What do you know about alcohol?
You might think that drinking is the grown up thing to do, especially when TV
programmes and ads show people drinking alcohol… maybe you want to
impress your mates by drinking… Remember, it’s all Up-2-You… it's your
body, your life, and your choice to drink alcohol or not but before you do, make
sure you know the facts…
Alcohol is a drug
Alcohol (ethyl alcohol, ethanol) is the chemical produced whenever the sugars
from fruits or cereals are fermented (changed) by yeasts. Many alcoholic drinks
including beer, lager, cider, wine, spirits and alcopops are produced in this way.
Many people think that alcohol makes it easier to loosen up/relax, talk to people,
meet new friends or cheer yourself up, but alcohol is actually a drug that brings
you down! It works by turning off or dulling the parts of the brain that control your
ability to make decisions as well as your actions or your body. Alcohol affects
your mood and the downside is that it can also make you feel down, have an
accident, get into a fight, or do something that you might regret for a long time.
Alcohol, it’s legal, isn’t it?
Be careful that you don’t break the law and end up in trouble with the police
and your parents because in Northern Ireland it is against the law:
- to give alcohol to anyone under the age of 14 (for example, at
home) - for someone under the age of 18 to buy alcohol
- for someone under the age of 18 to drink other than in the home
- to sell alcohol to a person under the age of 18
- for anyone under the age of 18 to buy alcohol, or to drink in a pub
- for anyone to buy alcohol for someone under 18 to drink on
licensed premises (for example, a bar)
Between the age of 14 and 18 it is legal for young people to drink alcohol at
home with their parents.
If you’re under 18, police can confiscate alcoholic drinks from you and tell your
parents.