I dont think it matters what the problem is, binge drinking, drugs or just plain anti social behaviour, the crux of the problem and the solution to it all begins at home, with the family.
There is an attitude today that we can pass these problems on to some other group or agency, and we appear to be encouraged to do so. Children are the responsibility of the family and need to have imposed upon them from an early age a sense or awareness of what is right and what is not tolerated, a respect for authority such as our Police would be a big help, just to name one area.
There is no doubt no matter what the upbringing there will always be the odd lemon but lemons appear to be about to become the fruit of choice as many parents do not appear to know how to grow any other sort of fruit.
Educate the parents to be good parents, when the parents lose or do not have in the first place the basic skills and the necessary ethics involved with being a parent the kids have no chance.
An old Landlady of my youth said to me once, "there are only two occupations one needs no qualification for and that is a Politician and/or a Parent" Maybe some training prior to engagement or employment in either occupation would benefit our society.
Shaggy Dog

At last a productive contribution to the discussion. Craig Fry’s letter to The Age (http://www.theage.com.au/news/letters/no-gains-to-be-made-from-fear-campaigns/2008/03/14/1205472081050.html) over the weekend also raised good points.

By definition, drug treatment services service only those whose use is deemed in need of ‘treatment’. The normalisation of excessive alcohol consumption sees less people presenting for treatment before the problems related to their use cross the criminal justice system or finds them in hospital. In theory it would be useful for service providers to include family into the treatment but there are structural constraints inherent with this.

Firstly, those presenting at youth Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) services are generally the most marginalised of young people. More often than not their presentation is inextricably linked with a lack of familial supports resultant of various types of abuse (substance, sexual, physical & emotional) within the home.

Secondly, were services funded to be more proactive and able to garner a population who are engaged with schools and the community, who have homes and concerned parents, the inclusion of others into the therapeutic relationship complicates the client- worker relationship. A benefit of engaging with an AOD service is that they provide the young person an opportunity to work through issues without the worker having any vested interest with others in the young person’s life. Obviously alcohol abuse doesn’t happen in a vacuum and without doubt it affects those around the young person. But the inclusion of the family into the treatment – whilst having vast potential- needs to be well thought out. The voices of the young people, families and the workers need to be included into the development of any such approach for it to be as effective in practice as it is in theory. Dissemination of the research to broader audiences such as this is a very positive step forward. Thank you John Herron.

Parental responsibility seems to have gone out the door at least two generations ago. The current generation of teenagers bingedrinking and using non-legal drugs are the products of parents who did the same things and are still doing them.

The kids have been allowed to do as they please, and it is too late educate them now. Programmes to stop drinking and drugging are largely useless, and the user is the only person who can decide to stop.

Spending $53m for 'scary' TV commercials will also prove to be totally useless, and the money could be better spent on people really wanting help.

The targets of the Rudd Government's program do not want to stop drinking or drugging. It's too much fun, and by the time they are in the grip of the booze and other drugs, they won't be able to give them up.

The idea that problems must be nipped in the bud at home is too old fashioned and not 'complex' for the pop psychologists and other people making money out of 'cures'. But it is the only answer.

A campaign to promote responsible drinking is long overdue in this country. And most certainly should not be aimed at teens alone.

With children it is 'monkey see, monkey do'.

The attitude in this nation that getting 'blotto', 'smashed' etc equates with having a good time is not a problem that only teens have. There is a relentless single minded focus on alcohol and the consumption thereof. Nothing else matters, everything else only of secondary importance.

Alcohol isn't just part of a party, drinking alcohol is the party. Unbelievably boring, limiting and highly embarrassing and reeks of low self esteem. Have to be drunk before I can address a female. Any female.

Unfortunately, women and girls increasingly seem to take gender equality to mean that they can be as boring, embarrassing and stupid as males.

There is nothing as unattractive as a drunk male or female, a real sexual turn-off. Unless of course you're drunk yourself. Yuck.

I think a campign to start the ball rolling on changing attitudes is a good thing, however there are real viable options that will have a more genuine impact on the epidemic that is occuring

Ban UDL's - There are too many lolly drinks. Many teens that would not have the stomach for any real alcohol put UDL's away at a phenomenal rate.

Trading hours - stop all venues at say 2am and bottle shops at 10pm. Of course this will not stop all drinking. It will decentralize it, stop the 'night out' from dragging beyond sensible reason. Being drunk and stupid beyond reason, is ingrained in our culture, we need to aid the less determined to give up and go home in their inebriated state. Having been stupidly drunk in the city many times, I know that I give and go home only when the last venue has shut its doors.

Let the Alcohol industry know that unless teen drinking is curbed in the very near future the government will start adding a punitive tax regime until it gets the message. They have spent millions on getting teens to drink. Make it their problem to fix.

I especially like this regime because apart from the add campaign it will not cost the tax payer a cent, it will only hurt the industry - how much, depends on them

Kevin Rudd has given us a chance to develop a strategy towards change where alcohol consumption is concerned. Australia is a society of binge drinking groups - teens being only one of those groups. The biggest and hardest symptom of alcohol abuse is denial. As a nation we have developed sophisticated denial mechanisms to prolong our national binge on ethanol. Boozing is part and parcel of Australian culture, we are a nation of drunks or the friend and family of drunks.

Kevin has named a symptom of our alcoholic culture - youth drinking as an opening salvo on denial. I can imagine the parliamentary piss pots, wine growers, brewery investors, hotel owners, hop growers and liquor land lads going wobbly at the knees but not from the grog this time.

Earl11, great idea. The lolly drinks can be thrown out straight away.

Why is it actually that in Australia it is so acceptable to be drunk and to vomit from too much drink, why is 'being able to handle your liquor, know how much you can drink' and not get drunk not a much more desirable look?

I as a young teen occasionally drink myself but the problem with binge drinking, drug taking and smoking among teens is worse than you think.

Luke, why is that?

It is not even so much the drinking of alcohol, but why is it OK to get drunk?

In other cultures, somebody who is drunk is seen as being a real loser. Somebody who cannot handle him/herself. A drunk person behaves and looks so pathetic. They look and act really dumb.

Where I grew up, getting drunk was a sure way of not scoring with somebody of the opposite sex. It was seen as a monumental turn-off.

When I was a teenager/adolescent we basically had sex on the brain, or at least wanting to make out with somebody. So, getting drunk drastically reduced any chance.

As a teen everywhere you turn, there is either, advertisement for alcohol, adults acting stupid off alcohol, news reports, t.v shows and movies, all about alcohol.

Most of my friends and peer's now see drinking as a normal social behaviour, drinking has become part of our culture. I have a large amount of concern for a few of my friends, they seem to think if they don't drink and become completely unaware of what they are doing then they will lose friends.

Don't get me wrong, there is alot of anti-drinking commercials, which is good, but in my opinion, the next step would be to ban the advertisement for alcohol.

You could call my generation stupid, and i would not know whether to agree or disagree.

In my opinion binge drinking amongst teens is at least partially caused by the availability of the "lolly drinks" alluded to by others, and the ridiculous opening hours of many pubs and nightclubs. This not only gives drinkers a lot more time to drink, but has a social impact on those areas unfortunate enough to have a dinking establishment nearby.

There's a lot to be said for the bad example many parents show their kids, too.