According to the observations of youth workers in Hong Kong, the consumption of alcohol is increasing among young people. Concurrently, data from the Tuen Mun Alcohol Problems Clinic shows that nearly 80% of patients start drinking before they reach the age of 20. Doctors point out that youth alcoholism receives little or no initial attention, resulting in the fact that many patients only seek medical help after they have already developed severe physical and social problems. In spite of this being a problem with profound implications, there are few surveys on the prevalence of drinking habits among youth in Hong Kong. Through the Study, we hope to increase our understanding of the issue.

Both a qualitative case study and a quantitative survey are employed for this study. The qualitative case study is conducted through in-depth case interviews among youth that have been drinking for more than one year. An interview guideline with open-ended questions is directed to solicit respondents?opinions towards their drinking patterns, their attitudes and awareness of the dangers associated with alcohol abuse. A total of 18 in-depth case interviews were conducted from late February to March, 2000. The quantitative survey was conducted by telephone from 23 to 26 February, 2000. A total of 506 people, aged 15 to 29, were successfully interviewed. The analysis contains a synthesis of both the qualitative and quantitative data from the respondents and from an extensive review of the literature.

The major findings are as follow:

1. The trend of underage drinking is increasing. More than 20% of underage respondents admitted that they had drunk alcohol. Some research from overseas found that the younger the drinking age, the greater the chance of becoming dependent on alcohol. Alcohol consumption among young people in Hong Kong is a cause of concern.

2. Youth being exposed to environments where access to alcohol is easy.

3. The receptive attitude of respondents to alcohol consumption was quite high. They generally believed that this behaviour was an enhancement of their social interactions and health conditions. Drinking alcohol was part of their lives. Some respondents believed that they had control over their consumption of alcohol, indicating that their vigilance alone was not sufficient.

4. Drinking may have far-reaching harmful consequences.

5. The phenomenon of alcohol consumption while unhappy poses a psychological danger to drinkers.

　

In view of the above discussion, the Federation will recommend that:

1. Government Authorities should show more concern to the trend of underage drinking.

The study demonstrated that the trend of underage consumption of alcohol was increasing. Various medical resources and literature found that the younger the age of drinking, the greater the chance of developing a dependency on alcohol. Moreover, the consumption of alcohol adversely affects academic performance, health conditions and social life. Some types of behaviour, spontaneously enhanced by alcohol, such as sexual inhibitions, disobedience to law and order and traffic accidents, all require a high price to be paid, suggesting that the trend of underage drinking deserves serious attention.

In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health concentrated on anti-smoking strategies. Similarly, the Narcotics Division, which was supposed to handle an anti-alcohol drinking campaign, put its efforts into drugs and tobacco education, thereby limiting its focus on the issue of drinking.

Hong Kong has its own unique social and culture background. Overseas measures that tackle underage drinking cannot be fully applied in Hong Kong. However, as this issue has the potential to be a big problem with the drinking of alcohol becoming a part of the social lives of young people, the Federation suggests the departments concerned pay attention to the situation, taking measures from overseas as reference points to send a clear message to the youth that "Alcohol is addictive".

2. Collecting data to keep track of the problem.

The issue of alcohol consumption among youth touches on various policies. The departments concerned must keep a close eye on the development of this issue, in order to foresee possible problems and plan potential preventive measures. Currently, however, focused and comprehensive alcohol related statistics and data are scattered and incomplete. This is an obstacle for maintaining a sound grasp on the issue or being able to accurately monitor developments.

The investigators of this study, who while making a request to the Hospital Authority for territory-wide statistics on alcohol-dependent patients, were told that there was no such comprehensive and standard computer system in the Authority to compile this kind of statistics, highlight this inadequate system. This clearly highlights the gap in the collection of data.

In respect to the effects of alcohol consumption on society, data and information about traffic casualties, family problems, crimes or suicide are dispersed in various departments. This hinders a serious evaluation process on the social costs and implementation of policy on controlling alcohol consumption.

3. To strengthen the preventive education.

The study made some alarming findings. For example, the receptiveness of respondents to drinking alcohol was relatively high. They believed that they could control their alcohol intake, but they lacked the ability to do so. Some respondents used alcohol as a crutch when they did not feel good. This emerges as a potential danger in developing a dependence on alcohol. Experts found that it was not easy to set up an absolute standard for "reaching a level of drunkenness"  or a "problematic alcohol model". Youth behaviour ran the spectrum from "avoiding touching alcohol" to "relying on alcohol".  In view of this, the Federation suggests the society and people concerned provide more preventive education to alert youth to the potential danger of drinking alcohol.

4. To review existing ordinances.

The poll survey found that underage respondents were exposed to an environment with easy access to alcohol, suggesting that there were problems over the implementation process of related laws.

However, the survey showed that respondents were not unsatisfied with the enactment of particular ordinance that targeted underage drinking. On the contrary, a majority of respondents agreed with prohibiting the selling of alcohol to young people. The Federation suggests the departments concerned to review the enforcement of the related ordinances.

　

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