LAST WEEK'S REPORT FROM NHS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT Scotland is yet more evidence of the scale of the alcohol problem facing Scotland. While it may not be too surprising that young people under 30 make up the majority of those attending emergency departments because of alcohol, it is truly shocking that a number of children under 12 and one as young as eight also required hospital treatment.

On Friday and Saturday nights, emergency departments are saturated with people who have had too much to drink, tying up doctors and nurses from treating other patients.

Peer pressure can make it difficult for young people to make the right choices, so it's important they understand the real risks involved in drinking alcohol at such a young age and that they aren't invincible. Children's bodies aren't developed enough to cope with alcohol, so smaller amounts can lead to them being dangerously drunk quite quickly. As well as alcohol poisoning, children who drink are putting themselves in vulnerable situations and are more likely to have unsafe sex, try other drugs and be a victim of an accident or assault.

Scottish government action must focus on price, availability, and education. Alcohol is being sold at pocket-money prices - a two-litre bottle of strong cider for less than £2 provides very cheap "entertainment" for a night compared with going to the cinema or sports centre. Some communities are providing excellent diversionary schemes such as twilight football and youth Cafes (Community Alcohol-Free Environments) but these only operate in certain areas and are often only funded on a short-term basis.

Alcohol is more available than ever before and children don't seem to have any problems accessing it. One in seven shops visited as part of the test purchasing scheme sold alcohol to under 18s. There must be stricter enforcement of the licensing laws and meaningful penalties.

Education should take place both in the classroom and in the home. We need to think about how we drink in front of our children; are their weekends being affected by our hangovers?

Tackling under-age drinking also requires us all to take a long hard look at our own attitudes to alcohol and consider how we've shaped a society that has lost sight of the dangers of excessive drinking.