As part of its ongoing public awareness campaign on alcohol and legal or   illegal highs; the HSE is encouraging parents of students receiving their Junior   Certificate results on 15th September to discuss the dangers of underage   drinking or legal or illegal drug use with them. Â Â Parents are the most   important influence on their children and what parents say and do will have a   major effect on young peopleâ??s relationship with alcohol.

Dr Bobby Smyth, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with the Health Service   Executive said that â??as parents, we consistently underestimate how much our   children are drinking and experimenting with drugs. We also tend to   underestimate the strength of our influence on our children’s drinking.The HSE   would like all students to have an enjoyable and safe evening celebrating their   results. We are recommending that parents have an honest and open conversation   with their children about drinking alcohol or taking legal or illegal   drugs.â?

â??I would say to the students itâ??s your night and you want to remember it for   all the right reasons. Remember that drinking alcohol or taking drugs will not   make it a great night for you and your friends. Alcohol or drugs could   completely ruin your night; while intoxicated we are much more likely to do   silly, embarrassing or dangerous things.â?

Con Nolan, No Name Club CEO says: â??The Junior Cert is an important event for   our members and teenagers across Ireland and following on from the pressure and   stress that come with it, they can mark its completion by enjoying themselves in   safe and fun environments. Drink and drugs should not play a role in any   celebrations as they put health and safety at serious risk and a night of   celebration can end up with very serious consequences. It is very important   young people and parents are aware that options are out there to allow teenagers   get together in fun and safe environments that are free from the influences of   alcohol and drugs. The No Name Club provides such events throughout the year and   clubs across Ireland have activities lined up to mark the Junior Cert   celebrations. Our website, www.nonameclub.ie, provides a full listing   of them.â?

Parents can access further support and information by logging onto www.drugs.ie and www.yourdrinking.ie

Ends

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Notes to Editors

A Report by the Office for Tobacco Control revealed that the average spend of   Irish 16 and 17 year olds on alcohol is â?¬20.90 per week which is a total annual   spend by Irish adolescents of 145 million euro. 76% of adults surveyed in   previous research agree that it is easy for under 18â??s to access alcohol in pubs   and off-licenses.

HSE research conducted as part of a campaign aimed at delaying the age at   which young people start to drink reveals that most adults are aware that   drinking before age 18 is a problem - 71% agree that this poses a health risk;  92% agree that it is a problem in Ireland; 63% disagree that it is okay for   people to drink before age 18 (although 1 in five think it is okay).

According to the most recent European School Survey Project on Alcohol and   Drugs (ESPAD 2009) a study of drinking among European 15 â?? 16 year olds found   that Irish students get intoxicated more often that their European counterparts   about half of the students (47%) reported having been drunk during the past 12   months which was the highest average intoxication scores among the 35 countries   surveyed. (Hibell et al, 2009).