Andrew Hall, chief executive of Alcohol Support, which runs Albyn House clinic in Aberdeen, revealed the majority of the children involved fell in the age bracket of 11 to 15.
“There is an increasing demand on our service from children aged nine and up – it’s a growing problem,” The Sun quoted Hall as saying.
“At one stage this year we were treating six children under the age of 10.”
“All the evidence shows that children are starting to drink earlier, they are drinking more and the results are getting worse – we now have kids dying of liver failure,” he added.
Hall believes that parents drinking on front of their kids may be setting a bad example.
He said: “Drinking used to be done in pubs but now you get a lot more people drinking wine at home. When children see drunkenness, the whole attitude of that child changes dramatically.”
Counsellor Francesca Martin, who works with children and families hit by long–term alcoholism, explained why many kids turn to the bottle.
She said: “They have a lot of problems one way or the other. A lot of them would admit to feeling quite vulnerable when they are drunk. Sometimes it can be about sex.
“They can’t remember what happened the night before, where they have been and who they have been with.”
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Source: AndhraNews