Teenage drinking levels plummet

Higher prices and cultural change have seen the numbers of teenagers drinking alcohol plummet in Scotland since 2002, a Europe-wide study has shown.

The report for the World Health Organisation (WHO) found weekly drinking among 15-year-olds in Scotland has declined from 41 per cent to 11 per cent in girls and 14 per cent among boys

A similar drop has been recorded across Europe, with the biggest drops in the UK and Nordic countries where levels have been traditionally high.

However WHO warned excessive drinking is still common among teenagers across Europe, with around a quarter of boys and more than one in five girls reporting having been drunk two or more times by the age of 15.

Dr Jo Inchley of the University of St Andrews’ school of medicine was lead editor of the report.

“Overall reductions in harmful drinking have been greatest in countries that traditionally have had higher prevalence, such as Great Britain and the Nordic region,” she said.

“This makes it clear that change is possible; however, more should be done to ensure that adolescents are effectively protected from the harms caused by alcohol”.

Alcohol consumption during adolescence is associated with functional and structural changes in the brain that persist into adulthood.

Dr Carina Ferreira Borges, Programme Manager for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs at the WHO Regional Office for Europe urged policy-makers to make a commitment: “To ensure the successes achieved so far are maintained, governments are urged to adopt approaches which engage the population at all ages.”

The report used data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study.