On the booze: Under-age drinking is comparatively widespread, and tends to be ingrained from 15 or 16 years of age.

Under-age drinking may not be "worse" than in the past, but the types of alcohol being consumed are more palatable and teenagers are much better off financially than their parents were at the same age. The escalation in the relationship between under-age drinking and involvement in random violence is a striking generational difference, however.

Access to alcohol is not a problem for teenage drinkers, and a combination of theft from home, use of fake IDs and the turning of a blind eye by some pubs and off licences makes under-age drinking easy.

Parental attitudes and parenting styles have changed radically and, in many instances, have had the effect of facilitating easier under-age access to alcohol. Many parents now drink at home and there is evidence that in such homes under-age alcohol use is also more common. This is particularly true of Dublin. Under-age alcohol experimentation is much less common in homes where alcohol is not drunk.

Many parents allow their children to drink in their company from a young age, striving for a more open, trusting and friendly relationship with their children.

There is evidence of widespread dishonesty among young people about under-age drinking despite the more relaxed attitude of parents. Alcohol use remains a core "boundary testing" activity for many Irish teenagers.

There has been a decline in communication between parents of peer-group members, making it easy for teenagers to flout their parents' rules in the homes of their friends.

- Behaviour and Attitudes Ltd 2004