Charter News

Teenagers who smoke, drink alcohol and eat junk food are significantly more likely to be unhappy than their clean- living counterparts, a study has found.

About 5,000 children were questioned on their appearance, family, friends, school and life as a whole, and had their happiness levels rated.

Researchers discovered that those who never drank alcohol were between four and six times more likely to have higher levels of happiness than those who did, while those who shunned cigarettes were about five times more likely to have high happiness scores than young smokers.

The authors of the study, based at the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University, used data from Understanding Society, a long-term study of 40,000 UK households, to analyse the home life and health-related behaviour of about 5,000 ten to 15-year-olds.

Their results found that unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and not taking exercise were closely linked to substantially lower happiness scores, even when factors such as family income and parents' education were taken into account.

Exercise makes you smarter 'by boosting energy levels in the brain'

Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, and less eating of crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks, was associated with high happiness levels. Also, the children who played a lot of sport were deemed happier.

Cara Booker, co-author of the research, said that children could be turning to damaging vices to cope with their unhappiness. She said: 'Another explanation could be that youths who smoke and drink first fit themselves into certain groups that tend to be unhappier, and then they find themselves unhappy. It becomes a vicious cycle.

'It's probably a combination of both. Some will take up smoking because they want to feel more adult, but then find themselves hanging out with people who are less happy and then they become less happy.

'But if you're participating in sports and have a social group who are also interested in the same things, you're happier versus not doing much of anything.'

The study found that between the ages of 13 and 15, teenagers' food consumption became unhealthier – only 11 per cent reported eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day – and their participation in exercise fell. And the figures for alcohol consumption revealed 8 per cent of ten to 12-year-olds admitted having had an alcoholic drink within the last month, rising to 41 per cent among 13 to 15-year-olds.

Dr Booker added: 'The message [to teenagers] is that you need to be as healthy as possible, and participating in more adult behaviour such as smoking and drinking is not necessarily going to make you happier.'

Charter is pleased to announce further expansion into three quiet, private and stylish rooms on the top floor at 15 Harley Street. This is to meet the growing demand for 1:1, couples and family counselling, mediation and psychotherapy.

Although not all those in treatment for addiction require individual counselling as part of their care plan, frequently the family does, whether their loved one is at Charter, in treatment elsewhere, or still using. Honouring a systemic approach, at Charter we aim to support all those affected by an individual's addiction to let go of resentment and to develop healthy coping mechanisms and ways to communicate.

There is also a growing demand for counselling for issues that are not always related to addiction. The skills, experience and training of the Charter team extend beyond addiction into mediation, divorce, grief, loss, depression, anxiety, stress, anger, trauma and child and adolescent psychotherapy.

Therefore as a different entity Charter has set up Charter Counselling in rooms that are separate to the treatment facility (www.chartercounselling.com) to provide a dedicated counselling and psychotherapy service, for clients prior or post treatment for addiction as well as to support people suffering from problems unrelated to addiction.

Internet addiction can be as damaging to teenagers' brains as alcohol and drugs, a study suggests.

Mandy Saligari recently attended a three day course on Relapse Prevention with Terence Gorski who is world renowned for his pioneering relapse model, and wealth of experience in the field of addiction over the last 40 years.

The number of alcohol-related hospital admissions in England has topped one million for the first time, according to official statistics.

Charter's popular family support groups, currently held on the first Tuesday of every month, are to increase in frequency.  

Madeleine Muir has joined Charter as a key member of the therapeutic team. Madeleine has worked in the addiction recovery field for over eight years, in public health and private settings.