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In Australia, the PM recently raised taxes on "Alcopops" which are basically premixed alcoholic drinks such as vodka cruiser, Smirnoff double blacks, pulses (not sure what the rest of the world drinks, but that's pretty popular around here) which is what all the under 18s drink. While there is some merit in this, it doesn't address the real cause of binge drinking at all. If teens want to drink, they will, regardless of how much the taxes are raised. As a young (illegal) binge drinker, if I couldn't get hold of premixed drinks, then friends and I would just half a goon bag (for all those who aren't bogan enough to know what that is, it's like a four litre cask of cheap cheap wine that retail for like $11-12.) So if kids aren't going to drink the Alcopops that cost too much (price rose by a maximum of 70%) then they're just going to drink the cheap "goon bags' or buy the hard spirits and make their own drinks, which is far more dangerous.

So instead of punishing the legal, over 18 drinkers who like to drink sweet tasting alcohol, the government should take other action to stop binge drinking. Police who catch youth drinkers just confiscate their alcohol; a hefty fine should be put in place, and people who supply alcohol for minors should actually be fined; I do not know of ANYONE that has ever heard of someone being fined for supplying alcohol for minors. Meg, 19 from Victoria, AUS

Binge drinking is so not worth it! If I'm correct, that is where you drink and drink and drink simply to get drunk very quickly. Honestly, I don't see the point. Well, ok, obviously, the point is to get drunk out of your mind, but other than that... why? It destroys your brain and liver and pretty much everything else...like your blood, which you kind of might need someday *sense the sarcasm here*. I mean, there are so many other ways to deal with your problems! Well, I shouldn't say deal with your problems, because it doesn't even do that! It doesn't fix anything. Nothing good comes from it. Only bad. Very bad. Bad headaches in the morning and bad body problems that make you die young. And when the headaches go away and you feel fine...the problems you wanted to forget about in the first place are *big surprise!* still there. M.J., 17 from Washington, USA

I think that having a drink now and again (not that I do that at all!!) is okay, but, drinking a bit *too* much is of course bad for you, my friend's sister's friend (who is only 16- under the legal age in the UK) has black liver from alcohol. I don't know what black liver is exactly, but, yeah, I know it ain't good =D Mia, 13 from England

Dear Hit Me readers: I am DISAPPOINTED in you. This was a wonderful theme, and all of you didn't send me any submissions so I had to go on my knees and BEG for my lovely fellow columnists to help me out. *tut tut*.
So, anyway, try hard next time! And the theme is::

Are women better parents than men? I know, generally, they are a WHOLE LOT better, but what do you think about them being better parents? Send, SEND SEND!!!