A study has claimed that 45 percent of Class 12th students in big cities have already taken to drinking and this has been made possible due to fat pocket money and peer influence.
Industry body Assocham said in a survey conducted over 2,000 boys and girls in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh, and Dehradun that as many as 45 per cent of the 12th graders in metropolitan cities consume alcohol excessively, at least five to six times in a month.
From Ndtv.com:
Higher liquor consumption was witnessed among teenagers in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai followed by Chandigarh and Hyderabad.
“Each year, students spend Rs. 3,500-4,500 on alcohol, more than they spend on soft drinks, tea, milk, juice, coffee, movie tickets or books combined,” Assocham said.
About 70 per cent of the teens consume alcohol on occasions like farewell party, New Year, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and birthdays.
While most of the boys start drinking before college, only 40 per cent of the girls take their first drink between the age of 15 to 17.
Usage of alcohol has resulted in high-risk sexual behaviour, HIV infection and liver disease.
The reasons attributed to this starling revelation included easy money, easy availability of imported brands, increased spending power, peer influence, and inadequate parental control.
Tags: Christmas, drinking, farewell party, New Year, peer influence, pocket money, Valentine's Day
