Children as young as 11 have found themselves in an emergency situation after their friend drank too much alcohol, new research suggests.
Some have been forced to cope with friends being heavily sick, getting injured or lying unconscious, according to a poll of 2,500 youngsters for the British Red Cross.
One in seven (14 per cent) children aged 11 to 16 have witnessed an emergency due to drunkenness, with one in 10 dealing with sickness, injury or unconsciousness, including situations after drunken fights.
Of those who have been in an emergency, only 10 per cent called 999, while 47 per cent called their parents for help.
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of youngsters surveyed have been drunk themselves, on average three times in the past six months.
More than one in three (36 per cent) 14 to 16-year-olds said they get drunk most weekends, consuming an average of 11 units of alcohol – equivalent to almost a bottle of wine or eight bottles of alcopop at five per cent.
The poll was released to mark the new British Red Cross campaign, Life. Live It, which encourages young people to learn life-saving first aid skills.
Other findings were that 89 per cent of children overall have coped with some sort of health crisis.
Some 27 per cent have witnessed an asthma attack, 33 per cent have dealt with a head injury, 18 per cent with somebody choking and nine per cent with somebody having an epileptic fit.
Asked how they responded to these incidents, 44 per cent panicked, while 46 per cent did not know what to do.
Joe Mulligan, first aid expert at the British Red Cross, said: “Our aim is that all young people and children in the UK have the opportunity to learn first aid skills and gain the confidence to save lives.
“Plus it’s not just about saving lives – being able to immediately help someone will reduce pain, minimise distress and speed up the recovery process.
“We need to ensure that every young person – irrespective of whether they’re drinking – has the ability and confidence to cope in a crisis.”
First aid was introduced into the school curriculum in 2008, yet the survey found just five per cent of children have been taught it.
However, almost all said they would like to learn first aid and think it would improve their skills and confidence in a crisis.
Chris Sorek, chief executive officer of the charity Drinkaware, said: “These findings reinforce our knowledge that drinking to excess puts young people at risk.