The study concluded that alcohol consumption is high amongst university students, including medical students. Although it is high when they arrive at university, it goes up as they progress through their course and with medical students increases when they become house officers. Young people need to be educated at an early age with students being made more aware of the risks associated with heavy drinking. Medical training lasts for 5 years and during this time students receive a day s training around alcohol issues and nothing on drugs. David stated that more than half of all 16-17 year olds have consumed alcohol in the last week with the proportion rising rapidly with age.
Young people drink outside the home and as they get older in the pub.
The Government 10 year strategy on drugs sees alcohol as secondary, or as an add on, and in the north east drug and alcohol treatment is deal with by the same agencies. Although David s project has found alcohol to be a significant issue in the multi drug use of young people, nobody refers for alcohol alone. The north east has a drinking culture based on a history of attitudes towards alcohol. Although these attitudes are changing many parents would still feel that they wouldn t be so bothered if it was just alcohol . Although, as it was pointed out there may be a shift due to the fact that many parents may have used drugs and so are more accepting of drug use.