AlcoHELPing Epping pupils understand drink dangers

25 June 2014

The AlcoHELP workshops, part of the Essex Crucial Crew safety programme, gave a hard-hitting message to around 2,000 pupils on just how dangerous a drug alcohol is.

The alcohol awareness sessions for 10 and 11-year-olds concentrated on the effects that alcohol has on the brain and the potential permanent damage this can cause.

AlcoHELP also deliver a very clear message not to abuse alcohol, and to never ever get into a car with a driver who has been drinking alcohol.

Debby Peirson, who struggled with alcohol for many years and is a trustee of AlcoHELP, ran approximately 200 workshops with groups of primary school children across the two-week Crucial Crew event at Gilwell Park.

Debby said: “Children are experimenting with alcohol earlier and earlier, so teaching them about the dangers when they are primary school age is essential.

“I always start the session by saying that ‘if you start to drink alcohol when you are young, you will start to have problems’.

“The cold hard fact is that in a group of ten 10 -11 year olds, statistically, two will already be drinking and will enter into adult life with an alcohol problem. We set up AlcoHELP to address these issues and give children and young people the education about alcohol to make informed choices.”

Crucial Crew is a safety initiative with a range of workshops on subjects including education on first aid, fire safety, road safety, anti-social behaviour and vandalism.