The survey of 10,000 children aged 11 to 15 across England in 2004 revealed that 23% had drunk alcohol in the previous week, compared to 25% in 2003.

However, the figures also showed that while the number of boys drinking has fallen, the number of girls who drink has remained the same.

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern has blamed the increase on heavy promotion by the drinks industry and stressed the need for improved alcohol education in schools.

Are you concerned by the findings? What is your experience of teen drinking? What can be done to decrease the number of teen drinkers, especially girls?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

I'm 14 and I'm always being laughed at because I don't drink much Catherine, Suffolk, UK

I'm 14 and I'm always being laughed at because I don't drink much at all and I've never got drunk. My peers say it's fun, but I can't see why. Why would anyone want to ruin their bodies, look stupid to sober people and do things that they might regret, all for a bit of "fun"? I've had several conversations with people on this subject of teenage drinking and they say that their parents buy it on the way to parties for them and that shop keepers will sell them alcohol even though they are under the legal limit. I think that the only way to stop this drinking is NOT to teach teenagers about drinking and it's dangers - because that will just encourage them and give them the mindset that adults are 'kill-joys'. We should prosecute shop keepers more often and punish them harder if they are caught selling alcohol illegally and that there should be more police to monitor popular nightclubs and bars. It should be the law that teenagers under 18 must carry ID with them if they go out after 7pm and that police officers have the right to ask the person's name and age.
Catherine, Suffolk, UK

Once again it has been focused in on the negative side of teenagers these days, it should hardly be a surprise as a result that more girls are drinking - we are given so few positive role teen models and even if we are they are never given the same amount of time and coverage as those that behave badly. I'm seventeen and my friends and I have never gone out of night to go and get drunk, we very rarely have any alcohol when were together and even then it's just a glass. We enjoy being together as friends and wish to remember our nights rather than as a drunken daze. Why is there never praise for the other 75% of teens who have not behaved like this? Why must we always focus on the negative?
Anon, Scotland

After some intermittent experiments from the age of 11, I was a regular drinker from the age of 14, and thought it great fun at the time, and also went into pubs that were willing to serve boys even if they didn't look old enough. The certainty of a thrashing from my father, were I caught, did not deter me, because it was all about doing something that was forbidden, it was not about the drinking itself. I'm now 59, with three daughters, and deplored the drinking of the eldest two, but recognised what it was all about. I trust I will be as relaxed about their daughters, two of whom are now teenagers.
JohnB, Milton Keynes, UK

No one is holding a gun to the heads of these children and ordering them to drink, they are exercising their own free will and should accept the consequences of their actions. They've been told, they've been warned and if they continue to involve themselves in self-destructive behaviour be it through drink or drugs then it's their fault alone and they should accept whatever consequences come their way. As to the parents, they too will suffer the consequences of their inaction and should expect no sympathy for negligent parenting.
Trevor, Cambs, UK

It's the culture and environment these children are brought up in that create the problem Douglas Davies, Johannesburg, S Africa

Defeatist attitudes of "if they want to drink, they will drink" do not help anyone. It's the culture and environment these children are brought up in that create the problem. Parents clearly are not teaching their children values - and an example is the best way to teach children. Perhaps we should look at surveying parents' drinking in relation to their children's drinking. I'm sure there would be a significant correlation.
Douglas Davies, Johannesburg, S Africa

There are a number of factors as to why teenage drinking is as it is. But blaming it on bad weather, as one contributor did, surely is absurd?! Teenagers are rebellious by default but I think the main causes are 1) the government are not doing enough for them. There isn't an awful lot to do - they are not offered enough distractions and incentives not to get plastered. In a world of computer games and such, and I hate to sound old before my years but kids don't seem to have the same interests that my generation did. And 2) Social acceptance of alcohol, especially in the UK. Pub culture is immense, and drinking is acceptable, generally. I think as adults we need to educate these kids thoroughly about alcohol and its effects, and give them a feeling of self-worth so they don't feel they have to revert to this kind of abuse.
Milly, Japan

I'll be honest, there isn't much you can do. If you make is harder to get alcohol. We'll want it more. If you don't do anything than they'll think it's more ok. Trust me I'm 15.
Alex, Arroyo Grande, California, United States

I'd be interested to know what time of year the survey was conducted. I took part in a similar survey, aged 15, 27 years ago. It was done just after Christmas, when most of us had an unusual amount of alcohol in the house (bought ready for visitors, as we did then) and were regularly taking advantage of it! I remember thinking at the time, that the results would not be typical.
Bee, Singapore

Maybe girls and boys have the same reasons to start drinking. Why do they make it a gender issue? The question I ask, why does a 13 year old think is cool to drink alcohol? The problem is that it is considered socially acceptable (as adults also get drunk and stupid) and that the parents neglect their children. It is a society problem not just a problem of underage girls drinking.
Alejandra Moreno, Mexico D.F. Mexico

The UK is obsessed with booze SS, Pennsylvania, USA

The UK is obsessed with booze. The repeated appearance on this website of alcohol-related queries such as the hideous "will you drink more during the festive season?" is sufficient to prove my point. In December 2001 my spouse and I went to London in cold drizzle to lift our spirits after 9/11. What we witnessed was diehard drinkers outdoors, alone, in cold rain, drinking at pubs.
SS, Pennsylvania, USA

The whole culture in this country is centred around drinking, so it is hardly surprising there is such a high level of drinking amongst teenagers. I am 18 years old and don't like drinking because I don't like the idea of something taking over my mind, but when I started university this year it was impossible to go to a 'fresher's event' without being surrounded by alcohol even at 11 in the morning! International students at my university were amazed at the amount of drinking going on, even amongst professors and lecturers. When I asked for orange juice the general comment was 'ah, where's the fun in that?' - prompting me to believe that like drugs and smoking, excess drinking in teenagers is due to peer pressure which in turn is due to teenagers giving in to the cultural norm of drinking in this country.
Rolinda, London, UK

If the drinks industry didn't try the hard sell with Alco pops which are aimed at women (I presume) then maybe then they would be a decrease in the number of Teen girls drinking. As for the figures showing a decrease in boys it's no doubt due to the increase in popularity of other substances. Such as Cannabis, Amphetamine and Ecstasy. No survey for substance abuse in teens is complete without the whole being taken into consideration.
I, Bradford

Kids will get booze from somewhere and will drink it if they want to Tim, Fareham, UK

I'm encouraged by the numbers. There has been a decrease overall, the number of girls drinking has stayed the same. Surely this is a good thing! We might be concerned if a percentage went from 23 to 25 but it didn't it went from 25 to 23. As for what can be done to curb teen drinking?

Well probably not a lot. Kids will get booze from somewhere and will drink it if they want to. All we can hope to achieve is to highlight the damage they are doing to themselves by this drinking. I advocate peer group talks by people who've kicked it after destroying themselves.
Tim, Fareham, UK

I'm 56 and was drinking socially and anti-socially at 15. I was one of the "cool" girls. This lasted until I was 20 and for the past 36 years, I've seldom had a drink even at a party. It's image and culture that encourage young people to drink as well as boredom.
Mobass, London, UK

Why are we quite so concerned? This is a cultural problem. We are a relatively rainy island. Therefore, we do not sit outside with a nice glass of wine, as our PM Blair says we should. We have to stay inside all day, and this leads to excessive drinking. Another factor would be that the licensing acts make drinking alcohol legal to anyone of five or over, but not to purchase it. Is this not odd?
Chris, Berks

A major concern is that many young girls have unprotected sex while intoxicated. This may result in sexually transmitted diseases being spread, as judgment is impaired.
Dr David W Steck, New York, NY, USA

I wonder if we really should be so worried about the fact that as many girls drink as boys. Should we not be looking at how to improve alcohol education for both girls and boys?
Cathy, London, UK

From the age of 14, I was allowed to drink a glass of wine with Sunday lunch. I believe that this action of drinking a controlled small amount with a meal in front of my parents, gave me an adult feeling and taught me responsible drinking. As a consequence, I never felt the need or urge to go out and get totally trashed with friends whilst under the legal drinking age.
Col, Manchester, UK

I'm 14 and I'm always being laughed at because I don't drink much at all and I've never got drunk Catherine, Suffolk, UK

I'm 14 and I'm always being laughed at because I don't drink much at all and I've never got drunk. My peers say its fun but I can't see why. Why would anyone want to ruin their bodies, look stupid to sober people and do things that they might regret, all for a bit of fun? I've had several conversations with people on this subject of teenage drinking and they say that their parents buy it on the way to parties for them and that shop keepers will sell them alcohol even though they are under the legal limit.

I think that the only way to stop this drinking is not to teach teenagers about drinking and its dangers because that will just encourage them and give them the mindset that adults are kill-joys. We should prosecute shop keepers more often and punish them harder if they are caught selling alcohol illegally and that there should be more police to monitor popular nightclubs and bars. It should be the law that teenagers under 18 must carry ID with them if they go out after 7pm and that police officers have the right to ask the person's name and age.
Catherine, Suffolk, UK

In the US it is standard practice to ID everyone in the group if a group of people that look under 30 come to buy alcohol. No ID, no alcohol. Admittedly it's irritating for the people where someone over 18 buys beer for their own use, and has an under 18 with them that doesn't intend to drink the alcohol; but as it's state law they can't get around it. Perhaps this kind of policy could be introduced.
Kath, Birmingham

It's not just England. When I was in high school it was easier for kids to get heroin than alcohol. It's so easy to blame parents, but in my experience the blame usually rests with the bad apples who pressure others to join them.
Rich Sittema, Dallas, Texas

What is so wrong about girls having the same liberties as boys? Maia, London

You seem to be implying that it is more reprehensible for underage girls to drink than for boys to do the same. Surely underage drinking is a problem that must be tackled whether the perpetrators (victims?) are underage boys or girls? So what is so wrong about girls having the same liberties as boys? It's a question of making sure both are equally educated and protected against self-harm, be it by excessive drinking or otherwise.
Maia, London

How about No Drinking Day?
Joseph Thoma, Hancock, NY, USA

Ask yourself why teenagers drink so much. It's a mixture of social pressure and pressure at school from exams. And why should girls not match boys in drinking? Is it more socially acceptable for boys to drink more?
Emily, Cumbria, UK

No, I'm not hugely concerned, mainly because I was a teenage drinker myself. Sorry to point out the obvious, but I do think that the more the adults forbid something, the more teenagers want to do it. Good parenting will stop those younger than 13, but after that age, they go to parties and friends' houses where alcohol may be freely available. Parents can't hold their hands the whole time: they can only guide them.
Red, Norwich

I just do not believe that 23% drink it regularly Harry Edge, UK

No survey will ever give an accurate picture of teen behaviour, for the simple reason that teens are more concerned with seeming cool than with being honest, and because they are full of swagger and bravado. They also love to shock. While I can certainly believe that a majority of teens have tried alcohol at some time, I just do not believe that 23% drink it regularly. No way, sorry.
Harry Edge, UK

People seem to be forgetting that there is a difference between antisocial behaviour and drinking. I agree there is pressure on youths to drink to excess, but only a few become violent having done so. Those few seem to have somehow become 'all' when anyone has anything to say about binge drinking. It's not fair on those who do not act this way.
James, Yorkshire, UK

Off licenses and shops should be hit with bigger fines. Or better still the police should follow up on groups, to see who bought the drink. As a previous shop worker, it's so easy to spot, the one child over 18 buying vast amounts of drink, to share round. The police should be targeting these people, who hang round with younger children...
Matthew, Windsor, Berkshire

The saddest part of this study is that it seeks to place blame everywhere but where it rightly belongs: with the parents.
Liz, Beds, UK

Alcoholism knows no class or race barriers Stuart Rankin, Livingston

Where are the parents of all those who are breaking the law? Who is selling to underage children? Why is to be left to the government to do everything? The hard facts of life should be explained to all teenage pupils. Education by parents from an early age, good habits are as easy to fall into as bad! The answer must lie in educating children and young adults, by everyone who is involved, it is too easy to blame one section of society. Alcoholism knows no class or race barriers.
Stuart Rankin, Livingston, Scotland

It is so easy to obtain alcohol. We should go back to restricting sales to fewer places where vetting of the buyers can be enforced. Supermarkets and the like do not have experienced staff to enforce the law.
TJ Newman, Bournemouth, UK

To TJ Newman, Bournemouth: Supermarket staff are highly trained and controlled in alcohol sales. They have to verify each sale again when it is alcohol, and if the staff is under age they cannot authorise it (bar-coded item is linked to their log on key, so no sale).
Simon, England

I'm concerned when anybody drinks alcohol, it's a mental poison. Especially to children. Let's stop 'genderising' this thing for the sake of a story, and let's start looking at the reasons behind children drinking, and doing something to combat that, rather than sensationalising it and hoping something can deal with the effects.
Jennifer Hynes, Plymouth, UK

Unfortunately this is a nasty by-product of equal rights. Girls now play in boys' football teams, and will compete in the jobs market for identical jobs that were once male only. Hardly surprising that they should start behaving as men is it?
Rob King, Bournemouth

From personal experience, girls are out of control. Society's control over the lower nature is disappearing under the misguiding hand of the dogmatic, liberal elite and we are, and will continue to, reap what they have sown. The emphasis on anti-culture or junk culture and the immorality it fosters has had damaging effect on young females who appear lost in a moral malaise of hedonism promoted by the immature and irresponsible media. Just watch EastEnders to see their work in action.
John K, Merseyside

The best thing to do is to figure out where these kids are getting their drink and start locking the suppliers up. Stop trying to have the government and police raise the kids and start being a parent and know where your kids are and what they're doing. It won't stop all of the problem but it will stop a huge portion of it.
Bill, Newmarket

The puritanical campaign against smoking started in the workplace. Now it has moved on to petition for a ban in all public places. This is to eliminate a small risk to public health - passive smoking. When it started I warned those around me who ostracized smokers that drinking would be next. They didn't believe me. Isn't this all getting out of control?
Gary Wordsworth, Stoke Poges, UK

Frankly I would ban all Alcopop products, they are aimed at teenagers, they are particularly attractive to girls as they have little or no alcoholic taste. Self regulation i.e. shops checking for the ages are obviously not working therefore a ban is the only way.
Andy, UK

You imply that this is a terrible problem. Suppose that their family had wine at Easter dinner, for example. I say, better to drink at home than to take drugs or get drunk in public.
Peter, La Marque, Texas

What do you expect? Girls are in a constantly expected to be "equal with their male counterparts" so is it really such a big shock that they will also learn to drink excessive qualities of alcohol? I think not.
Ahmed Mohammed, Hayes, UK