Children reveal worry over parents' drinking

IT'S what your offspring are thinking about but don't want to mention: excessive drinking by their parents.

A third of Scottish children and teenagers say they are worried about how much their parents and other adults around them are drinking, while half have been "embarrassed" by the drunken antics of adults around them, a new survey of Scottish opinion has found.

The researchers, who spoke to children as young as ten, also found that 80 per cent were aware of having seen adults in a state of inebriation.

The findings of the survey, conducted by the charity Young Scot which represents ten to 24-year-olds, comes as Scottish ministers prepare to table fresh legislation in the coming weeks to impose a minimum price per unit on alcohol, and with police demanding a tougher crackdown on alcohol abuse.

Last week, Scotland on Sunday revealed that radical new measures include a plan to ban violent suspects from drinking while on bail. This week, the focus will turn to the impact of alcohol on children and young people, with a conference on Friday organised by the campaign group Alcohol Focus.

Previous research has suggested that the impact on children in Scotland of alcohol abuse is far worse than south of the Border.

The charity Childline, which takes calls from vulnerable children, says there are twice as many calls from Scottish youngsters concerned about their parents' harmful drinking as from children in the rest of the UK.

The new survey was based on interviews with 464 young people across Scotland and revealed growing concern about adult behaviour.

In total it is estimated that across the UK around 3.5 million children under the age of 16 live with a binge-drinking parent.

Dr Evelyn Gillan, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "We are all drinking too much and this has become so normal and acceptable that the problems it causes to other people, particularly children, are often overlooked."