999 to 31% in 2006 -Of the 11 - 15 year olds who drank 14 or more units in the previous week, 48% claim to have been given alcohol directly by their parents whilst 42% claim to have taken it without their parents consent   The consequences of drinking for young people: - 10 - 15 year olds who have been drunk once a month or more in the past year are over twice as likely to commit an offence as those who had not - Drinking by young people is associated with violence. In a recent study, only 15% of respondents aged 10 - 17 drank once a week or more; yet they were responsible for 34% of all violent offences committed by this age group -Young people who drink are significantly more likely to take drugs of all kinds than young people who do not drink. Among 15 year olds who first drank alcohol at 10 years or younger, 17% had taken Class A drugs at the age of 14, compared to 2% of those who first drank when they were 14 years old - Young people who drink are more likely to be absent from school. Young people who had been excluded from school in the past 12 months were more likely to have had an alcoholic drink in the last week (45%) than those who had never been excluded (21%) Patterns of alcohol consumption by age: - At age 11 the majority of young people do not drink and those who do tend to drink at home with their parents. - At age 13, just over half of young people have had a drink while nearly a third drink once a month or more. Young people are usually aged 13 or 14 when they had their first alcoholic drink without their parents' knowledge. - At age 15, almost 90% have tried alcohol while over a third drink once a week or more. The overwhelming majority of 15 year olds usually drink with their friends. The most common drinking location is still at home or someone else's home but drinking in unsupervised outdoor locations, which is closely linked with harms, peaks in this age group. - Amongst 16 - 17 year olds, about half drink at least once a week and the most popular drinking location is in pubs.   Extracts taken from Youth Alcohol Action Plan 2008 Available at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/youthalcohol/