Pub closures 'stopping young from learning how to drink safely'

Robert Edwards, pubs preservation officer for Rotherham’s branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, said: “Responsible drinking is something CAMRA has always upheld. It’s an extremely important aspect of what pubs do, but as pubs go missing, that ability to influence younger people goes with it.

“Traditionally, older family members introduce younger ones into pubs and to drink sensibly.

“That’s been taken away—young people have been left to their own devices and some find it very, very difficult.”

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The comments come a week after we reported National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence figures showing that up to a third of Rotherham adults could have a drink problem.

The NHS recommends that men should not regularly exceed three to four units of alcohol a day, or two to three units for women.

But in a rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk internet poll the majority of those who voted said they took notice of recommended safe drinking limits.

Sixty per cent of those who took part said they drank what they liked, when they liked.

Just 36% said they stuck to the limits while 3.6% admitted they did not know what the limits were.

ROTHERHAM HEALTH OFFICIALS BACK PUB CULTURE . . . see this week’s Advertiser.

Tiser Talk: are we drinking too much?