Counselling Young Binge Drinkers Person Centred

Dialogues, 1st Edition

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 Foreword

The world as we know it is changing. Increasingly, we are being challenged to

give up our idealistic notions of w hat it m eans to be a young person in our society
and w hat constitutes ‘norm al’ difficulties in adolescents and young adults. Not
too long ago, in com parison to adulthood, youth was considered to be an idyllic
and carefree time of life th a t was filled w ith the exploration of a world w ith pro­
mise. While we now recognize th a t this perspective is inconsistent w ith reality,
the rem nants of this view of youth lingers. Too often, the em otional distress of
young people is minimized, dismissed or ignored. Many young people who strug­
gle find themselves m arginalized because of a widely held perception th a t the life
struggles and em otional issues of youth are trivial and w ithout basis. ‘To be
young is to have the time of your life!’
Those of us who have em braced the opportunity to work w ith adolescents and
young adults as m ental health professionals know all too well the depth and grav­
ity of their em otional distress and their realities th a t have contributed to it. Emo­
tional distress can be m ade m anifest into a whole gam ut of self-harming
behaviors. Binge drinking is one example of a self-harming behavior th a t has a
profound effect on the young person, on relationships w ith family and friends,
and on the ability to effectively deal w ith difficult life circum stances.
Regrettably, as clinicians, we recognize th a t severe distress left unaddressed
in adolescents and young adults has the potential to w eaken the foundation
required to build a healthy life as a contributing m em ber of society. Because
young people are often already m arginalized, they can be left to struggle w ith
their demons w ithout the benefit of social support from society at large and
w ith few services th a t they feel comfortable accessing.
The person-centered approach to providing therapy offers a broad lens through
w hich to conceptualize binge drinking patterns of behavior and to design inter­
ventions th at are aimed at adolescents and young adults w ith drinking problems.
In this latest volume, Richard Bryant-Jefferies takes a close look at binge drinking
as a m anifestation of underlying issues causing distress in young people and
dem onstrates the impact of using a therapeutic approach th a t is founded on valu­
ing the client’s perception of reality. He presents a compelling case for using
person-centered therapy w ith this often difficult-to-reach population. In addition
to presenting a strong rationale for the appropriateness of using this approach
w ith young binge drinkers who are reluctant to engage in therapy, he provides

v
vi Foreword

the reader w ith three im portant, distinct, yet interrelated perspectives of the th er­
apeutic process: counsellor, client, and supervisor.
By providing us w ith insight into the internal perspective of each participant in
the therapeutic encounter, Richard Bryant-Jefferies is able to shed light on the
complexity of the issues th at underlie persistent and destructive self-harming
behaviors. The book is w ritten to appeal to a spectrum of audiences including
supervisors, practitioners, students and laypersons.
This presentation moves beyond the traditional academic approach th a t limits
the transfer of knowledge to a restricted audience. For a parent or friend trying to
understand binge drinking in a young person, this book can be a valuable
resource. The book is w ritten in such a m anner th a t an interested person, regard­
less of their knowledge about binge drinking, is able to expand their understand­
ing of the complexity of issues th a t may, on the surface, seem som ew hat
simplistic. This approach brings together theory and practice th a t is relevant to
the practitioner and the laym an alike.
In this book, the person-centered therapeutic orientation is applied to two spe­
cific cases of young people who are struggling w ith binge drinking behaviors. The
presentation of dialogue and internal em otional experience of both the clients
and counsellors helps the reader to understand the multiple layers of processing
th a t are required as part of an em otionally corrective therapeutic experience. As a
client, practitioner, or concerned family member, this book can help to pave the
w ay to a better understanding of the underlying causes of disturbing behaviors
associated w ith binge drinking in adolescents and young adults. It can also pro­
vide a ray of hope th at the possibility for change is ever present in respectful,
authentic and em pathic therapeutic relationships.

Robin D Everall, PhD

Associate Professor of Counselling Psychology
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
December 2005
 Foreword

There is still so m uch to learn about how to go about helping people through psy­
chotherapy and counselling. This is not to say, of course, th a t a great deal has not
already been w ritten about all kinds of approaches or th a t a growing body of evi­
dence has not accum ulated about clinical effectiveness. We do know more th an
we did only a few years ago but it’s probably fair to say th at we still lack the oppor­
tunity to find out w hat really goes on in the consulting rooms around the coun­
try. Too often in case presentations, the emphasis is on the client’s disturbance
and w ith due reference to theory. Less attention is paid to the em otional texture
of w hat it is th a t is happening betw een the participants involved. W hat is it th a t
goes through the heads of psychotherapists and counsellors as they practise and
w hat is on the minds of those in receipt of such practice? W hat is the experience
on either side of the table as it were and w hat is developing beyond the realms of
established technique and strategy?
This book does very well in its attem pt to answ er these questions. In the way it
has been w ritten, it opens a window to the reader to see and feel the intricacies of
individual psychotherapy and counselling. Richard Bryant-Jefferies achieves this
through the device of the fictional dialogue. Through his im agination, draw n
from his own clinical experience, he creates stories of im aginary young people as
they go th rough the counselling experience. The stories are well w ritten and the
portrayals are quite vivid. The description of the process is fascinating - captur­
ing as it does so m uch of the uncertainties and the doubts as well as the break­
throughs, the m om ents of connection and illum ination th a t m ake the whole
experience so worthw hile.
W ith the use of the fictional dialogue, it is possible for the au th o r to break free
from the constraints set by the dictates of confidentiality. Not only can the reader
learn about the inner feelings and thoughts of the client, but also of the counsel­
lor’s questions and self-criticisms as they in tu rn affect the course of counselling.
The process is further elaborated through im aginary dialogues betw een the coun­
sellors and their supervisors. Some people m ay question the validity of this
device - of the very authenticity th a t is so singularly sought in the counselling it
describes. It is, of course, well w orth rem em bering th at all case studies, no m atter
how well based on actual events, are fictional in the sense th a t so m uch is edited
and selected. Ultimately, the reader has to tru st the integrity of the author, th a t he
is holding as faithfully as he can the essence of the cases he has in his mind.

v ii
v iii Foreword

There are so m any ways in w hich readers can engage w ith this book - through
absorbing themselves in the dialogues, th rough taking notes of the various gen­
eral comm ents on theory and practice th a t the au th o r inserts from time to time
into the text and th rough considering various interesting points for discussion
th a t he poses at the end of every chapter - not least the question ‘W ould you
have taken a different approach?’ In this respect, this book can be of value to any
student of psychotherapy and counselling, w hatever approach is being followed.
At the h eart of the book are the principles and practice of the person-centred
approach. In following the course of the fictional narrative, the au th o r conjures
up so m uch of w hat is the essence of the approach. The im portance of the th era ­
peutic relationship, the core conditions th a t sustain it, the respect for the a u to n ­
omy of the individual, the faith in the actualising tendency of the client and the
tru st in the therapeutic process - all are fundam ental and central them es in
the book.

From this theoretical perspective we can argue th at the person-centred coun­

sellor’s role is essentially facilitative. Creating the therapeutic climate of
em pathic understanding, unconditional positive regard and authenticity cre­
ates a relational climate w hich encourages the client to move into a more fluid
state w ith more openness to their own experience and discovery of a capacity
tow ards a fuller actualising of their potential, (p. 3 7)

There is unquestionably a passion in this w riting - and also a very firm sense of
discipline.To work tow ards creating and ensuring the core conditions - em pa­
thy, congruence, unconditional positive regard, w arm acceptance, staying w ith
the present - is by no m eans an easy accom plishm ent and this comes through
very clearly in the book. Quite stern prohibitions are laid on the counsellor - not
to intrude into the client’s frame of reference, not to take the client aw ay from
their own flow of experience, not to bring into the relationship the counsellor’s
intention to change the client, not to lead into a vocabulary th at is not the client’s
own, not to question, probe or advise. The influence of Carl Rogers is pervasive.

If we can provide understanding of the way the client seems to himself at this
m oment, he can do the rest. The therapist m ust lay aside his pre-occupation
w ith diagnosis and his diagnostic shrewdness, m ust discard his tendency to
m ake professional evaluations, m ust cease his endeavours to form ulate an
accurate prognoses, m ust give up the tem ptation subtly to guide the individual,
and m ust concentrate on one purpose only; th a t of providing deep understand­
ing and acceptance of his attitudes consciously held at this m om ent by the
client as he explores step by step into the dangerous areas w hich he has been
denying to consciousness, (p. 42)

Contrary to m any people’s perceptions, person-centred counselling is no soft

option. It is really quite exacting both on counsellors and clients alike. There is
so m uch to commend it, although it has to be said that, if followed in its true
spirit, a num ber of critical issues arise w hen practised in a m ulti-agency and
 Foreword ix

multi-disciplinary context. Rogers’ advice and the prim ary preoccupation w ith
the therapeutic relationship can lead to a very different way of working from
other professionals. Its non-directive stance is at odds w ith more goal-orientated
cognitive and behavioural approaches. Psychoanalytically trained practitioners
also may look enquiringly at the place of transference and counter transference in
the very congruence and authenticity of the person-centred relationship.
It is Richard Bryant-Jefferies enthusiastic com m itm ent to the person-centred
approach th a t drives this book so purposefully-forward. In line w ith his previous
work, he takes hold of his thinking in this book to address a particular clinical
problem - th a t of the plight of young binge drinkers. This is a m atter of increas­
ing public concern and all m anner of solutions are being proposed. Richard
Bryant-Jefferies however sees very clearly th at, behind the often wild and
random behaviour of such young people, there resides in m any cases tales of
deep discontent, fear, misery and anger.
To illustrate this, he gives us two im aginary stories - one of an 18-year-old
m an, the other of a 15-year-old girl. Both m ake compelling reading, consisting
as they do of so m uch of the anguish and suffering th a t is inherent in their
facing the torm ent of their past and current experiences. In all of this, the reader
is taken well beyond the surface image of the yob and slob. And th rough the m any
mom ents in w hich the two are slowly enabled to encounter at their own pace
aspects of themselves th a t m ay have lain latent and denied, they slowly find
themselves w ith less need to binge as compulsively as they had done before.
The outcom es are positive, not perfect, not complete, but the young people less
desperate, less destructive of themselves and others. If nothing else, better th an
ending up desolate, suicidal, abused and w retched - so clearly im agined by the
au th o r in his alternate scenarios w hich m ight well have happened had they not
been received so fully in the containing presence of the counsellor.

Peter Wilson
Consultant in Child and Adolescent M ental Health
Services and Psychotherapy
Clinical Advisor to The Place To Be
Former Director of Young Minds
December 200 5
 Preface

The success of the preceding volumes in the Living Therapy series, and the contin­
ued appreciative com m ents received from readers and by independent reviewers,
is encouragem ent enough to once again extend this style into exploring the appli­
cation of the person-centred approach to counselling and psychotherapy to
another challenging area of h um an experience - working w ith young binge
drinkers. Again and again people rem ark on how readable these books are, how
m uch they bring the therapeutic process alive. In particular, students of counsel­
ling and psychotherapy have rem arked on how accessible the text is. Trainers
and others who are experienced in the field have indicated to me the timeliness
of a series th a t focuses the application of the person-centred approach to working
therapeutically w ith clients having particular issues. This is both heartening and
encouraging. I w ant the style to draw people into the narrative and for readers to
feel engaged w ith the characters and the therapeutic process. I w ant this series to
be w hat I would term ‘an experiential read’.
As w ith the other volumes of the Living Therapy series, Counselling Young Binge
Drinkers: person-centred dialogues is composed of fictitious dialogues betw een ficti­
tious clients Gary (aged 18 years) and Carrie (aged 15 years) and their counsel­
lors, and betw een the counsellors and their supervisors. W ithin the dialogues are
woven the reflective thoughts and feelings of the clients, the counsellors and the
supervisors, along w ith boxed com m ents on the process and references to person-
centred theory. I do not seek to provide all the answers, or a technical m anual
expounding on the right way to work with young people who are binge drinking
in a problem atic m ann er. R ather, I w a n t to co n v e y so m eth in g of the process of
working w ith representative m aterial th at can arise, so th a t the reader m ay be
stim ulated into processing their own reactions, reflecting on the relevance
and effectiveness of the therapeutic responses, and thereby gaining insight into
themselves and their practice. Often it will simply lead to more questions, w hich
I hope will prove stim ulating to the readers and encourage them to think through
their own theoretical, philosophical and ethical positions and their boundary
of competence.
Counselling Young Binge Drinkers: person-centred dialogues is intended as m uch
for experienced counsellors as it is for trainees. It provides real insight into w hat
can occur during counselling sessions. I hope it will not only raise aw areness of,
and inform, person-centred practice w ithin this context, but also contribute to

x
 Preface xi

other theoretical approaches w ithin the world of counselling, psychotherapy and

the various branches of psychology. Reflections on the therapeutic process
and points for discussion are included to stim ulate further thought and debate.
Included in this volume is m aterial to inform the training process of counsellors
and others w ho seek to work w ith young people on these issues.
I would like to draw attention to the application of the person-centred approach
w ithin education and briefly acknowledge th a t Carl Rogers addressed this in his
books and in various papers and lectures (Rogers, 1957b, 1967b, 1969, 1977,
1980). The attitudinal values of the person-centred approach, while having th er­
apeutic application, actually extend beyond this into all situations in w hich people
are required to work together, w here the forming of h u m an relationships is a cru ­
cial part of a particular endeavour. I hope th a t this title finds its way into schools
and into the hands of youth leaders, and th a t som ething of the scenarios described
here could be used in educational process and aw areness raising in relation to
young people and alcohol use.
I hope th a t this book will dem onstrate the value, relevance and effectiveness of
this approach, providing as it does a very h u m an response to w hat can be very
h um an problems. I hope th a t in this volume I am able to address a range of
them es th a t leave you, the reader, w ith m uch to reflect on and to take into your
professional counselling work, w hatever the setting.

Richard Bryant-Jefferies
December 2005
 About the author

Richard Bryant-Jefferies qualified as a person-centred counsellor/therapist in

1994 and rem ains passionate about the application and effectiveness of this
approach. Between early 1995 and m id-2003 Richard worked at a com m unity
drug and alcohol service in Surrey as an alcohol counsellor. Since 2003 he has
worked for the Central and North West London M ental H ealth NHS Trust, m ana­
ging the substance misuse service w ithin the Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea in London. He has experience of offering both counselling and supervi­
sion in NHS, general practitioner (GP) and private settings, and has provided
training th rough ‘alcohol aw areness and response’ workshops. He also offers
workshops based on the use of w ritten dialogues as a contribution to continuing
professional development and w ithin training program mes. His website is:
www.bryant-jefferies.freeserve.co.uk.
Richard had his first book on a counselling them e published in 2001, Counsel­
ling the Person Beyond the Alcohol Problem (Jessica Kingsley Publishers), providing
theoretical yet practical insights into the application of the person-centred
approach w ithin the context of the ‘cycle of change’ model th a t has been widely
adopted to describe the process of change in the field of addiction. Since then he
was been w riting for the Living Therapy series, producing an ongoing series of
person-centred dialogues: Problem Drinking, Time Limited Therapy in Primary
Care, Counselling a Survivor of Child Sexual Abuse, Counselling a Recovering Drug
User, Counselling Young People, Counselling for Progressive Disability, Relationship
Counselling - Sons and their Mothers, Responding to a Serious Mental Health Prob­
lem, Person-Centred Counselling Supervision - personal and the professional, Counsel­
ling Victims of Warfare, Workplace Counselling in the NHS, Counselling for Problem
Gambling, Counselling for Eating Disorders in Men, Counselling for Eating Disorders
in Women and Counselling for Obesity. The aim of the series is to bring the reader
a direct experience of the counselling process, an exposure to the thoughts and
feelings of both client and counsellor as they encounter each other on the th era ­
peutic journey, and an insight into the value and im portance of supervision.
Richard is also having published by Pen Press Ltd early in 2006 w hat he has
entitled A Little Book of Therapy, offering a series of statem ents th a t clients m ight
make during periods of stress, self-doubt or uncertainty, and affirmations to help
refram e their perspective and offer opportunity for the reader to engage w ith the
inner resources for change th a t they have w ithin them .

x ii
 About the author x iii

Richard is also w riting his first novel, Dying to Live, a story of traum atic loss,
alcohol use and therapy, and has also adapted one of his books as a stage or
radio play, and plans to do the same w ith other books in the series if the first is
successful. However, he is currently seeking an opportunity for it to be recorded
or staged.
Richard is keen to bring the experience of the therapeutic process, from the
standpoint and application of the person-centred approach, to a wider audience.
He is convinced th a t the principles and attitudinal values of this approach, and
the emphasis it places on the therapeutic relationship, are key to helping people
create greater authenticity in both themselves and their lives, leading to a fuller
and more satisfying h um an experience. By w riting fictional accounts to try and
bring the therapeutic process alive, to help readers engage w ith the characters
w ithin the narrative - client, counsellor and supervisor - he hopes to take the
reader on a journey into the counselling room. W hether we think of it as pulling
back the curtains or opening a door, it is about enabling people to access w hat
can and does occur w ithin the therapeutic process.
 Acknowledgements

W riting Counselling Young Binge Drinkers has required me to draw on a range of

experiences, and to keep in m ind the m any clients whose own stories have, in
different ways, contributed to w hat I have presented. I have seen so m any adults
w ith alcohol problems over the years whose childhoods were similar but different
versions of the backgrounds of Gary and Carrie. And I have worked with people in
their late teens and early twenties who have an attitude tow ards alcohol use th at
is quite devoid of any sense of its danger and the risks associated w ith heavy or
binge drinking, until problems arise, and sometimes not even then. So, I wish to
acknowledge and th an k the m any people th a t I have worked w ith who have
shaped my thinking and feelings in w riting this book.
I wish to express thanks to Robin Everall and Peter Wilson for their fore­
words - Robin w ith her emphasis on the often unrecognised or unacknow ledged
degrees of em otional distress present w ithin young people and the range of
self-harming behaviours th a t can be expressive of this, and Peter w ith his
appreciation of the style of the book as a way of presenting therapeutic process,
and his comm ents concerning the challenge and essential features of person-
centred working.
I wish to again express my appreciation to my partner, Movena Lucas, whose
past work as a substance misuse specialist w ithin a Child and Adolescent Mental
Health Service, and current role working w ith young people w ith m ental health
problems, provided me w ith further insight and kept me strongly in touch w ith
my own thoughts and feelings tow ards the m aterial being presented.
I also wish to thank Radcliffe Publishing for their continued support for the
Living Therapy series w hich now totals 16 titles. Their belief in the ideas being
presented through this series has m ade it all possible.
Finally, and this m ay sound strange, but I wish to acknowledge Gary and
Carrie, the two fictional characters in this book, and th an k them for taking me
on a journey into myself.

x iv
 . most children, if given a reasonably norm al environm ent, w hich meets their
own emotional, intellectual, and social needs, have w ithin themselves sufficient
drive tow ards health to respond and m ake a comfortable adjustm ent to life.’
(Carl Rogers, 1939, p. 274)
 Introduction

Counselling Young Binge-Drinkers: person-centred dialogues has been w ritten w ith

the aim of dem onstrating the counsellor’s application of the person-centred
approach (PCA) in w orking w ith this client group w hich is becoming an increas­
ing feature of our society. This theoretical approach to counselling has, at its
heart, the power of the relational experience. It is this experience th a t I believe
to be at the very h eart of effective therapy, contributing to the possibility of releas­
ing the client to realise greater potential for authentic living. The approach is
widely used by counsellors working in the UK today: in a m embership survey in
2001 by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, 35.6% of
those responding claimed to work to the person-centred approach, while 25.4%
identified themselves as psychodynam ic practitioners. However, w hatever the
approach, it seems to me th at the relationship is the key factor in contributing to
a successful outcom e - though this m ust rem ain a very subjective concept, for
who, other th an the client, can really define w hat experience is to be taken as a
m easure of a successful outcome?

Young people and alcohol

Binge drinking is an increasing phenom enon am ong young people. The statistics
are clear. More and more young people are drinking more and more alcohol, and
from an earlier age. Alcohol is an addictive and m ood-altering substance. The
m ore you drink, the greater the risk of harm . W hat constitutes a binge? It is
defined as a daily alcohol intake th a t is more th a n twice the recommended daily
safe drinking limits. Therefore a binge for m en would be above eight units of alco­
hol, while for wom en it is above six units in a day.
Of course, these am ounts can be easily surpassed during a heavy drinking epi­
sode. Eight units is equivalent to four pints of norm al-strength beer. Many lagers
are above norm al strength. One m easure of spirits is now a little over a unit,
though some spirits are stronger still. Cocktails containing more th an one type
of alcoholic drink will m ean th a t the binge-drinking level can also be reached
quickly. For young people, the immediate risk from a heavy drinking episode is

1
2 Counselling young binge drinkers

likely to be the effect of intoxication, although serious dam age to health can and
does occur. Risks to younger people are more likely to be related to physical
trau m a following accidents or acts of violence. Inhibitions are reduced and
young people m ay engage in unprotected sex while under the influence of alco­
hol, leading to the heightened risk of unw anted pregnancy and sexually tra n s­
m itted diseases. There will also be a heightened risk of alcohol poisoning; young
people have smaller bodies and therefore the alcohol is likely to be more concen­
trated and therefore more damaging. They m ay also have less tolerance to alco­
hol, further increasing the risk of poisoning, particularly where there is no
appreciation or understanding of the potency of alcohol and the effect it can
have on the body and cognitive functioning. However, w ith young people reach­
ing their very early 20s w ith 10-year histories of using alcohol, the risks of ser­
ious harm to health and of dependence are very real.
In 200 4 the British Government published its Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy
for England (UK Government, 2004). T hroughout there are references to alcohol
use and young people, w ith particular emphasis on binge drinking and binge
drinkers. In the Interim Analytical Report (UK Government, 2003) published the
previous year, w hich drew together a comprehensive set of statistics concerning
the impact of alcohol misuse, we read that: ‘Drinkers under the age of 16 are
today drinking twice as m uch as they did ten years ago’, w ith alcohol being con­
sumed by ‘20% of 13 year old boys and 21% of 13 year old girls; and by 49% of 15
year old boys and 45% of 15 year old girls' over the previous week. British teen­
agers are also am ong the heaviest teenage drinkers in Europe, being more likely
to drink and get drunk and report alcohol-related problems th an teenagers in
most of the other European countries. One particular statistic stands out, th at
‘in the UK, more th an a third of 15 years old report having been drunk at age 13
or earlier. This is true of no more th an one in ten French and Italian children’
(Strategy Unit, 2003, pp. 1 7-18).
The older teenagers and younger adults are those most likely to binge drink.
W ithin the 16-24-year-old age group, only a quarter of wom en and around one
in six men report never drinking more th an six units (women) or eight units
(men) per day. While drinking patterns change w ith age for m any people, some
will continue to binge. ‘In the UK, binge drinking accounts for 40% of all drinking
occasions by m en and 22% by w om en’ (Strategy Unit, 2003, pp. 2 0 -2 1 ).
The introduction of ‘alcopops’ and ‘ready to drink’ drinks (RTDs) in 1996 was a
significant development, and whilst the Strategy Unit does not offer evidence th a t
this increased the num ber of young people who drink, it does highlight th a t this
‘m ay have contributed to the increase in the am ount drunk: betw een 1992 and
2001, the average am ount of alcohol consum ed by young people increased by
63% w ith approxim ately half of this grow th first m easured in the years in w hich
RTDs were introduced’ (Strategy Unit, 2004, p. 65).
Young people drink for so m any reasons: peer pressure, dealing w ith stress from
school (exams, bullying) or from home, experim entation, rebellion, coping w ith
discomfort, to m ediate the effects of drug use. In m any ways the reasons are similar
to those for adult alcohol use, but set in a younger, social context. For some young
people the need to binge will be driven by deep psychological and em otional
 Introduction 3

processes as the individual discovers th a t the effects m ake life more bearable. Often
the bingeing is a symptom, an effect of som ething else, for instance the im pact of
difficult relational experiences. While directly supporting and encouraging a
young person to change their drinking habit m ay have the desired effect of reduc­
tion, it seems more likely th a t the causal factors will also need to be addressed to
make the likelihood of sustainable change being achieved more realistic. There is
a strong case for w orking not just w ith the young person themselves. They dwell
w ithin a social world of friends, family, school or college, or work. Extending inter­
ventions to include others directly related to the young person, or who are im pact­
ing in some w ay on their urge, need or desire to drink, can be helpful.
Further useful statistics and inform ation regarding young people’s drinking
can be found on the Alcohol Concern website (see Useful contacts, p. 189).

Access to alcohol
In the UK there is currently legislation being implem ented to extend licensing
hours. This has received a mixed response w ith evidence of growing concern
am ong both healthcare and crim inal justice professionals as to the likely impact
of this change. The original idea was th a t extended pub opening times would
reduce the phenom enon of binge drinking in the context of consum ing alcohol
rapidly ahead of the early closing time, and th a t it would reduce pressure on
both crim inal justice and healthcare services, w ith people all leaving licensed pre­
mises at a similar time.
While some com m entators at the time th a t it was originally being suggested
were expressing reservations, it is now being increasingly thought th a t extended
licensing hours will simply encourage extended drinking and therefore further
fuel the binge-drinking phenom enon.
A report from the Council of Her M ajesty’s Circuit Judges, w hich represents
600 judges, states: ‘Those who routinely see the consequences of drink-fuelled
violence in offences of rape, grievous bodily harm and worse on a daily basis are
in no doubt th a t an escalation of offences of this n a tu re will inevitably be caused
by the relaxation of liquor licensing w hich the governm ent has now authorised’.
The Association of Chief Police Officers has reported th a t ‘the assertion 11 pm
closing leads to binge drinking is simply not supported by the evidence’ (BBC
News, 2005).
As far as young people are concerned, any extension to licensing hours will,
in effect, extend availability to them as it does to adults. Yes, actions such as
introducing identity cards to reduce the risk of serving/selling alcohol to
under-age young people can help, but there is a need for the law to be strongly
enforced in this area of the supply of alcohol to young people. There is also a
need for m ore inform ation and education, for more evidence-based treatm ent
services, for a stronger crim inal justice response to problem atic drinking,
greater involvem ent of the drinks industry in creating drinking environm ents
th a t are less likely to encourage problem atic drinking, and advertising th a t is
4 Counselling young binge drinkers

less likely to encourage under-age drinking and binge drinking am ong young
people (Strategy Unit, 2004).
Greater availability of alcohol, and the message th a t this gives is of the accept­
ability of 2 4-hour drinking, and th a t a society in w hich alcohol plays a core fea­
ture in socialising as the norm is not a problem. And, of course, it isn’t a problem
for m any. But it is a problem for a growing num ber of people, particularly young
people - a trend th at needs to be reversed if we are to ensure th a t we do not
become a society in w hich social experiencing becomes alcohol centred rath er
th a n centred in the actual social experience itself. In reality, as health and crim­
inal justice professionals know, the more alcohol th a t is made available and con­
sumed, the greater the likelihood of increasing problems w hich extend into the
family, the workplace, health (individual and public), and society in general.

Youth matters
In the UK G overnm ent’s green paper Youth M atters, there is recognition th at
young people’s drinking is an area th a t requires addressing.
‘Some teenagers have health problems, including chronic clinical conditions
such as asthm a or diabetes. In the key areas of sexual health, obesity, alcohol,
volatile substance abuse and m ental health, the health of adolescents is either
worsening or static. This is in contrast to m arked im provem ents in the health of
younger children and older people over the last thirty years. Some young
people get into bad habits such as binge drinking or drugs’ (UK Government,
2005, p. 13).
Noting th a t as well as harm ing their physical health, this can lead to violence and
accidents, the paper draw s attention to the fact th a t young people are in fact the
heaviest drinkers, and are more likely th a n all other age groups to binge drink
(Health Development Agency, 2004).
Social inclusion and involvement, the encouragem ent of young people in
active participation as citizens, greater provision and access to sports activities,
and the provision of opportunity are am ongst the ways forward highlighted in
the Green Paper, w ith a num ber of examples cited of successful initiatives from
around the UK, for instance in Oldham, where:
‘the Youth Offending Service, Connexions and the Drugs and Alcohol Action
Team are co-located in a Connexions branded one stop shop. They are m an a­
ged under the um brella of Positive Steps Oldham, a charitable trust. The tru st
also delivers the positive activities scheme during school holidays. Oldham was
cited in the Audit Commission’s report on youth justice (2004) as an exemplar
of inter-agency, co-located w orking’ (UK Government, 2005, p. 61).
It is likely th a t such centres will become more widely established, offering a posi­
tive young person-centred service. Such ‘one stop shop’ initiatives m ay be
extended, to include other treatm ent and social care services on a sessional