Bengaluru, Dec 26: Youngsters are taking to drinking at a younger age now, much below 18 years, a trend which is more visible during the festive season of Christmas and New Year, according to a survey.
It found that school children, aged 14 onwards, in big cities like Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa and Chandigarh, get into the drinking habit.
More than 1,770 youngsters, aged between 14 to 29, participated in the survey. Most of the respondents were from affluent families from Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Delhi-NCR, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Dehradun.
A quarter of participants in the big cities said that they spend between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 10,000 on alcohol during Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The study found, besides Goa, consumption of liquor is more in vogue in Delhi-NCR region, followed by Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chandigarh.
While majority of the juvenile drinking is found among boys, girls too are taking to it in big numbers, largely due to peer pressure.
About 69 per cent of youngsters between the age group 20 to 29 admitted to binge drinking during the New Year season, with men more likely to drink than women, the survey found.
“Over 52 per cent of teens who admitted to drinking said they took to liquor when they were upset; eight per cent said they drink alone; two per cent said they drink when they were bored; and 47 per cent said they drink to get high,” the survey said.
The survey pointed out that low pricing, a lack of standardised proof of age schemes and poor enforcement makes it easy for retailers to sell to underage kids.
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