If you or someone else needs urgent medical help after taking drugs or drinking, call 999 for an ambulance. Tell the crew everything you know. It could save their life.

If you are stuggling to manage your alcohol drinking, help is available:

• Somerset Drugs and Alcohol Services young peoples service supports all young people across Somerset who are experiencing difficulties with their substance use
• Call SDAS on 0300 303 8788 available 24/7 for enquiries
• Al-Anon is there for anyone whose life is or has been affected by someone else's drinking
• Smart recovery helps you decide whether you have a problem, builds up your motivation to change and offers a set of proven tools and techniques to support recovery
• Drinkline offer free, confidential helpline for anyone who is concerned about their drinking, or someone else's on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm)

Mental health support:

• Alcohol and drugs can affect your moods and mental health, to find out more or find support go to Young Minds

Parents have a big effect on their child’s choices about drinking alcohol. So talk about alcohol use with your kids early and often as they grow up. Parents are role models, even to teens. So set a good example by drinking responsibly (or not at all), not using alcohol as a stress reliever, and never driving after drinking. Regular, honest talks with your kids will help them make good decisions.

•  Alcohol and parenting has advice about how to talk to your kids

If you have parents or someone in your family with an alcohol problem, there is information, support and advice from Nacoa or call the free and confidential helpline on 0800 358 3456.

Young people are at greater risk of alcohol-related harm than adults. As the brain keeps developing into the mid-twenties, drinking alcohol as a teenager can greatly increase the risk of damage to the developing brain. It can also lead to problems with alcohol later in life.

Drinking heavily over a short period of time with the intention of becoming drunk is known as binge drinking, (binge drinking is also defined as drinking over the recommended level of standard drinks).

Common effects of binge drinking include:

• hangovers
• headaches
• nausea and vomiting
• shakiness

As well as increasing the risk of short and longer-term health problems, binge drinking can lead to young people taking risks and putting themselves in dangerous situations – such as drink driving and unsafe sex.

Young people are more likely to take risks when drinking. Alcohol is a significant factor in a range of risky situations, including:

• fighting
• drowning
• drug overdose
• self-harm
• suicide