There’s nothing more disturbing than having to hear cases about young children being hospitalised because of alcohol consumption. A lot of people are probably not aware of this fact, but from the year 2008 to 2012 there’s a shocking record of 380 children aged 10 and below being given treatment for the use of alcohol. It makes you wonder how this can even happen, how is it that children so young are exposed to alcoholic drinks?
Not all of the cases are from alcohol “addiction” some of these cases are from children accidentally consuming alcohol because there’s no adult present. Take for example the case of a baby in Gloucestershire, who has not even turned a year old was rushed to the hospital due to a head injury. The baby was found to have accidentally drank some alcohol, which likely led to the injury.
That case can easily be blamed on parents or guardians who have neglected the child long enough for them to have been able to drink a beverage not good for them. Children can easily copy what they see is being done by people older than them, and studies show that if a child comes from a household where alcohol problems already exist, then it is likely that they experience the same problem as well.
Parents are not aware of how much their acts influence their children, which is why they do not make it a priority to get help for their drinking addiction, which in turn makes it possible for instances such as children only 7 years old getting treated for alcohol addiction to occur.
All alcoholic beverage needs to carry a government warning that will inform people of the health hazards that can occur due to its consumption, however, this is not enough of a warning for everyone, especially not the children. Raising awareness in schools, communities and more importantly at home will help stop this issue.
