Alcohol Misuse
As statistics confirm, alcohol misuse is the second biggest threat to the health and well-being of the UK – second only to tobacco in destroying health and causing premature death.
Alcoholism is increasingly diagnosed, even amongst a growing number of primary-age children.
Alcohol misuse plays a huge part in antisocial and other criminal behaviour by under 18s; it is frequently a contributory factor in teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections; hangovers are too often the cause of 'bunking off school', and underachievement and disruptive behaviour by those alcohol misusers who do still manage to attend.
Read the BBC report - UK youths among worse for drink.
The effect of alcohol on the long-term health and performance of the young, if they do drink it excessively, can be disastrous. Underage problem drinking is a far more widespread problem in the UK than in any other Western country, according to the UNICEF report.
If this threat to our society is to be countered, children and young people need to have the informed opportunity to learn 'to think before they drink'. The earlier this process starts the more effective it can be. These disturbing facts motivated Learning Through Action to develop, in the late 1990s, the interactive learning workshops outlined below, the first of which is designed for primary-school age children.
We gratefully acknowledge guidance from Alcohol Concern and other specialists in developing these workshops.
As with all our workshops, we tailor content and emphasis to each school's policy and needs. Overall review and revision of our workshops is a continuing process.
Our 'gap-year' presenters are particularly valuable in these workshops – children and young people accept them as really understanding their concerns and challenges.
LTA, and the schools who have directly benefited, are extremely grateful to the Trustees of the Drinkaware Trust for their financial support, which has subsidised the cost of delivery of a number of workshops.
Workshops for Ages 4 to 10+
Whilst modified versions of the children's workshop described immediately below can be delivered to younger ages if teachers wish, it is most usually delivered to children in primary/junior/special schools and PRUs, aged 8 to 10+.
The central message in this inter-active learning workshop is that 'YOU (young as you may be) are the person who is responsible for making YOUR life-affecting decisions'. This is true, whether the decision is to run across the road without looking, or is to misuse alcohol or drugs, or to bully or tolerate bullying, or to be violent, or to smoke, or whether to behave towards others as you would like them to behave towards you.
Myths and delusions relating to alcohol and drugs are identified, and verified facts communicated: the short- and longer-term consequences of the misuse of alcohol and of drug abuse are made clear in ways appropriate to the age and understanding of participants.
LTA's programme of school community workshops usually includes elements addressing the issues of alcohol misuse and drugs awareness.
Workshops for Ages 11 to 18+
This interactive learning workshop focuses on taking responsibility for one's own life-affecting choices. Myths and misconceptions regarding the effects and the short- and longer-term consequences of alcohol misuse and drug abuse are explored and corrected through role play and discussion, often in small groups. The comparative emphasis between alcohol and other drugs is agreed beforehand with school staff.
