“Do you think alcohol is problem for young people in Darlington and why?

My answer is yes!!! I think alcohol is a problem for young people in Darlington because it is a drug and can seriously harm you.

Everybody drinks alcohol, and it can affect all people in the community. People drink in pubs and on the streets on a Saturday and Friday night. They drink alcohol because it is addictive and because they think its fun. It’s a big problem because when people drink too much it affects their health. Also, their behaviour can be affected and cause problems within the community.

Chrissey

I think alcohol is a problem for young people in Darlington because it can make you do things you wouldn’t do when you are sober.

Everybody and anybody drink alcohol, and it can affect your brain and liver but it can also affect people in your community because of your behaviour. Young people drink wherever they can, usually on a weekend but some people drink constantly. I think that young people may drink because they are depressed or if they are trying to fit in with everybody else. They might also drink for fun.

Jake

My answer is yes. I think alcohol is a problem for young people in Darlington because it gets them into trouble.

I think that alcohol is a problem for young people aged 14+. When they drink it affects their liver, their friendships and other relationships like ones with their family. They usually drink at clubs or parties on a Friday and Saturday night. I think young people in Darlington drink alcohol because they want to. They might also drink because they are upset or for a joke if they want to prove something to someone. If they drink, it will affect you and your friends’ lots. The drink is just a way to make themselves feel hard.

Katie

Yes: “People can die and it can make problems with your heart.”- Elijah

Yes: “Young people don’t drink responsibly and the consequences can affect them seriously”- Connor

Yes: “Alcohol can harm your heart and lungs and be unhealthy when you’re older!”- Rachel

Yes: “When they get too drunk they get too hyper.”- Morgan

Yes: “I think it has an affect on driving and cause more accidents.”- Josh

Yes: “It gives you liver failure”- Mariah

Yes and No: “It’s a problem because under 10’s drink, but its not a problem if you are supervised.”- Kayleigh

No: “…because its nice”- Danny

No: “not really cause I don’t like it.”- Scott

No: “It’s not a problem because it hasn’t been offered to me”- Luke

After talking to the young people at Branksome Youth Club, it appears that the large majority of young people believe that alcohol is a problem for young people in Darlington. It was really positive feedback, showing that the young people understand the dangers of alcohol, but it also showed that, if they are going to drink underage they would do it while being supervised by an adult, which showed me that they are thinking about their personal safety. Another point that I noticed, was that some of the answers to the questions that said “no” weren’t necessarily negative, for example one young person said it wasn’t a problem for them because they hadn’t been offered any alcohol.