More Indian teenagers take to the bottle

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Chennai: A third of all teenagers are likely to have their first drink before they go to college. Alcohol consumption among teenagers in metros is increasing, with 45% of Class XII students drinking excessively, five to six times a month, reveals a survey. The reasons include peer pressure, plenty of pocket money, easy access to alcohol and low parental supervision.

More than 32% of the teens surveyed said they drink when they are upset, 18% said they drink alone, 15% said they drink when they are bored, and 46% said they drink to ‘get a high’, according to the survey conducted by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham). Consumption of liquor among teens is higher in Delhi and Mumbai, followed by Chandigarh and Hyderabad. Students said they spend Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,500 a year on alcohol, which is more their combined spending on beverages, movie tickets or books. And 45% said their parents do not know where they go in their spare time, and don’t impose any restrictions. Dr SV Srikanteswar, consultant psychiatrist, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, says they have seen a rise in teenage drinking in the past five years.
“We get six to eight cases a month, of which two or three are girls. Parents don’t notice it initially, only when teachers complain about poor grades or there are behavioural changes, do they approach us,” he says. Conducted from July to September, the survey covered 2,000 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 in major cities, including Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Patna, Pune, Delhi, Chandigarh and Dehradun.

Dr Shanthi Ranganathan, founder, TTK Hospital, Chennai, which has been running de-addiction programmes since 1980, says they are seeing younger people with alcohol dependency. “Earlier, we had people in the 40-45 age group. Now, we have people under 30 coming to us. We are seeing more mothers accompanying them. Earlier, it was mostly wives.”


BOOZE BINGE

• Alcohol consumption among teenagers in metros is increasing, with 45% of class XII students drinking excessively, five to six times a month, says an Assocham survey

• More than 32% of the teens surveyed said they drink when they are upset, 18% said they drink alone, 15% said they drink when they are bored, and 46% said they drink to ‘et a high’

• Consumption of liquor among teens is higher in Delhi and Mumbai, followed by Chandigarh and Hyderabad

• Students said they spend Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,500 a year on alcohol, which is more their combined spending on beverages, movie tickets or books
 
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