Teens hoping to indulge in the promised benefits of alcohol are more apt to continue to do so freely if they stay out of the public eye. In Ireland, they appear to prefer to not only drink in public, but also demonstrate they have consumed too much.

A recent Irish Times report shows that teens grab the attention of local law enforcement much more often for public drunkenness than for any other crime. This finding was part of an annual report of the committee that monitors the Garda diversion program.

Even with this higher percentage, the report also shows a significant number of teens were arrested for other crimes, including drug dealing and gun possession. A total of 1,027 teens under the age of 18 were arrested for drug possession last year, while another 174 were arrested for dealing drugs.

With such serious offenses taking place, none came close in numbers compared to the volume of teens arrested for alcohol-related offences. A total of 3,079 cases of public drunkenness were reported. The total alcohol-related offenses account for nearly one in five of all offenses captured.

A total of 1,144 of cases referred to the purchase, possession or consumption of alcohol. Of the 3,100 offenses reported that involved vehicles, 118 were related to drinking and driving.

With such staggering numbers, the program still enjoyed a decrease of more than 13 percent in the number of incidents. This is proof that the program is likely working and efforts must continue to focus on reducing the number of alcohol- and drug-related offenses that involve teens.