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	Should we be shocked that 28 per cent of school-going children aged between 10 and 17 have told a survey on children&#39;s health that they have been drunk? The finding, which is contained in the Heath Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Ireland Trends Report 1998-2010, comes at a time of growing controversy over the annual Arthur&#39;s Day celebration, which takes place on Thursday.</h2>
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		Of course Guinness, which promotes Arthur&#39;s Day, is in the drinks business.</p>
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		It&#39;s what it does and does very well, so it should not come as a surprise to anyone that it will try and find additional ways of promoting and selling its products.</p>
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		The fact is that most Irish social and sporting occasions are celebrated with alcohol.</p>
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		Mostly, everyone has a good time, but there are always those who cannot enjoy themselves without causing inconvenience to others.</p>
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		So it is all too easy to blame others for excessive drinking. which seems to be so commonplace throughout the country.</p>
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		Maybe it would be more instructive for parents and others to examine how they are equipping young people to deal with alcohol.</p>
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		Quite often children model themselves on the behaviour of parents, and if they have seen their parents drunk they are likely to follow suit.</p>
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		So maybe it is time that parents themselves adopted a better attitude to alcohol where enjoyment rather than over-use of the substance would become the norm.</p>
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		There is also the issue of &#39;cheap drink&#39;, which is now widely available in supermarkets, off-licences and convenience stores. While it is ironic that the public house is now being re-branded as a &#39;safe and responsible&#39; venue for drinking, rather than the home, setting minimum prices for a unit of alcohol has proved a thorny issue for successive governments.</p>
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		That said, it would be a pity if the Irish, as a race, were to lose the best aspects of our relationship with alcohol, such as a relaxed and informal atmosphere that is often to be found in pubs and gatherings and the spontaneity that comes along with it.</p>
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		Of course, there are always those, whether they are 16 or 61, who cannot go out and enjoy an occasion such as Arthur&#39;s Day or St Patrick&#39;s Day. It says more about them than the drinks companies that there is a 30 per cent surge in A&amp;E visits on such occasions.</p>
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		<a href="http://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/parents-must-set-better-example-with-drinking-29604295.html">http://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/parents-must-set-better-example-with-drinking-29604295.html</a></p>
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