sobering

On the evening of Monday July 6 Paddy Higgins, of Surrey, was enjoying a night out drinking with friends in Newquay, the party capital of the South West. He was celebrating finishing his exams and was no doubt looking forward to a relaxing summer holiday. Just a few hours later, he lay dead on the town's Tolcarne beach after falling from 70ft cliffs. Paddy was only 16 years old and the exams he had completed were GCSEs. That night, despite being underage, he had been able to buy Corona beers and sambuccas without having to show any ID.
Just a few weeks earlier, 18 year old Andrew Curwell, of Lancashire, was also found dead at the foot of cliffs in Newquay after a night out drinking in the town. (find it here)

I can't think of a single British institution, from sixth-form to university to the average British workplace, where your peers won't like and trust you more for the ability to knock back a few bevvies. In short, adult Britons think that drinking is cool, exciting and newsworthy, with the inevitable result that their children do, too. (find it here)