1st Edition

Growing up with Alcohol

By Emma Fossey Copyright 1994
    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    The use and misuse of alcohol by young people is an established concern. Initiatives designed to educate the young about the potential dangers of alchol are frequently directed solely at teenagers. Growing up with Alcohol argues that this may be leaving it too late. Emma Fossey presents a detailed account of a study of children aged between five and ten years, carried out through a series of ingenious game-like activities. She explodes the myth that young children are ignorant about alcohol and provides valuable insights about how very young children learn about alcohol and about their early perceptions of alcohol. The study questions the effectiveness of past alcohol education and argues strongly that future initiatives should develop innovative and user-friendly alcohol education materials for use in primary as will as in secondary schools and colleges.

    Chapter 1 1 The current status of research regarding young children and alcohol; Chapter 2 2 Trends in youthful alcohol consumption and existing strategies in alcohol education; Chapter 3 3 The study; Chapter 4 4 Children's familiarity with alcohol and the concept of alcohol; Chapter 5 5 Children's attitudes towards adult drinking and perceptions of related normative behaviours; Chapter 6 6 Children's familiarity with the physical manifestations of drunkenness and their expectations of alcohol; Chapter 7 7 Informal survey findings; Chapter 8 8 Children's perceptions of tobacco use; Chapter 9 9 Conclusions and recommendations; Appendix 1 Photographs used in the ‘Judgement of Photographs’ task; Appendix 2 Activities used in the ‘Perceived Likes and Dislikes’ task; Appendix 3 Subjects' knowledge of alcohol; Appendix 4 Subjects' knowledge of drunks; Bibliography; Index;

    Biography

    Emma Fossey is a Research Fellow in the Alcohol Research Group at the University of Edinburgh.

    'A welcome addition to the sparse literature on alcohol and young children. It should help to focus more attention on how children learn about alcohol and how attitudes developed when young relate to drinking patterns in adulthood.' - Journal of Biosocial Science

    'Within its text are elegantly written critiques and reviews of health education strategies, substance misuse theories and research methodologies. On these issues it provides a rich source of information and those who are interested in such topics, particularly as they relate to children, would be well-advised to seek out this work.' - Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing