Teenagers will be soon be able to sit an exam in sensible drinking as part of a drive to deal with binge drinking.

The new alcohol awareness certificate, worth half a GCSE, will concentrate on the health hazards associated with excessive drinking and the legal penalties incurred by those caught buying or selling alcohol underage. Lessons will warn young people that drinking to excess could make them fat and lead to impotence and an inability to enjoy sex.

The ten-hour course also advises them where they can turn for help if they think somebody in their family may be an alcoholic and suggests tactics for resisting peer pressure to drink and for looking after a drunk friend.

Course literature pulls no punches, warning young people that “drinking alcohol is a bit like drinking seawater . . . your body uses up more water than was in the glass to begin with”. Ultimately, the result of binge drinking can be “poisoning or choking on vomit, both of which can be fatal”.

Unlike existing classes on alcohol and drugs, which usually take place during PHSE (personal, health and social education) lessons, the new course leads to an official qualification, accredited by the official examinations regulator, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

The qualification has been developed in response to growing concern over binge-drinking. The latest official statistics suggest that one in five pupils gets drunk once a month, including four per cent of 11-year-olds. It is estimated that almost 25,000 school-age children may drink to excess weekly.

The course has been developed by the BII (formerly the British Institute of Innkeeping), the professional body for the licensed retail sector, in response to criticisms that the drinks industry has not done enough to curb irresponsible drinking.

Chief Inspector Adrian Studd, of the Metropolitan police, who speaks for the Association of Chief Police Officers on alcohol and licensing, said that he hoped the course would help to give young people the confidence to resist peer pressure to drink excessively.

“It does not tell them not to drink. It teaches them both the positive and negative effects of alcohol.”

Judith Finnemore, deputy head of Phoenix High School, in West London, which piloted the qualification, said that having a qualification at the end of the course served as a great mo-tivator to pupils. “The certificate is the equivalent of an NVQ level 1, or the same as half a GCSE. That will give valuable points for some students.”

The students on the course were positive about the experience. Alexandra Aparcio, 15, said: “It has changed my attitude to alcohol. We learned about how alcohol can affect the body, especially in pregnant women.”

Pavnett Dhariwall, 15, said the course helped to destroy many playground myths. “It has taught me things that I can now teach others, such as my younger brother,” she said.

Nick Gibb, a Tory education spokesman, said: “I don’t mind if they do this out of school hours, but it should not be using up valuable curriculum time for young people,” he said.

Thirst for knowledge

1 A man’s daily alcohol consumption should not be more than: A 1 to 2 units B 3 to 4 units C between 5 and 6 units

2 The smaller and younger a person is, the less effect alcohol is likely to have on them A Yes B No

3 What is not a possible effect of long-term binge drinking? A Better memory B Diabetes C Weight gain

4 An offence is committed if a young person aged under 16 goes into a bar when accompanied by an adult A Yes B No

5 A person who has been drinking alcohol should not drive because: A He will be more coordinated than usual B His levels of concentration will be reduced C His spatial awareness will be improved

Answers: 1 B; 2 B; 3 A; 4 B; 5 B

Source: BIIAB (licensed retail sector body)

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