Report: Spike in adolescent binge-drinking

LONDON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Health authorities report 4,368 British children under the age of 14 have been hospitalized for alcohol abuse in the past three years.

"We are sleepwalking into a public health crisis if young people drink from an earlier age and start to drink more," said Frank Soodeen of Alcohol Concern, adding that more than 800,000 British children below the age of 15 regularly consume alcohol.

A study this year showed girls between the ages of 11 and 13 were consuming nearly double the amount of alcohol consumed by that age group seven years ago, the Daily Mail reported Saturday.

Some of those hospitalized during the last three years were treated for liver disease, a condition not usually seen until middle age, the Mail reported.

"This is a frightening sign of how out of control the binge-drinking culture in this country has become," said Norman Lamb, a LibDem health spokesman.