Program teaches about blight of juvenile drinking

When 16-year-old high-school student Xu Lidong had his birthday party one Saturday in early November, friends tried to persuade him to celebrate with a glass of liquor. But he hesitated a little, then decided not to indulge - telling his pals and family that he hadn't hit the right age to try alcohol, a lesson well learned from participating in a responsible drinking awareness program.

The programs which are part of the 2016 National Responsible Drinking Awareness Week, initiated nationwide by the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) from late October, have brought the issue of juvenile drinking under the spotlight.

"A survey that polled some 30,000 middle school and high school students across China last year found that more than 51.1 percent of respondents said they had consumed alcoholic drinks and some 15 percent said they had been intoxicated at least once," said Hu Xiaoqi, director of students' nutrition and healthcare department of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention.