10 and 11 year olds get a ‘taste’ of alcohol

04 July 2012

The alcoHELP workshop, which is delivered by recovered alcoholic Debby Peirson as part of the Essex Crucial Crew annual safety project, is designed to highlight the dangers of alcohol consumption to children aged 10 and 11.

A series of stark messages were given to the pupils about the dangers of drinking – including videos of real-life alcohol-fuelled crashes. The powerful 12 minute session focuses on the severe health impacts of alcohol with clips of people who have either been killed or seriously maimed as a result of being drunk or being with someone else who is.

The message is stark yet simple; never ever get into a car with a driver who has been drinking alcohol and don’t abuse alcohol in the first place.

Debby, who struggled with alcohol for many years, fervently believes that a person’s relationship with alcohol can start at a very early age. She comments:

“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 make young people aware that they have choices and can so “no” to peer pressure.”

To drive the message home, Debby also asks the children to put on a pair of ‘goggles’ designed to simulate the effects of alcohol. Whilst the children find it funny at first, they soon realise the difficulty they could find themselves in when asked to find their seats. The resulting conversation after the exercise, without fail, makes the children realise just how dangerous alcohol can be.

Debby adds:
“With the youngsters, we are trying to plant a seed based on facts. Our film footage on ‘saying no’, coupled with highly impactful and somewhat shocking images, really does leave a lasting impression with the children."

The alcoHELP session is just one of ten workshops making up the Crucial Crew annual safety project. This year, the Epping scheme is running for two weeks in June at Gilwell Park in Chingford, with each set of pupils dropping in for a two-hour session on personal safety and crime prevention.

The subjects covered include everything from alcohol misuse and road safety to emergency planning, cyber-bullying and knowing when to call an ambulance.

Caroline Wiggins, Safer Communities Manager at Epping Forest District Council, who manages the Crucial Crew workshops, comments:

“All our sessions are extremely important and leave a lasting impression with the children. The session on alcohol, which we introduced three years ago, is exceptionally important. We want to deter young people from drinking alcohol for health as well as safety reasons. What many young people do not realise before the alcoHELP session is that their brains are still developing up until the age of 18 and that alcohol consumption can have a huge impact on its function.”