England is the worst in the world for under age drinking
Addiction Economy Thought for Today - the economic and social models of addiction really prominent here in this new research from WHO on drinking and vaping.
The Social Model focuses on context:
I read elsewhere that it turns out that French kids don't get alcohol normalised by moderate use at home, they drink less than UK kids. But as shown here, UK kids get alcohol normalised by their parents excessive use and drink more than any other country in the world.
“Evidence shows that parental drinking practices and how parents talk about alcohol are reflected in children’s attitudes towards alcohol and drinking. A pro-alcohol environment leads to the normalisation of drinking and ‘cultural blindness’ to alcohol harm among children. That’s true even with moderate parental drinking.
“And as more affluent people tend to drink more, this normalisation will be especially true, which is likely why we see higher rates of drinking in children from affluent families. We know that children mirror the behaviour of the adults around them, so it’s important that parents who drink any amount are aware of how it could affect their child in later life.”
Similarly with Vapes we vape more than anywhere else in the world.
The Economic Model focuses on product design, availability, promotion and corporate influence on policy.
Cultural context is a function of the Economic Model. We allow more positive advertising and promotion of both these products than anyone else and alcohol and vapes are widely promoted in society as a good thing and because of the influence of a range of companies, we are less quick to crack down.
Embarrassingly, I am only just beginning to see the real problem of alcohol in the UK, and have been that middle class person who didn't think anything of it that their child drank in their teens, it was just normal. This doesn't happen in anything like as much the US where the drinking age is 21 and in Europe. European friends have been really shocked at the sheer volume that the Brits drink as a cultural norm.
From The Times