Toll of binge drinking on young children revealed

CHILDREN and babies as young as one are being treated at London hospitals for drink-related problems, the Standard can reveal today.

A Standard investigation shows the extent of alcohol abuse among children under 12, which experts warn is putting a generation at risk of serious illness.

Experts said parents were partly to blame as hundreds of young children a year suffer long-term health damage.

NHS figures reveal for the first time the true toll of Britain's binge-drinking epidemic on the nation's children.

A total of 1,791 children have been treated in 12 London A&E units for alcohol abuse in the past two years.

Medics said the statistics were just "the tip of the iceberg", as many cases of "toddler" addiction went unnoticed.

Cases include:

lA one-year-old treated in University College Hospital's paediatric unit for "alcohol ingestion";

lChelsea and Westminster hospital having to deal with two toddlers, both aged two, after "accidental" alcohol consumption;

lA 13-year-old brought unconscious into Ealing hospital after drinking; and

lA boy, aged 14, treated after mixing drink with ecstasy tablets.

The findings are based on admission figures to London hospitals from 2006 to 2008, and will increase pressure on MPs to tackle underage drinking.

The Government has focused on tackling drink addiction among women and middle-class drinkers, but critics warned the dangers for children have been ignored.

Dr Rajiv Jalan, from University College London, described the findings as "shocking". The liver expert warned that children were more vulnerable than adults because their brains and organs were still developing.

He said: "It's shocking and totally frightening that we've got to the stage that children are being exposed to alcohol at that young age.

"It's important to understand that when a child is growing then even small amounts of alcohol are associated with not just liver damage but also to other organs. A child exposed that early to alcohol is likely to become alcoholic in future. And if a child is drinking secretly and you give them medication such as paracetamol, it could kill them."

The concern about alcohol addiction in the young is so great that the London Assembly has launched its own investigation.

This is to map out the extent of underage drinking and alcohol misuse in the capital, and establish the first clear picture of the extent of the problem.

Chairman of the assembly's health and public services committee James Cleverly is heading the inquiry and findings will be published next year.

He said the figures obtained by the Standard "reinforced" concerns that children were developing drink problems at a younger age than previously believed.

He added: "So much information about children drinking is hidden but we must get to the bottom of this.

"What is scary is this is the tip of the iceberg. Everyone accepts that being exposed to alcohol is part of being an adult but these are very young children who are being hospitalised for alcohol consumption."

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