They found that family disharmony leading to childhood difficulties was a more influential factor than the fact of having a parent with a drinking problem. Types of drink. Many young people drink more than one kind of drink and what young people drink is changing. In the same timescale, figures show that young people are now drinking more wine, fortified wine and shandy. It is also the case that many young people are choosing stronger brands.
Figures show that it is possible for young people to purchase alcohol.
The most common place for young people to buy alcohol is from an off-licence. The recent government white paper on licensing laws proposes a number of ways of tackling this issue. These include a new offence of knowingly permitting a sale to a person under 18 years, a new duty on people selling alcohol to satisfy themselves about customers ages and the wider use of proof of age cards. For young people, who come in all shapes and sizes, and whose bodies may still be developing, risk free drinking does not exist. Not only sex, build and weight, but also physical tolerance, experience of drinking and the context in which it takes place are all crucial factors which affect young people s drinking experiences.