01 February,2009 05:24 AM IST | | Shashank Rao
IF statistics shows the real picture then this one surely is shocking. A recent study conducted by Community Against Drunken Driving (CADD) in New Delhi shows that underage youths between the age group of 14-16 years too consume alcohol. In fact, the percentage of teenagers consuming alcohol is higher than smoking cigarettes.
A survey was conducted between December 2008 and January 2009 amongst 1,000 youths who frequent pubs and bars and it was found that nearly 85 per cent of them are in the age group of 14-21 years. Prince Singhal, Founder, Campaign against Drunken Driving in India said, "Nearly 70 per cent of teenagers as young as 14 years getting drunk is due to peer pressure. Moreover, pubs and shops too don't verify or ask for age proof before selling them alcohol."
The research says nearly 15.9 per cent of youngsters studying in standard 8 were drunk in the last 30 days as compared to 7.1 per cent of the same age group who smoked cigarettes. The study added that most of the alcohol was acquired from restaurants and public functions. "I had a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and have asked for a National Commission on Drunken Driving to be setup across India," added Singhal. CADD will be conducting similar surveys in Mumbai and Bangalore in the coming days.
