Abstract
The article presents some Finnish results from a comparative survey (ESPAD) conducted among 15- to 16-year-old students in 1995 in 26 European countries. The focus is on the prevalence of the use of alcohol and other drugs, and on the relation between availability and use. In addition, the differences between metropolitan Helsinki and Finland as a whole are analysed. The Finnish results are compared with those of the neighbouring countries and the United Kingdom, where the prevalence of alcohol and substance use was among the highest in all ESPAD countries. The lifetime prevalence of drunkenness was very high (77 %). There were no differences between boys and girls. Metropolitan Helsinki students did not differ from students living elsewhere in their alcohol use. Boys re ported that they had consumed more alcohol on their last drinking occasion than girls. Mixing alcohol with pills was more common among girls than boys. A quarter of all girls had at least sometimes mixed alcohol and pills. The prevalence of illegal substance use was low (5 %). In metropolitan Helsinki there were markedly more girls who had used alcohol and pills together (32 %) and taken tranquillisers or sedatives (14 %) than in the whole of Finland (25 % and 6 %, respectively). The reported use of marijuana and hashish was more common in metropolitan Helsinki (14 %) than on average (5 %). The respondents found it very easy to get alcohol. The availability of a beverage was easier the wider its distribution network and the lower the minimum age for buying it. Of the other substances, inhalants (48 %) were assessed as the easiest to obtain, followed by tranquillisers and sedatives (21 %) and then by marijuana and hashish (14 %). Finland, together with the United Kingdom and Denmark, belongs to those ESPAD countries where the prevalence of drunkenness is highest, whereas the prevalence of illegal drug use in Finland is very low. The prevalence of mixing alcohol and pills was on the same level in Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
