Under Age Drinking is becoming a real concern

It was interesting that a few weeks ago the Government's Medical Officer issued new guidance that young people under 15 years shouldn't be drinking alcohol.

In the early 1980's as a Youth Worker in Worthing I was becoming concerned about young people underage drinking, at the time there were lots of campaigns against substance abuse, but alcohol was the real problem. So with a group of young people we decided to set up an Alcohol Free Bar in the centre of Worthing, with a £100 grant from a local church group. Initially no one was really interested, we obtained an old shop premises, painted the floor red, painted sand, sea and palm trees on the wall and found an excellent book on making non-alcoholic cocktails. Yes were ready for opening our new venture, especially when our appeal offering a good home for overgrown rubber and cheese plants gave us the live greenery to make our night club complete. For about 6 months we opened one night a week, attracted around 50 young people and gained publicity about this unusual venture, which had been named the Parrot & Palm Alcohol Free Club.

Unfortunately or fortunately, we came to the attention of the Borough Council through the very good publicity we were getting. What had started as a small club had grown through demand into a venture that needed to adhere to regulations, so we had to put ourselves in good order - the sign went up ' NO DANCING BY ORDER OF THE COUNCIL'. A project around providing a sophisticated meeting place for young people that was alcohol free took on a new dimension, how young people could become empowered to change things for the better. A campaign started writing letters, talking to councilors, writing to the papers, raising funds and further work on the premises to make them fit for purpose ......
.... £10,000 later, The Parrot & Palm Alcohol Free Night Club was the place young people wanted to be, a place they had created, a place they ran themselves, a place where they could meet their friends in safety and a place that provided a good time without the need for alcohol.

Twenty years on the idea of the Parrot & Palm Club is still needed today, it is no good just saying young people shouldn't be drinking alcohol - what sophisticated alternatives are we offering them today, where they able to help create and run projects themselves? We believe we need to now consider that we teach everyone that you can enjoy yourself without the need for alcohol, like the Parrot & Palm in its day, you just get high on the atmosphere of being with friends.
Would anyone be interested in exploring creating these alternatives in their area? We believe you will help in giving a more positive message about alcohol, rather than just saying NO.