0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language
0:00:06 > 0:00:10The Northeast has a drink problem, and teenagers are drinking more than anywhere else in the country.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14There are double the national average of under 18s in treatment for drink-related problems.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16I started drinking at 11.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I just need to stop. I just don't know how.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Like, the way I'm talking now is, like, I need help.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26In places like Newcastle and Sunderland,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29kids are drinking on the streets and in remote, dangerous areas.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31We need to wait for them getting back.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33- Where they going? - To get the drink back.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- I don't give a- BLEEP- what you think, ya mugs.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Over three years,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42more than 1,500 minors were admitted to hospital for excessive drinking.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- You sure you haven't been drinking? - I am sure.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46You're a bit wobbly there, mate.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47'All the time as a youth worker,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'that's the first time I've came across a 12-year-old drinking.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:54But there is help. Youth worker Phil Tye is working on the frontline,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57fighting back against the drink epidemic.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Come here, mate. I'm wasting my time, I'll just go home, mate.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04'You can't succeed all of the time. You can't win them all.'
0:01:04 > 0:01:06- Why do you- BLEEP- it all on me?
0:01:06 > 0:01:08'Even if you just change one young person's life'
0:01:08 > 0:01:10then you've made a difference.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13In this film, we'll follow Phil and ask teenagers face-to-face
0:01:13 > 0:01:16why they start so early and drink so much.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19I think you just get pissed to, like, forget about everything
0:01:19 > 0:01:23and I think that's why people take it a bit too far sometimes.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Most young ones these days just drink to be happy.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- RADIO PRESENTER: - It's coming up to 7:25.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40So, who's responsibility is it to educate children about alcohol?
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And as the Northeast has the highest rates of alcohol misuse
0:01:43 > 0:01:44by young people in the country,
0:01:44 > 0:01:45are we doing enough?
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Young people's relationship with alcohol
0:01:50 > 0:01:52is a worrying issue in the Northeast.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56The regions has the country's highest percentage
0:01:56 > 0:01:59of 11-15-year-olds drinking.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02The summer months see a peak in teenage street drinking.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09In Silksworth, Sunderland, a youth group called Youth Almighty
0:02:09 > 0:02:12are fighting to stamp out underage drinking in their community.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20Phil Tye and a group of volunteers set up the group seven years ago
0:02:20 > 0:02:23as a place kids could go to keep away from outdoor drinking.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Phil's lived in the Northeast all his life, and he's seen
0:02:28 > 0:02:31a change in the amounts of drink young people are consuming.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36The quantities of alcohol they're drinking is greater.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39In the past, you had young lads
0:02:39 > 0:02:43who would drink cans and young girls would drink wine,
0:02:43 > 0:02:49but increasingly we're seeing more spirits, especially vodka.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53In July, there were 217 youngsters who came into the centre,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57but they are determined to get more in.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Phil has a team of 14 youth workers.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03There's been a group of young people drinking in here tonight.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06They go out every Friday and Saturday night
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and encourage young drinkers to come into the centre.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Phil has heard about a group of teenagers
0:03:10 > 0:03:13who are drinking at a local hangout called Barnes Park.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15He's heading there to try and find them.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21There is some really younger ones within that group, 12/13-year-olds.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23There's females within the group.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27It's dark, unlit, security would be home by this time of night.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Some of the group have been drinking.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33The vulnerability element around the females drinking is a worry.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Working with them from a young age is important for Phil,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40as research shows young teenage drinkers are four times more likely
0:03:40 > 0:03:44to develop alcohol dependency than a young adult over 21.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49'We'll actually make an offer to them, open the centre just for them,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53'that's how concerned we are as a project for that particular group.'
0:03:53 > 0:03:57There's lots and lots of people - it means they're doing something dodgy.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00There's people all over.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01Just driving around,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05there are groups of kids hanging about on the streets everywhere.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06SHOUTING
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- Who was it? - Jordan and all that from Barnes.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17That's a bonus.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Phil's spotted the group of young teenagers he's been looking for.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22The girls are at the back.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- I don't know who's in-between. - Jordan.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26He's got a bag on his back...
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Potentially drink in the bag.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31HE TOOTS CAR HORN
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Are you not talking, like?
0:04:36 > 0:04:39I'll park the car up over there and I'll come back across.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- Where are you going?- I'm just going to come and talk to you,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43I'll park the car over there.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47What's the matter? Eh?
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Bethany, Courtney, Megan and Jordan are between 13 and 15 years old,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and Phil wants to check if any of them have been drinking.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00We've been looking for you cos we're saying that we'll open...
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- You've been looking for us?- Yes.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04- Out of everyone, us.- Yeah.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08What we're saying is that we'll open the youth club for you,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12just you, on a Tuesday night, is that right? Just for you.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Nobody else. Just you.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Have you not had a drink? No?
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Well, that's good if you haven't had a drink.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22- Where have you been then?- Hers.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Have you?- Mine.- Yours as well?
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Cos we live together.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30- So, if I come down and meet you, will you meet us tomorrow?- When?
0:05:30 > 0:05:32- Where you going tomorrow?- Barnes.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Cos I'll come and see you.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36We're drinking tomorrow.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39You're drinking tomorrow? Well, we'll still come and talk to you.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- All right.- You can come.- So, where are you having your session?
0:05:42 > 0:05:43- Barnes.- In the park?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- Right. So, where are you going in the park tomorrow?- I dunno.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50We'll see you in there then and we'll talk to you about
0:05:50 > 0:05:53how we'll pick you up and get you there every week.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- We need to go.- Away then. - Right, bye.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- Well, I'll see you tomorrow night. - Bye.- See you then.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Phil's pleased that the kids have told him that they haven't
0:06:02 > 0:06:05been drinking and that they're up for coming into the centre.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08But, as he leaves, he gets a call alerting him
0:06:08 > 0:06:11to another group of teens, this time young female drinkers.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15We've got a team within the centre that are picking up intelligence
0:06:15 > 0:06:18from Facebook. What they're telling us is that it's potentially
0:06:18 > 0:06:22vulnerable females at Tunstall Hill drinking, so we'll go have a look,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24we'll identify who is, who isn't, having a drink.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27We'll try and work with those that aren't having a drink, and just
0:06:27 > 0:06:31really have a casting eye on those if there is anyone under the influence,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33just to make sure that they're safe.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36We're going to meet the other team there for safety.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37We'll meet them there now.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Yeah, we've definitely got young people
0:06:39 > 0:06:41heading towards the Venerable Bede school.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Just phoning another team that's spotted a group heading that way.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47So it looks like...
0:06:47 > 0:06:49We'll meet you there. We'll be five minutes.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Tell them to meet us on the estate.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52You can see this area
0:06:52 > 0:06:55and the reason why young people head over to this area.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57It's absolutely pitch black.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Completely dark. No street lights. No nothing.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04We've seen groups of young people heading this way.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06We'll just park here.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Kids will come to this area because of the darkness. It is very dark.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14It's off the main streets. It's away from the estates.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17The chances of the police coming to this area is remote.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Police will confiscate alcohol
0:07:21 > 0:07:23and can arrest underage drinkers on the street,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25so young people are finding more
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and more places off the beaten track to remain undetected.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35You can never predict what's going to happen.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Alcohol in adults is unpredictable,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41so in young people it can be even more unpredictable.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42SIREN BLARES
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Sirens heading to Tunstall Hill now.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Let's go round. Let's go round properly. Shh.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01Listen.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10After half an hour of searching, Phil isn't giving up.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14He wants to make sure the girls he can hear out in the dark are safe.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17We can hear young people. We just...
0:08:17 > 0:08:21We've been in the regular places where they've previously been,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23but we just can't find them anywhere.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28They know we're out.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31They definitely know we're out, don't they?
0:08:31 > 0:08:34It's really important that we do try and track down
0:08:34 > 0:08:36this particular group of young people.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38There is vulnerable girls amongst them, so we're really keen.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41We've come this far tonight. It's 9:20.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43We really do want to try and track them down,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45and give them the advice that they need...
0:08:45 > 0:08:47They definitely need to be out of this area,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50especially as it starts getting later and later and later.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52We'll have one look further down at the bottom.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54We'll head towards the Lion.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56If there's no-one there, we'll just head back.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00After nearly an hour, Phil comes across a group
0:09:00 > 0:09:02of 16 and 17-year-olds who look like they're drinking.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04There's someone there.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- You all right?- Aye.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- Just having a drink? - Having a little shit, like.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12HE LAUGHS
0:09:12 > 0:09:14- Having a wildy in a tree! - He's having a wildy!
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- I can't believe that! - I'm desperate, like.- Nae bother.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20They're not the group of girls he's looking for,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22but Phil takes the chance to talk to them.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Are you all right? HE MUTTERS
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- No, it's not the police. Youth workers.- Oh, right.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29- You all right?- Yeah, I'm fine.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- Have you had a drink? - Yeah.- Yeah?
0:09:32 > 0:09:35You can't come up town and not have a drink, man.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- What's the fire engine here for? We heard that.- Cos we're...
0:09:38 > 0:09:41- Been setting fires?- Yeah, you've got to keep warm somehow.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42Dear me.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47One of the teenagers is very drunk, and becomes abusive.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Just come to see if you're all right.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Well, what's it got to do with you?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Well, I'm fucking just saying,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58I don't give a fuck what you think, ya mugs.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59- They don't think owt, man.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02'It can be quite scary as a youth worker.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03'Your mind's always thinking,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06'"This could happen, that could happen, someone could get hurt."'
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Phil moves in to calm the situation down.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11We were somewhere else and we could hear loads of shouting.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13We thought there was something the matter,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16so we came to make sure you're safe and all right.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18- MUTTERING - Drinking Coke Zero.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20LAUGHTER
0:10:20 > 0:10:23It's not Coke Zero? It's Bacardi - I can smell it.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It's not Bacardi. It's Jack Daniels, man. Get it right!
0:10:26 > 0:10:28LAUGHTER Right. I'm going to leave you anyway.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Aye, we'll catch you in a bit.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32- I don't know why I'm still standing here.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Let's gan on a fucking session, man.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Despite the darkness,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40they are still keen to find the group of girls who are out drinking.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Hmm?
0:10:43 > 0:10:47- It's quiet.- But you can hear... - Aye, I know.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Just got no idea.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54After an hour of searching, they head back to the centre.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01One group of young females, where we were getting intelligence
0:11:01 > 0:11:03from Facebook, that they were in a particular area.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06When we got there we haven't managed to track them down,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08so that's a bit sad, we haven't tracked them down.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13The issues around young females,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17the vulnerability issues around when they're potentially going
0:11:17 > 0:11:21away from parks, on street corners and things, on the way home,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25I think that's our biggest concern amongst all of the staff.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Educating them in the dangers of that is really,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30really important for projects like ours.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Barnes Park is a popular underage drinking spot
0:11:42 > 0:11:45that Youth Almighty focus on during the summer months.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48LAUGHTER
0:11:48 > 0:11:51You stash it the day before, get it the next day,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53so it's nice and chilled off the weather.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Deborah works with Phil at the centre.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00She's one of the longest serving members of the team
0:12:00 > 0:12:01and she's a trained counsellor.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05What about you, girls?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09I think we'll talk to you, cos they're not being as serious.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13The lads are a bit wild. So, from your perspective do you...
0:12:13 > 0:12:14How old are you first of all?
0:12:15 > 0:12:17You're 14?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19When you go home from here, how do your parents react?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Do they know you're drinking?
0:12:21 > 0:12:25- You either sleep out or sober up before you get home.- Right.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27I'm a bit of a chatterbox anyway.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31So basically we're going to introduce ourselves and then just,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33you know, you engage in a conversation about
0:12:33 > 0:12:36what the weather's like, what have you been up to,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39where have you been tonight?
0:12:39 > 0:12:42And you tend to just build up a relationship like that.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46Obviously once you've got some trust, then you can start
0:12:46 > 0:12:50engaging in the smoking, the sexual health, the alcohol.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53But if you went in there guns blazing at first, they'd be like,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55"Who the devil is this?" And they'd walk away.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00Can I ask you why you started to drink? What was the purpose of it?
0:13:00 > 0:13:02- Why did you do it? - I don't even drink a lot.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05It's just peer pressure to fit in. That's all it is.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It's just peer pressure and if everybody else was saying,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10"Oh, it's so uncool to drink," and stuff,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12then I probably wouldn't do it, like.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16If you came out with your friends, would you ever choose not to drink?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Yeah. Like, I do sometimes think, like,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22"Oh, I'll just miss this week," and stuff like... It's...
0:13:22 > 0:13:26It's just all about fitting in if you sum it all up. It's like...
0:13:26 > 0:13:29There's always that one person in the group that takes it
0:13:29 > 0:13:31the extra mile and, like, they go over the top,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and that's when you get told off by people.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Whereas, like, if you're sitting quietly somewhere and having drinks
0:13:37 > 0:13:40with your friends and stuff, then you're all right, I suppose.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- Yeah.- It's just a stage thing that you go through, to be honest.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45We're not even like the biggest crowd.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Like, we do nothing compared to, like, some people.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Some people get drunk every other day,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and some people have to be put in hospital every weekend
0:13:53 > 0:13:56to get their stomach pumped and stuff. That's just ridiculous.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Debs leaves Abigail with information about her local youth centre
0:14:00 > 0:14:02and continues with her rounds.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08What we'll do is we'll cover this area, across the bridge,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- check if there's anybody up the top end.- Right.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14And then just have a bit of a look about and see who else is out.
0:14:14 > 0:14:15Have a wander.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21As they continue further into the park, they see two very young boys.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24One of them looks like he's passed out.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27So how long you been out and about?
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- Have you?- Aye.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Can I smell alcohol, mate?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Yeah?
0:14:38 > 0:14:39Can I smell alcohol?
0:14:40 > 0:14:42I think I can, like.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Have you had a bit to drink or not?
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Do you mix with any of them that's drinking or not?
0:14:53 > 0:14:54Nah.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55No?
0:14:58 > 0:15:00You're sure you haven't been drinking?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03You're a bit wobbly there, mate.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06I think you're just having me on, aren't you?
0:15:07 > 0:15:08No?
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Debs is trying as quickly as she can to work out if this is an emergency.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17The boy seems out of it, and he's only giving one word answers.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Anything else you've been doing you shouldn't have been or not?
0:15:21 > 0:15:23You're absolutely soaking, aren't you?
0:15:26 > 0:15:29You know at school, do you get discussed much about alcohol
0:15:29 > 0:15:31and safe limits and...?
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Yeah.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42And it's exactly right, you know, and it's important that you have
0:15:42 > 0:15:46people to talk to about it if people are getting you into drinking.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I must admit, mate, I am a bit worried about you.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Debs makes sure the boy is safe
0:15:54 > 0:15:57and help is on its way before she leaves.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Thank you very much for that, lads.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02So your brother will come up, get you some change of clothes
0:16:02 > 0:16:03and get you sorted, eh?
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Cos he's looking after you and he doesn't want you to get into bother.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11All right? So watch what you are doing.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13See you later.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18If I had came across him and he did not engage in any way,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22shape or form, like he didn't, I would've had an ambulance round.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26- Uh-huh.- That's the first time I've came across a 12-year-old drinking.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30If he was drinking, you know.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I think between both of us we're thinking he possibly has had...
0:16:33 > 0:16:34Yeah, probably.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37..but whether he was, like, lying, over-exaggerating it
0:16:37 > 0:16:40and then thought, "Oh, if I just stop down here they'll not..."
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- Yeah, they're not going to... - They'll just leave us be.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44It worries us massively, you know.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48I'm a mam, at the end of the day, as well as being a youth worker.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I wouldn't like it to be my 12-year-old.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Underage drinkers are starting in their pre-teens.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00A study has shown that 40% of 13-year-olds who have drunk alcohol
0:17:00 > 0:17:03had experienced negative consequences,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07including smoking, taking drugs and unprotected sex.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11What might start out as just harmless fun,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13can have a massive impact on the life of a young child.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24It's Saturday afternoon and the group of youngsters from Barnes
0:17:24 > 0:17:27that Phil is trying to get off the streets and into the centre
0:17:27 > 0:17:29are all heading out to a local park.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36Megan, Courtney, Niall and Jordan are all between 13 an 15.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39They're best mates and spend all their free time together.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Kids drinking and teenagers,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43is it something that does actually happen, or...?
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- Yeah.- Yeah, a lot.- A lot.- Too much!
0:17:48 > 0:17:50How young are some of them that are drinking?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- Like 12, 13.- Year sevens.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- Year sevens, to like... - Just going into secondary school.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58And then they go drinking and stuff like that.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03- What is there here for teenagers, people your age, to do?- Nothing.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Nothing. That's why people drink.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08I think that is why people drink, to be honest with you.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Cos there's nothing to do, and like, there's no-where open and that.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Most youth clubs are, like, closed.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19They closed all the youth clubs in Newcastle, didn't they?
0:18:21 > 0:18:2413-year-old Niall has recently stopped drinking.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27I don't drink, like, but my mates do.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- Why don't you drink?- Cos me mam...
0:18:31 > 0:18:34I promised me mam that I wouldn't drink any more.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37So, I haven't drank for, like, three weeks.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Since me mam told us off.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42I was out one night in the street drinking and that,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and I was riding me bike home
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and I fell off and I had to go to hospital overnight and that.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49That's it really.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52And, like, just...not allowed to drink any more.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Not that I was allowed,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57just that I'm not going to drink any more cos I didn't really like it.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01But these drink, and that.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06They're not big drinkers, but they...they drink socially,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09if you know what I mean. Like, out and about and drinking all the time.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Like, not all the time, like weekends and that.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13And that's it, really.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15What's the plan tonight, do you think?
0:19:15 > 0:19:18I suppose messing about, walking about up Barnes and that.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19Barnes Park.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22We're on the move!
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Bored and with nothing to do, they wander off to the park.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36For a young person growing up in the region,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39there are a lack of employment opportunities.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42One in four are currently out of work, and the Northeast
0:19:42 > 0:19:45continues to be one of the most deprived areas in England.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49In the face of these challenging circumstances,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53the team at Youth Almighty aim to get teenagers into the centre
0:19:53 > 0:19:55and focused on their futures.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57But before they can even start working with the teams,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59they have to set the ground rules.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03No weapons and you can't come in drunk.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Go on, stop. No. Well over.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Well over the drink-drive limit.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11We do random searching of young people,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13we check to make sure they don't come into the site
0:20:13 > 0:20:15with weapons or drink or drugs,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19so that we can always say that this is a place of safety.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21The majority of kids who attend the youth centre
0:20:21 > 0:20:23don't drink and stick to the rules.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27But tonight Phil's heard that a couple of 14-year-old girls
0:20:27 > 0:20:29in the centre have been drinking.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30Come here.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33- Have you had a drink?- No.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35- So you don't mind getting breathalysed?- No.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- Eh?- No.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- Have you been drinking?- No. - Right, are you ready?
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Go on, keep going.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51BEEPING Yeah.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52Twice over the drink-drive limit.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Here's a present.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Don't come back.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58- That girl needs to leave.- Hmm?
0:20:58 > 0:21:00That girl needs to leave.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04No. See you later.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08Mm-hmm.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11You're going to see?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Yeah.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14Mm-hmm.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Disappointed, but proud of the young people that they alerted us
0:21:20 > 0:21:22before the staff did, to be fair, so, I'm proud of the kids,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25they know what's acceptable, they know what's not.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Phil keeps a tally on teenagers who come into the centre drunk.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33Yeah, we're just putting a marker on the system, so when they do come in
0:21:33 > 0:21:37it flashes up and alerts the staff that they're not allowed back in
0:21:37 > 0:21:39until at least I've had a discussion with them.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43One of the 14-year-old girls who's been excluded from the centre
0:21:43 > 0:21:47calls a youth worker to ask if she can come back in.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49She's told that she'll have to attend a six-week
0:21:49 > 0:21:51alcohol awareness course.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54The girl arrives for a one-to-one with youth worker Stevie.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56She wants to remain anonymous.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06After the session, Stevie catches up with Phil.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13- I just want to get some feedback on how it went.- It was very positive.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16She could've went and had a drink with her friends,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18but she chose to come here.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22What about the night she did come? What's her reason around that?
0:22:22 > 0:22:25She was saying it was just peer pressure. All her friends are bored,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28so they were just bored and they ended up having a drink,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31but her mam does go in the shop for her, as well,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33so it's quite easy for her to get alcohol.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36For me, I don't think there's any value in us
0:22:36 > 0:22:40spending a lot of time if her mam's going to continue to buy alcohol
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- and think that's acceptable for her. - It's easy access, isn't it?- Mm-hmm.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Her mam definitely needs to understand some of the boundaries.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Us doing the work around that, and then her mam going out
0:22:48 > 0:22:51and buying it at the weekend just isn't the answer.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54So will you concentrate on that with her and try and get us some consent
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- to speak to her mam?- Right.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- And just try and understand what that's about.- Definitely.
0:22:59 > 0:23:00Cheers, Stevie.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04It's good news that the girl has signed up to the alcohol awareness
0:23:04 > 0:23:08course, but now Phil has to persuade her mum to stop buying her alcohol.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12There is an issue in some parents buying alcohol for young people.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16It's a battle, anyway, engaging with young people and educating them
0:23:16 > 0:23:19around the effects of alcohol that it can have on their life.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22For parents to be supporting and accepting that
0:23:22 > 0:23:25that's what their young people are going to do...
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Very disappointing from my point of view.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33A recent nation-wide survey found that teenagers mostly got alcohol
0:23:33 > 0:23:36from their parents and relatives.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The research also found that nearly two thirds of 11 to 15-year-olds
0:23:40 > 0:23:42who drank, usually did so at home.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49The social differences now of parents and families drinking at home,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52young people do see that and, unfortunately,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56some young people do see that as being normal.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02LOUD MUSIC PLAYS
0:24:02 > 0:24:05In South Shields, 18-year-old Laura often has her friends over
0:24:05 > 0:24:07to her mum's house on the weekends.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Laura's mum, Meala, has allowed her kids to drink in her home
0:24:11 > 0:24:12since they were 15.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14She feels it's the safest option.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- THEY CHANT:- Meala! Meala! Meala!
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I don't want my kids standing on street corners making a nuisance
0:24:22 > 0:24:24of themselves to other people.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26I'd rather them here, in me own home,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30making a nuisance in their own home when I'm here, controlling them.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34From them being 14, 15, 16, 17,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36we have all their friends here.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I'd rather them be here. I don't like them out on the streets.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42It's too dangerous for them when they do get little bit over the top.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44I know where they are.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47ALL SHOUTING
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Laura's friend, 17-year-old Lauren, is staying over tonight.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54She started drinking at 11.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13I need a drink! Toss that drink up!
0:25:28 > 0:25:31The more you tell them not to do something, the more they'll do it.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35So I've never ever told my daughter, "Don't go out drinking."
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I'd rather she sit in the house and have a drink with me,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and I know that way I can control how much she's drinking.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44If she gets drunk, if she gets a bit tiddly,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48she knows where to go - to her bed. And I know when to put her there.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50As the party continues,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54some of the teenagers explain why they drink so much.
0:25:54 > 0:25:5618-year-old Alex started drinking when he was 15
0:25:56 > 0:25:59because he was being bullied.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03When I started drinking more often, me mam was going,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05"Why are you drinking?"
0:26:05 > 0:26:09I go, "Cos, mam, like, I'm sick of getting bullied.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11"That's why I'm drinking."
0:26:11 > 0:26:16And she went, "I am sorry that you are getting bullied,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20"it's just drinking doesn't solve the problem," and all that.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24I was going, "Well, mam, it does to me, cos it makes me feel cool."
0:26:26 > 0:26:30When I have a drink the night before, I am still a bit drunk
0:26:30 > 0:26:33when I wake up, cos I have drank that much.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Which is actually bad.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And I know for a fact that is.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44I just need to stop. I just don't know how.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Like, the way I'm talking now, like, I need help.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Alex isn't the only young person using alcohol
0:26:53 > 0:26:56to deal with the stress and upset.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Lauren's come straight to the party from her grandfather's funeral.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02She thinks drinking heavily will help her to cope.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Well, I started off at the pub today after my grandad's funeral.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07I thought, "Oh, well, a drink will help,"
0:27:07 > 0:27:09so had about six or seven pints there with me family,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11and I've had a three-litre bottle.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13But I've finished my three-litre now,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15but I'll just go in and I'll pinch everyone else's.
0:27:15 > 0:27:16Without them knowing.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19It's been a horrible day, but a good day in a way.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Like, I don't like feeling upset, cos I'm, like, a strong person,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25and I'm the strong one out me friends.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I'm so used to telling people, like, "Chin up,"
0:27:28 > 0:27:31that I build a brick wall for meself to get hurt
0:27:31 > 0:27:33or any, like, emotions coming out.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38So, when I have a drink, it just seems to make that wall harder,
0:27:38 > 0:27:39so I don't get affected by anything.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Or it can crash it straight down to where I've had too much
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and I'll just let everything out, or I'd lose me temper.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48But I think that's why most people these days, like, drink loads.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Try and get rid of their young problems.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55Cos most people in the North these days have always got a problem now.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Cos I think, like, most young 'uns these days just drink to be happy.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Meala says that she wants to keep Laura and her friends safe,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06but binge-drinking carries its own risks.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09A report last year showed that the Northeast had the highest rates
0:28:09 > 0:28:12of adults exceeding the recommended daily drinking limits.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Worryingly, teenagers seem to be copying adult drinking habits.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20An underage drinker in the Northeast is, on average,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22consuming 15.2 units a week.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24That's more than anywhere else in the country.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27- All right, everyone just neck it! - Everyone go, in a circle.
0:28:27 > 0:28:28Glen's vodka.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30In a disguised bottle, so the coppers canna pull us!
0:28:30 > 0:28:32THEY LAUGH
0:28:32 > 0:28:33Police! Police!
0:28:33 > 0:28:36People just fucking have a laugh, like.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Overlooking the River Tyne
0:28:40 > 0:28:44is yet another notorious underage drinking hangout.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46It's August bank holiday,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49and 16-year-old Robyn is out drinking with friends.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52We were just bored and had nothing to do, hardly any money,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55so we just thought we might as well go out and see if anyone's out.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58I hate staying in, cos it gets us all agitated and - I don't know,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01sometimes I like it, but most of the time I like going out,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03getting ready and going out straight away.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- You've been drinking?- Yeah.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10But not much, like. So...didn't really enjoy that.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12But it's all I had enough for, I mean...
0:29:12 > 0:29:16I just scavenged round the house for, like, three quid, and you're sorted.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19So, what is it you're drinking?
0:29:19 > 0:29:23It's Bella. It's, like, 7.5% and it's 1.5 litres.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25It's not the best thing to drink, like,
0:29:25 > 0:29:27it's actually not even that nice at all.
0:29:27 > 0:29:28But it's all right, though.
0:29:31 > 0:29:32Eurgh.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35But I'll still drink it, though. It's the cheapest thing to get.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Robyn has been drinking with her mates for the last three years.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41I was 13, and I just started drinking.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44We went to someone's house and we were drinking,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47and, like, we were drinking far too much, and I clapped out.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50I couldn't even remember hardly anything.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51I got me stomach pumped, and that.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54I woke up absolutely ill, I thought I was dying.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Definitely drinking for the craic the night.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58- GIRLS SING:- # ..All day.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01# That girl like something off a poster
0:30:01 > 0:30:03# That girl is a dime, they say... #
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- IYAZ:- # That girl is the gun to my holster
0:30:06 > 0:30:09# She's running through my mind all day-ay
0:30:09 > 0:30:12# Shawty's like a melody in my head
0:30:12 > 0:30:14# That I can't keep out
0:30:14 > 0:30:15# Got me singin' like
0:30:15 > 0:30:17# Na na na na everyday... #
0:30:17 > 0:30:19We might as well just get a bottle of Bella
0:30:19 > 0:30:21and just find people and go out.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25There's just nothing at all - like, what's there to do?
0:30:25 > 0:30:28- Do you like the area? - It's not the best.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30I wanted to move away down to Lincoln with me dad.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31Cos, like, he lives there.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Cos I wanted to get away from here for a bit,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36but when it come to it I just couldn't be bothered to do it.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Mam and him split up when I was six, he moved away.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42I used to be dead close to him, I was close to him for years.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45He's still there for us if I need money, he'll always give us it.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Pays for me contract and that, it's sound, really.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53I just want to go and get pissed with them, really.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56And see if it's good or not.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58MUSIC: "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
0:30:58 > 0:31:00- Oh, my God, this is a fucking... - What is it?
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Jam, this is my jam! This is my jam!
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Down it, down it, down it!
0:31:09 > 0:31:13ALL: # ...when you gonna live your life right?
0:31:13 > 0:31:16# Oh Daddy dear, you know you're still number one
0:31:16 > 0:31:20# But girls they want to have fun
0:31:20 > 0:31:24# Oh, girls just want to have fun. #
0:31:24 > 0:31:27I've necked all me drink, innit?
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Pissed out me head!
0:31:31 > 0:31:34After drinking for three hours, Robyn and her mates head down
0:31:34 > 0:31:36to the local shopping precinct.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39It's where they always end their night.
0:31:39 > 0:31:40It's like a story.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43I mean, you start somewhere and it always, no matter what, ends here.
0:31:43 > 0:31:44Every single time.
0:31:44 > 0:31:49Dunno how, everyone just thinks it's the place to be, really. Definitely.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52INAUDIBLE
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Even though it's only a tiny bit, still gets you hammered!
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Hammered!
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Comin' in high, comin' in low...!
0:32:02 > 0:32:05I don't want to go in, but I know everyone will be going in soon,
0:32:05 > 0:32:06I know I've got to be in soon.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30The next day, Robyn is tired and hungover.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Like, usually when I wake up, I'm like, "Why did I do it for?
0:32:34 > 0:32:37"Was it worth feeling, like, rough as I do?"
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Sometimes I wake up ill and I feel like
0:32:40 > 0:32:43I could...I feel like I'm going to spew me full body up.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Like, all me insides. It's horrible.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49When you're head's all boxing, it's like,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51you're thinking about loads of stuff.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I think it's like, you just get pissed to forget about everything.
0:32:54 > 0:32:55It makes you happier,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58and I think that's why people take it a bit too far sometimes.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01If you're on a downer, get a bottle of Bella down your neck,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03and then that's it, you forget about everything.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Then you wake up and feel, "Oh, God," and then it's all back in your head.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Then you do it again.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Then you wake up again, and you just keep on doing it and doing it
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and doing it, and then you forget about it soon. Sooner or later.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16Like, school's stressing me out, all the time.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18I'm surprised I haven't turned alcoholic yet.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22I just...blag me head. I don't go any more, but...
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Just thinking about what to do next.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Robyn's 23-year-old half sister Stephanie
0:33:34 > 0:33:36is worried about Robyn's drinking.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40She's had to live with the consequences of underage drinking,
0:33:40 > 0:33:42and doesn't want Robyn going the same way.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45When I was younger, I did go out and drink.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49Like, every weekend I went out and drank from, like, 14, I think.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52But I didn't drink loads -
0:33:52 > 0:33:54like, I used to drink two litres of wine...
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Not proper wine, cheap wine.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Like, Bella, I used to drink, and I did used to get drunk,
0:33:59 > 0:34:01and I noticed sometimes I'd get into situations
0:34:01 > 0:34:04and in the morning I'd regret everything I'd done.
0:34:04 > 0:34:05I'd think, "What have I done?"
0:34:05 > 0:34:08And you had to feel, like - you had to, like, get a boyfriend
0:34:08 > 0:34:10and do stuff, you felt real pressure to do stuff
0:34:10 > 0:34:13when you were younger, otherwise you were known as, like...
0:34:13 > 0:34:15You weren't fitting in with everyone else.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17And no-one wanted to, like, hang around with you.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20So, I think I ended up having sex at a really young age,
0:34:20 > 0:34:21through drinking, definitely.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24I don't think I would've done that if I didn't drink.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Like, and I regret that now, really badly.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29Like, I was pregnant at 15 and I had to have an abortion because...
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Obviously I was really - I was still in school, and I was really young.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36It upset us really badly, but I think it was the best thing,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39cos I had me daughter at 17, and that was really hard,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42like at that age, so I had to grow up, obviously,
0:34:42 > 0:34:44really fast to look after a baby,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47but if I'd had one when I was 15, I don't think I could've coped.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49I really don't.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Definitely not. And I think that's through drinking -
0:34:51 > 0:34:53it was definitely all through drinking.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56At 19, Stephanie had to deal with the loss of her boyfriend,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59who drank heavily from a young age.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03It's an incident that still upsets her today.
0:35:03 > 0:35:04I was with me partner.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07He used to drink quite a lot when I was younger.
0:35:07 > 0:35:12I got with him when I was 15, and he did drink, really, every day.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14And it was just wine, you know, cheap wine.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16And he ended up drinking one night...
0:35:16 > 0:35:20He drank a litre of vodka, he drank a two-litre of wine,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23and then he ended up taking tablets, which were blues.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26And...subbies, I think they're called, Subutex...
0:35:26 > 0:35:28I'm not sure what they were.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31And I went down to his flat that day and found him dead on his bed.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37He drank from a really young age, really, really young.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39And he just couldn't stop.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Like, I used to tell him all the time, "Tony, you need to stop,"
0:35:41 > 0:35:44but he didn't ever listen, he just kept drinking and drinking
0:35:44 > 0:35:46and - look what happened to him.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47And I don't think Robyn realises.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49I've told her before, that's what happened to him,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52but I just didn't think it's happen to her.
0:35:52 > 0:35:53But it can happen to anyone.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56GIRL SINGS
0:35:58 > 0:35:59Every 18 hours,
0:35:59 > 0:36:04someone in the region dies from an alcohol-related illness.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06And it's increasing among the young.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11In England, alcohol-related deaths amongst 15-34-year-olds
0:36:11 > 0:36:15rose by 75% between 1991 and 2011.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22The devastating effect of alcohol abuse is what drives youth workers
0:36:22 > 0:36:25to go out on the streets to try and stop underage drinking.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Back in Sunderland, Phil has been trying to get the young group
0:36:34 > 0:36:37from the Barnes area into the centre,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40and he believes that sometimes it's about making a deal
0:36:40 > 0:36:43with the teens to get them to stop drinking.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47When you first meet a group, as long as they haven't had a drink,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50you can sit down with them, and you do planning,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53so we'll actually plan what we're doing over the next six
0:36:53 > 0:36:54to eight weeks, for example, with them.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58And within that six to eight weeks, you have some fun things,
0:36:58 > 0:37:01so whether or not it's a trip to Lightwater Valley,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Flamingo Land, theme parks, things like that,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07you would put those into the plan and young people
0:37:07 > 0:37:10have got to understand that they've got to be working
0:37:10 > 0:37:12towards that all of the time.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15It's Saturday evening and he's heading out to see
0:37:15 > 0:37:18if he can persuade the group to come into the centre.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24But, as he arrives, Phil spots one of the boys
0:37:24 > 0:37:26with a couple of cans and a bottle.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38- What is it?- It's beer.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42I don't think it's legit. I think you've been stitched up.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50I wouldn't be drinking that. Someone... Pour that one out.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55Cos look at that. Look at that. Someone has matted up, man.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56They have, man!
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Despite Phil's efforts, the boys ignore him
0:38:27 > 0:38:29and walk off with the drink.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44Phil suspects they still have more booze on them.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28I'm disappointed with the lads.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31We'll have a think about it, but to be fair,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34we've been working towards taking them to Lightwater Valley.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37If he's going to continue to repeat to continue drinking,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40obviously, we're working towards them not drinking,
0:39:40 > 0:39:42I'm pretty disappointed with them.
0:39:43 > 0:39:48Phil's had a difficult night, but the task of tackling underage
0:39:48 > 0:39:50drinking in the Northeast has never been easy.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53In his seven years of youth work,
0:39:53 > 0:39:57Phil has dealt with some hugely difficult cases, but it's
0:39:57 > 0:40:00never stopped him from trying to turn young people's lives around.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06We only need a certain amount of mats to go up to the wall.
0:40:06 > 0:40:11When Scott was 16, he was drinking 12 cans of beer a day.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14The first time I drank, I was about 14 years old.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17I used to go to the shop, buy 12 cans, have them,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19and then that was me done for the night.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22The reason why I started drinking as a young kid,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25was because obviously, friends, peer pressure,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28felt a little bit left out, all of them were drinking,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32it looked like they were having a good time, so I joined in with them.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38Usually, I would just either stop in the house I would be out
0:40:38 > 0:40:41with me friends drinking on the streets and stuff like that.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Scott used to shake when he hadn't had a drink.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47That was...that was a bit of an eye-opener,
0:40:47 > 0:40:52to see someone at that age that would shake.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56- Would you have classed him as an alcoholic?- Yeah, yeah.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Yeah, I would, yeah. Mm-hm.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06When you've got alcohol dependency, even in an adult,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08it's hard to see light at the other side of the tunnel.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10In a young person, it's a lot more difficult.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14I got to the point where I was pretty much drinking every night
0:41:14 > 0:41:16by myself, so I used to just sit in the house,
0:41:16 > 0:41:18get some cans in and just drink.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Alcohol is like a drug, isn't it? It's addictive.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23The drinks industry know what they're doing.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25It's made so you like it, so you become dependent on it,
0:41:25 > 0:41:30that's how they make big bucks. That's what it's about.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32It doesn't surprise us at all, that,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35that some young people do become dependent.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Phil gave Scott the support he needed to stop drinking.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42Sometimes they do need to hit rock bottom to get a shock,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45to realise that their life can't go on like that,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48but sometimes, people don't have to hit rock bottom,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51they just really have to find someone that they can trust,
0:41:51 > 0:41:53someone to confide in, someone they can talk to.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56And Scott's example - give him something.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Give him something he was good at, give him some responsibility.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Set some boundaries and ground rules,
0:42:01 > 0:42:04that's exactly how we got through it with Scott.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Yeah, it's the best thing I've really done, started to free run...
0:42:08 > 0:42:10It has changed my life completely.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Me weekend routine is to come here, train with these,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16obviously we do get some kids coming in asking us to learn them stuff,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19so we help them out, we learn them, show them how to do it,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22talk them through it, to do it safely, without injuring themselves.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24It's the one thing I love to do, really.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27Four years I've done it for and I plan on carrying on doing it.
0:42:29 > 0:42:30Never quitting it.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35If it wasn't for Phil helping us get this far,
0:42:35 > 0:42:37I think I would probably still be drinking now.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Now it's all about free running, pushed the drink out of it,
0:42:41 > 0:42:43try and avoid that.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49APPLAUSE
0:42:49 > 0:42:51I don't think kids are aware of what
0:42:51 > 0:42:54they can actually do to affect their life.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57I think the way they see it is just a bit of fun on the weekend,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00but, it can drag them further into it than that.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02They can leave themselves with no job,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05have no future and just living on the drink.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Scott is not the only teenager who Phil has met
0:43:09 > 0:43:12drinking as heavily as he was.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Recently, he had a 16-year-old girl at the centre
0:43:15 > 0:43:16who was drinking excessively.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22When we sat down with her and totted up the amount that she drank,
0:43:22 > 0:43:26it was, it was shocking, and it shocked her.
0:43:26 > 0:43:31It actually shocked her enough into not doing it again.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36She was consuming 100 units of alcohol in a week.
0:43:39 > 0:43:44Absolutely astounding. I've never seen anything like that before.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48Never seen anything like that since. I hope I never, ever have to.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50It makes you all the more determined
0:43:50 > 0:43:54when you do find people drinking very low levels of drinking.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56You really have to nip it in the bud.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59Although this was an extreme case,
0:43:59 > 0:44:02many underage drinkers can soon build up a tolerance.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Some kids are starting so young that they can become
0:44:07 > 0:44:10dependent before they are legally allowed to drink.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16At last count, there were 320 16-year-olds
0:44:16 > 0:44:20or younger in treatment for alcohol dependency in the Northeast.
0:44:27 > 0:44:32In South Shields, 17-year-old Lauren has been drinking for six years.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37Her tolerance levels have increased as she's got older
0:44:37 > 0:44:40and she has to drink more to feel the effects.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44She's round at her friend Laura's house for some drinking games.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48- Ring of fire or ring of death? - Ring of death! Ring of death!
0:44:48 > 0:44:50- Who's playing?- Me!
0:44:56 > 0:44:58I started drinking at 11 years old
0:44:58 > 0:45:02to show off in front of my friends, to try and fit in.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07- I got eight out of that.- Two!
0:45:07 > 0:45:09SHE BURPS
0:45:14 > 0:45:16Give us a second.
0:45:36 > 0:45:37You're an arsehole!
0:45:43 > 0:45:47- I've just finished drinking. - Are you taking the piss?!
0:45:51 > 0:45:56We don't stop drinking until we're, like, too drunk to drink, really.
0:45:56 > 0:46:01We drink until, if we fall over, then I think that's enough.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Or they put me to bed, and I still walk home!
0:46:16 > 0:46:18More than seven in ten people in the region
0:46:18 > 0:46:22associate alcohol consumption with family breakdown.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24Many young people seem to be
0:46:24 > 0:46:27dealing with family difficulties by drinking.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Hey!
0:46:31 > 0:46:3416-year-old Robyn's been drinking almost every weekend
0:46:34 > 0:46:37over the summer. She's round at her half-sister Stephanie's house.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40Stephanie thinks that Robyn's drinking is to do with her
0:46:40 > 0:46:43missing her dad since the break-up of her parents' relationship
0:46:43 > 0:46:45and with him moving to Lincoln.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50I think I'm just used to it. It's been ten years now.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54Do you wish he was here, though? I do. I wish he was here.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56It's been ten years. I don't see what difference it makes.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00- It's just normal.- I think he should come and see you more.
0:47:00 > 0:47:05I think it would be good if he did come down a bit more often.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08I know. I really think she misses him.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11'I don't think, I think she just wants her dad back.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13'When he does come down,'
0:47:13 > 0:47:15he usually books a hotel, and she loves it.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17We love going to stay with him and stuff,
0:47:17 > 0:47:19and she doesn't bother about drinking or nothing then.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22She's absolutely fine.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24I think she might drink to get away from that, like,
0:47:24 > 0:47:27she might feel upset and she might feel happier when she has a drink.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31I think she's got a lot more hidden. She's not an open person.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34She doesn't like sharing with other people.
0:47:36 > 0:47:40If I ever did have a kid, I'd want the dad to be around,
0:47:40 > 0:47:43because obviously I would need help,
0:47:43 > 0:47:49and I'd get tired looking after a baby, wouldn't I? Yeah. Aw!
0:47:49 > 0:47:50Can I have a love?
0:47:50 > 0:47:53Stephanie knows firsthand how drinking can leave girls
0:47:53 > 0:47:56vulnerable to dangerous situations, and she's been trying to get
0:47:56 > 0:47:59Robyn to understand how risky her behaviour can be.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03You know when you get really drunk and you fall asleep places and
0:48:03 > 0:48:06people leave you, and you're left by yourself in the middle of a field?
0:48:06 > 0:48:08What would you do if someone came along and...
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Knock them out and then run home and go to bed.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15You wouldn't be able to, though, you don't think about it properly.
0:48:15 > 0:48:20- Has anything happened? No. - But it could, though.- But it hasn't.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24- I'll let you know when it does. - I used to be your age,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26exactly the same when I was younger,
0:48:26 > 0:48:32- so I'm trying to tell you to stick in and not drink.- And not drink?
0:48:32 > 0:48:34Yeah, you'll get in them states.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38It was one time I got in them states because I was drinking absinthe.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40When was the last time I drank?
0:48:41 > 0:48:46- Last weekend.- Right, and I didn't get in one of them states.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52I was fine. I got home OK. I'm here now, aren't I?
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Nothing happened. Thank you.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57No, I'm being serious.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00I just think that you shouldn't drink as much as what you do
0:49:00 > 0:49:03when you're out. You don't even know that you're drunk.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07You ring me up, going, "I'm really sober." And you're really drunk.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11- Every teenager loves drinking, OK? - But why? What do you get out of it?
0:49:11 > 0:49:14A howl. A complete scream out of it. That's what. A howl.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23Being so young, it's hard sometimes for teenagers to realise
0:49:23 > 0:49:26that regular drinking can affect their health.
0:49:26 > 0:49:31Starting younger and drinking more, the damage can be done early on.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34The Northeast is currently witnessing a 300% increase
0:49:34 > 0:49:38in alcohol-related liver disease in 30 to 34-year-olds.
0:49:40 > 0:49:4320 years ago, the disease would typically be found
0:49:43 > 0:49:45in 50 or 60-year-olds.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48The challenge for youth workers is convincing young teenagers
0:49:48 > 0:49:52to think about the long-term effects of alcohol.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58It's nearly two weeks since the drinking incident outside Barnes Park,
0:49:58 > 0:50:00but Phil's got some good news.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03The group have agreed to come up to the centre.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06Somebody's left the door open.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11- Go on, shut the door.- I have. - You haven't!- I slammed it!
0:50:13 > 0:50:17So, I've got a deal for you.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Tomorrow, obviously, it's the launch date of Houghton Feast,
0:50:22 > 0:50:26so that's when they do the parade and the roasting of the ox,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29fireworks, the fair.
0:50:29 > 0:50:30Then there's a deal, though.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34The deal is you come here on the Saturday night, we'll pick you up,
0:50:34 > 0:50:37you come here and the lads help us with finishing
0:50:37 > 0:50:38that gym and setting it up, right?
0:50:38 > 0:50:41So we'll do something fun tomorrow night, and then on Saturday,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43you can help finish off that gym.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48Just for us. So are you happy with that? Stop calling us Uncle Phil.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50It's real progress for Phil.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54It feels like the group are starting to engage with him.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57What time shall I pick you up? Where at?
0:50:57 > 0:51:01The following night, they all head to Houghton Feast.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05Rewarding the group and keeping them off the streets is working.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09My belief for this particular group is they deserve that,
0:51:09 > 0:51:12they've made the effort, they've come, they stuck with us.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16I've got commitment that they'll come on Saturday night
0:51:16 > 0:51:20and that again keeps them off the street on that Friday and Saturday night.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23The worst possible time where peer pressure could potentially
0:51:23 > 0:51:27lead them to do things that we wouldn't want them to do.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35- Are you frightened? - No, I love rides, me.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50I'm too old to do this!
0:51:52 > 0:51:54Growing up, Phil wasn't all that different
0:51:54 > 0:51:56from the kids he's helping today.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59And he knows the value of putting faith in young people.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02I was naughty, and I was through school,
0:52:02 > 0:52:06I think I got excluded a few times from school,
0:52:06 > 0:52:08different things that I did.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11'There was no-one on the side of me as a young person at that stage.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13'My parents did, my parents stuck by us,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15but once you've done that once, that was it.'
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Whenever there was something the matter,
0:52:17 > 0:52:19the finger was always pointed at you.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21'That's why I do it. It's young people that need
0:52:21 > 0:52:24'that extra little step and that extra little help.'
0:52:28 > 0:52:31One question for you, and answer us honestly -
0:52:31 > 0:52:33is this better than being in Barnes Park?
0:52:33 > 0:52:35- ALL: Yeah. - There you go. Result.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38Can you see what we've been trying to do with yous?
0:52:38 > 0:52:41By doing things, having a laugh, doing things exciting,
0:52:41 > 0:52:45showing that there is an alternative on a Friday and Saturday night
0:52:45 > 0:52:47cos there is, isn't there? We can do all sorts of things.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51For Phil, keeping the group off the street for one night
0:52:51 > 0:52:52is a step in the right direction.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55But making sure they come back night after night
0:52:55 > 0:52:57is going to be a big challenge.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01- ALL: Thank you!- You're welcome. I'm glad you've enjoyed it.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16Over at Stephanie's, Robyn's having a night in.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Even though it's Friday,
0:53:18 > 0:53:22she's not going out drinking with all her friends.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25She seems surprised that she's actually enjoying her night in.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30- Have you farted? - No, I just burped there.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Do you miss it, drinking?
0:53:33 > 0:53:36- Not really, no.- Not bothered?- No.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40If I wanted to really do it, I could.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44Do you know what I mean? I just have to find things to do.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48I'd rather be sat in with you having a howl
0:53:48 > 0:53:50and being warm and comfy.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52And there's a toilet.
0:53:52 > 0:53:53THEY LAUGH
0:53:54 > 0:53:58Go and put the kettle on. We'll sit here reading the Gazette.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00We'll have a game of bingo.
0:54:09 > 0:54:10Back at the centre,
0:54:10 > 0:54:13Phil and his team are checking September's attendance figures.
0:54:15 > 0:54:20768. 768 different young people have been in here.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26It's over three times the numbers they had in during July.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30It's clear how important the facility is for local teenagers.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34Absolutely brilliant. It's a shame we couldn't do that
0:54:34 > 0:54:38much more across the city of Sunderland. We shall see.
0:54:38 > 0:54:39We shall see.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44The Barnes group are sticking to the bargain
0:54:44 > 0:54:47and are in the centre helping Phil with the gym.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50As part of the renovations of the centre,
0:54:50 > 0:54:53we always involve the young people in it. It helps them to believe
0:54:53 > 0:54:55that this is theirs, as well, which it naturally is,
0:54:55 > 0:54:59it's their environment. If you help them to do all the things,
0:54:59 > 0:55:01take part in the renovations, the activities,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04they become more accustomed to respecting the place.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08All the hard work paid off. At least you can say it's yours.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11Knock the light out.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Once a young person is tarred with a brush,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17sometimes it sticks with them, and it's about someone standing up
0:55:17 > 0:55:20and defending them young people as well, to say,
0:55:20 > 0:55:21"Let's put things into perspective,
0:55:21 > 0:55:23"let's see what they really have done,"
0:55:23 > 0:55:27and fight their corner if they need someone to fight their corner.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30- Are you coming tomorrow?- Aye. - What time?
0:55:30 > 0:55:32I don't know, whatever time I want.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35Let's say 6:30. Come up a bit earlier.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37I've done my part of the job.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Did you? You did a good job as well.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41Result!
0:55:42 > 0:55:46I've been working with them closely for about six weeks now.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50I think that says it all. You know you've done something right.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54I've never gotten something like that before.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57"Thank you so much."
0:55:57 > 0:55:59They've all signed it.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02I'm immensely proud that
0:56:02 > 0:56:05they think we've made a difference to their lives.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07I can keep saying, "I think I have," and I have,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11but when you get something like that, you know you have.
0:56:11 > 0:56:16# I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
0:56:16 > 0:56:22# I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
0:56:24 > 0:56:28# Love, we need it now
0:56:28 > 0:56:33# Let's hope for some
0:56:36 > 0:56:40# Cos we're bleeding out
0:56:40 > 0:56:46# I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
0:56:46 > 0:56:51# I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart. #