Alcohol abuse in under 11-year-olds up by a third in one year

According to figures, there were about 300 11-year-olds who were admitted to A&E for alcohol abuse which is 35% higher than compared to last year.

11:33 01 October 2013

The number of children aged 11 years old and younger that were taken to A&E for alcohol abuse had increased by roughly 35% compared to last year.

A study of the nation revealed that there were 293 children across the UK admitted into care after drinking too much alcohol. Meanwhile, the number of children in the same age group that were taken to the hospital for drug abuse has increased by 14%. For this reason, doctors said that liver cancer could be the cause of death for patients in their 20’s.

Dr Morten Draegebo, an A&E consultant, said: ‘We have had many cases where young teenage females have come in saying that they may have been sexually assaulted.

‘They’re that intoxicated and are distressed and say I may have been but they don’t even know if they have been or not.

‘On a humane level that is very distressing. I’m a parent, I would hate for that to happen to my daughter.’

Meanwhile, Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: ‘What we know is that 30 years ago it was very unusual to see someone in their twenties with liver cirrhosis. Now it’s quite common for units to have young people in their twenties dying of liver disease because they started drinking so early.”

‘That has really affected the average age of death from any liver disease.”