EXCLUSIVE: Children as young as 9 treated for alcohol abuse in NI hospitals
Shock statistics show concerning extent of under-age drinking
More than 200 young people, many aged just 12 and 13, have been treated in hospitals across Northern Ireland for alcohol abuse, we can reveal today.
Of that total, 119 had to be admitted to hospital because the levels of alcohol in their blood were so high.
Our statistics also capture the picture in 2014 and 2015 when at least one child admitted to a hospital here was as young as nine.
During 2016, the figures show further that in the Belfast Health Trust five 12-year-olds and 8 13-year-olds were admitted to hospital last year with “acute intoxication of alcohol.”
They were among no fewer than 46 admissions – the highest in three years – which involved children all under the age of 18.
The Western Trust also had its highest inpatient admission tally since 2014 with 39 12 to 17 year-olds being given hospital beds for abusing alcohol.
In addition, doctors in the Trust’s Emergency Departments saw a total of 76 young people – two of whom were aged 12 and nine 13-year-olds.
Again, this was the highest number of attendances there in three years.
The figures were obtained by Downtown & Cool FM through a Freedom of Information request to the province’s health trusts.
We received information from the Western, Southern, South Eastern, Northern and Belfast Trusts.
During 2016, In the Southern Health Trust, there were 13 admissions of children under the age of 17 while at the South Eastern Health Trust, 122 young people attended hospitals for alcohol abuse. Of this total 13 were admitted including five 14 year olds.
Meanwhile, the Northern Trust, which looks after two of Northern Ireland’s main acute hospitals, Antrim and the Causeway in Coleraine, says eight 14 to 17 year olds had to be admitted due to “alcohol related” problems.
However, in 2015, the figures show 11 admissions aged between nine and 17.
In a statement to Downtown & Cool the Trust said their figures were based on a “primary diagnosis of alcohol related.”
It said it could not provide individual ages due to the small numbers involved as “this could be potentially matched up with other information to allow individuals to be identified.”.
Therefore, it provided an age range for 2015 as “9-17 years”.