Pre-scoolers in rural areas are being treated for binge drinking along with a growing number of primary school children and teenagers, yet community leaders say the majority of "potential alcoholics" are not getting help.
They also fear the "very alarming" situation is getting worse.
In some cases seven-year-olds have had to be weaned off alcohol.
On Tuesday Brenda Pienaar, CEO of the SA National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in George, said "more and more children are drinking from a younger age".
Pienaar said while no official statistics were available yet, the number of children and teenagers seeking treatment in the George area since last year had increased from about 20 to 35 per month.
But, she said, for every child that came in for treatment, 17 others were drinking but not seeking help. This meant every month nearly 600 children were left untreated.
"These younger children get drunk on weekends. We've treated a seven-year-old but the majority are 10- and 11-year-olds.
These children are binge drinkers. Statistics show that 40 percent of those who start drinking before (the age of) 15 will become addicted to alcohol."
Social workers from the council had also heard pre-school children describe how they apparently smoked and drank with their parents.
Pienaar said poverty coupled with family disintegration often resulted in substance abuse.
"Alcohol is a major problem among adults and has spread to their children. Crystal methamphetamine (tik) is also a problem among the children."
She said alcohol and drug use resulted in less control over one's actions and could lead to violence and promiscuous behaviour.
Zackary Johnston, a member of the Theewaterskloof Emerging Farmers Association in Caledon, said he believed "a couple of hundred" children were drinking.
"There are definitely some pre-schoolers and those younger than 10 who are drinking. The parents don't seem to worry about the age of their children; they just give them alcohol and turn them into potential alcoholics. The children are also using tik and it seems the situation can't be controlled. The children are beyond their parents' control."
Johnston had tried to get parents involved in a community project which focused on protecting their children but he said he had no support from them.
He said last week's murder of 11-year-old Roseline Majola on a Joubertina farm allegedly by five girls and a boy aged between nine and 15 years, who police said had been drinking at the time, showed "the underlying problem of alcohol abuse".
Majola was stoned to death after an alleged argument about a bottle of wine. Her aunt was quoted in local tabloids as saying the family knew Majola often drank with friends.
Glynis Rhodes, of Women on Farms, said drinking among children from farming communities was a known problem.
"Just today (Wednesday) I heard of a 14-year-old who's a binge drinker. I think this is a cry for help. In the case of seven-year-olds, what bothers me is how that child accesses alcohol. Either the parents allow the child to drink, are too intoxicated to notice, or alcohol is too freely available," she said. - Cape Times
They also fear the "very alarming" situation is getting worse.
In some cases seven-year-olds have had to be weaned off alcohol.
On Tuesday Brenda Pienaar, CEO of the SA National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in George, said "more and more children are drinking from a younger age".
Pienaar said while no official statistics were available yet, the number of children and teenagers seeking treatment in the George area since last year had increased from about 20 to 35 per month.
But, she said, for every child that came in for treatment, 17 others were drinking but not seeking help. This meant every month nearly 600 children were left untreated.
"These younger children get drunk on weekends. We've treated a seven-year-old but the majority are 10- and 11-year-olds.
These children are binge drinkers. Statistics show that 40 percent of those who start drinking before (the age of) 15 will become addicted to alcohol."
Social workers from the council had also heard pre-school children describe how they apparently smoked and drank with their parents.
Pienaar said poverty coupled with family disintegration often resulted in substance abuse.
"Alcohol is a major problem among adults and has spread to their children. Crystal methamphetamine (tik) is also a problem among the children."
She said alcohol and drug use resulted in less control over one's actions and could lead to violence and promiscuous behaviour.
Zackary Johnston, a member of the Theewaterskloof Emerging Farmers Association in Caledon, said he believed "a couple of hundred" children were drinking.
"There are definitely some pre-schoolers and those younger than 10 who are drinking. The parents don't seem to worry about the age of their children; they just give them alcohol and turn them into potential alcoholics. The children are also using tik and it seems the situation can't be controlled. The children are beyond their parents' control."
Johnston had tried to get parents involved in a community project which focused on protecting their children but he said he had no support from them.
He said last week's murder of 11-year-old Roseline Majola on a Joubertina farm allegedly by five girls and a boy aged between nine and 15 years, who police said had been drinking at the time, showed "the underlying problem of alcohol abuse".
Majola was stoned to death after an alleged argument about a bottle of wine. Her aunt was quoted in local tabloids as saying the family knew Majola often drank with friends.
Glynis Rhodes, of Women on Farms, said drinking among children from farming communities was a known problem.
"Just today (Wednesday) I heard of a 14-year-old who's a binge drinker. I think this is a cry for help. In the case of seven-year-olds, what bothers me is how that child accesses alcohol. Either the parents allow the child to drink, are too intoxicated to notice, or alcohol is too freely available," she said. - Cape Times
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A new study of adolescent alcohol and drug abuse in US has found alarming rates of serious alcohol and drug problems, particularly in high-risk environments such as continuation schools and group homes. Figures for youth in high risk environments, such as continuation schools and group homes, showed slightly lower involvement, but still more than a half scored at the cautionary level.
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Adam
Drug Rehabs
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