Alcohol

What is alcohol?

Although it is legal for those aged 18 and over to buy and drink alcohol, that doesn’t mean it’s any less powerful than other drugs.

Alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows down your body's responses in all kinds of ways.

Just enough can make you feel sociable; too much and you’ll have a hangover the next day and may not even remember what you got up to and way too much alcohol in a single session could put you in a coma or even kill you.

What are the effects of alcohol?

Alcohol is a depressant on brain activity:

A small amount can reduce feelings of anxiety and inhibitions, making you feel more sociable and it will often exaggerate whatever mood you're in when you start drinking.
Some exaggeration of whatever mood you're in when you start drinking.
The short-term effects of alcohol can last for a day or two; depending on how much you drank, including the hangover.
Long-term effects include damage to your body that can take years to develop and this leads to a wide range of serious health problems, such as cancers that you may not realise are due to alcohol.
Causing a wide range of physical health problems, either as a result of binge drinking or from drinking most days of the week over recommended levels. The problems caused by alcohol include cancers, heart problems, high blood pressure, stroke, liver disease, injuries from accidents and even death.

The Law

It is against the law for anyone under 18 to buy alcohol in a pub, off-licence or supermarket or on-line.

It's also illegal for a person to buy alcohol for someone under 18 except where that person buys beer, wine or cider for someone aged 16 or 17 to be drunk with a table meal while accompanied by a person over 18.

The police have the power to stop a person and confiscate alcohol in a public place if they reasonably suspect the person to be under 18 years of age. Those under 18 who persistently drink or possess alcohol in a public places may be prosecuted.

Anyone over 18 can buy and drink alcohol legally in licensed premises in Britain. But, a lot of shops operate a scheme called Challenge 21 where if you look under 21 (or 25 in some places) and don’t have proof of your age they can refuse to sell you alcohol.

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