Teenage alcohol use: how it is combated in developed countries

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More and more teenagers are destroying their lives, health, and relationships through alcohol addiction. A progressive disease of modern society is youthful alcoholism or alcoholism among young people.

Alcoholism is a serious problem for modern youth

The problem of alcoholism in the country

It is generally accepted that Russians are the heaviest drinking nation, but in fact this is not at all the case. To understand this, you need to look at the statistics. The numbers contain the most accurate information.

If you believe the latest data from the Ministry of Health, alcohol consumption in the Russian Federation is decreasing every year. Alcohol consumption statistics in Russia indicate that the country is not the most drinking country. In terms of indicators, it is somewhere in 14th place.

But it’s too early to rejoice; Russian citizens continue to drink drinks containing alcohol. And they use it heavily. Unfortunately, people still die from alcoholism to this day. , every 1,400 Russians die from this disease every year . And this figure is not small.

The number of deaths from poisoning from alcohol-containing drinks has decreased by almost 3 times compared to 2003-2016. If the death toll for this reason in 2003 was 30 people per 100,000, then in 2013 their number decreased to 10 people.

The worst thing is that a person who abuses alcohol throughout his life will not be able to live to a prosperous old age. Statistics on alcoholism in Russia say that alcoholics will end their lives from completely different diseases.

The main causes of death for people who drink alcohol are the following diseases:

• Pancreatitis - 60.7%.
• Suicide - 62.1%.
• Liver cirrhosis - 68.7%.
• Cardiovascular diseases - 24.5%.

Consequences

Ethanol is a poison that destroys the liver, brain cells and other organs. It has a strong effect on the teenage nervous system. The degree of damage to the body depends on the duration of the addiction and the volume of alcohol consumed.

1. It has been scientifically proven that alcohol destroys brain cells and negatively affects the central nervous system. Possible memory loss, clouding of mind, distorted perception of reality (the child can hear voices and see non-existent things).
2. Destruction of the liver and gastrointestinal tract. The ethanol found in alcohol kills or alters liver cells, which can lead to cirrhosis. The delicate walls of the stomach are destroyed, resulting in gastritis, ulcers and other diseases. Sometimes there is indigestion.
3. Sterility. Ethanol affects reproductive function. This refers to both male and female infertility.
4. Metabolic slowdown. Abuse of drinks slows down metabolism, as a result of which excess weight appears and a sharp loss of strength is noticeable.
5. External signs. Addicted adolescents experience early aging. Swelling, wrinkles, and age spots appear. The voice changes, becomes hoarse and rough. There is an unpleasant odor from the mouth.

Alcoholism has harmful effects on humans

How many people drink in Russia?

General statistics note that in 2020 the total number of alcoholics is 5 million people, which is 3.4% of the total population of the country. in need of serious treatment are registered in medical institutions .

Unfortunately, alcohol consumption is falling only on paper. Over the past 10 years, there has been a decline in sales of alcoholic beverages, but sales of surrogate alcohol are growing. According to statistics, 150 thousand people were poisoned by a surrogate over the past 2 years. 41 thousand people of them died.

The fight against illegal alcohol is ongoing, but new distributors of illegal alcohol are constantly appearing on the market. People get drunk gradually, and no matter how much a person says: “I’ll stop drinking when I want,” as a rule, it doesn’t work.

In Russia, 60% of alcoholics are people aged 24-30 years. Most people live with this disease until they are 50 years old. Only 20% can live more than 50 years. At the beginning of 2020, there were more than 20 million alcoholics in Russia.

Most addicts became addicted to this habit thanks to beer, champagne, and various liqueurs. Out of 10 people who drink over the course of 17 years, 1 will die and 2 will become drunk.

Spain

Until the mid-80s in Spain, you could buy alcohol from the age of 14, then the age was raised. Today, in all provinces of Spain, a single limit has been established for all drinks - 18 years (there are exceptions: in Galicia, from 16 years old you can buy drinks with a strength of up to 18%, and in Asturias from 16 years old you can buy all drinks).

However, the problem of excessive alcohol consumption by minors is very acute in the country: the so-called botellons, during which teenagers gather in the open air to drink and have fun, are held everywhere and are an important element of youth culture. According to opinion polls, most Spanish teenagers start drinking alcohol at the age of 13-14. 75% of 14-18 year olds reported drinking in the past week, while 47.6% also smoked. 62% of teenagers regularly participate in botelyons. Among the mortality of 15-29-year-old youth, more than 10% of the deaths of girls and more than 25% of the deaths of boys are related to alcohol.

The Spanish consumer organization OCU conducted a study asking six guys aged 15-17 living in the country's six largest cities (Barcelona, ​​Bilbao, Granada, Madrid, Valencia, Valladolid) to buy alcoholic drinks. In total, the guys made 223 visits to 123 retail outlets and tried to buy beer and whiskey. As it turned out, in Barcelona, ​​Valencia and Granada it is not difficult for teenagers to buy not only beer, but also whiskey, but in Bilbao, Madrid and Valladolid it is more difficult to do this (beer was sold to guys in about 6 out of 10 cases, and whiskey in less than half ).

Alcohol use by women

It has always been believed that only men can drink. In fact, women are not inferior to men. It just so happens that modern women are not lagging behind men in anything. They work on an equal basis with the stronger sex, and in any field of activity, they share life’s difficulties with men in half, and achieve enormous success.

So some ladies acquired the habit of drinking alcohol along with other men. Today, the number of women who drink alcohol makes up 38% of the total number of citizens with alcoholism.

The most important thing is that successful, fairly educated ladies are more prone to excessive consumption. Like the men of high society, the ladies are in no way inferior to them, and the use becomes constant.

Female alcoholism is a problem for the entire society. It greatly worries specialists. This is explained by the fact that women suffer the disease much more severely. The weaker sex gets drunk faster, and treatment rarely has a favorable outcome.

Teenage alcoholism

A more serious problem is drunkenness among young people. The number of teenagers drinking is growing significantly. In addition, teenage alcoholism is getting younger every year. In 2020, the number of young people drinking alcohol reached 33% among boys and 20% among girls.

This is an alarming figure. The most important thing to pay attention to is that with each subsequent year, alcoholism becomes younger. Today, the age of young alcoholics is 14−15 years. And this is only official data about those young people who have already turned to a narcologist for help. In fact, it is much more. And no one knows the exact number of teenagers who drink alcohol.

Youth drinking statistics

The cause of youth alcoholism, as a rule, is the time for experimentation . The teenager begins to feel like an adult, he wants to try everything that adults can. Imitating his parents and their friends, the teenager, trying to establish himself in adulthood, begins to drink alcohol.

First it’s beer and low-alcohol cocktails, then stronger drinks, then he tries vodka. Gradually, without noticing it, the teenager becomes involved in drinking. At this time, before it is too late, parents simply need to have explanatory conversations with their child. This usually does not happen or occurs very rarely. Only parents can protect a teenager from such a harmful habit.

According to statistics, the next percentage of young people consume alcoholic beverages.

1. 50% of high school students drink alcohol monthly.
2. 40% of teenagers tried alcohol for the first time at the age of 13.
3. Adolescents who have been drinking alcohol since the age of 13 are at risk of the disease.
4. Teenagers who are addicted to alcoholic beverages are much more likely to become addicted to drugs than those who don't drink.
5. Teenagers who drink are more likely to miss school and their academic performance is much lower.
6. 1 in 4 school students drink beer daily.
7. 33% of teenagers drink alcohol at home during dinner with their parents.
8. Alcohol kills 6.5 times more teenagers than all drugs combined.
9. Drinking strong drinks promotes aggression and violence.
10. 44% drink alcohol while studying in educational institutions.
11. 30 thousand teenagers need medical help after drinking alcohol.
12. Students aged 18-24 years, in a state of deep intoxication, have sex without contraceptives.
13. More than 90% of teenagers who are addicted to alcohol are children from single-parent and dysfunctional families.

Reasons for the development of alcohol addiction among young people

• Heredity. If a child’s parents suffer from alcoholism from generation to generation, then the risk

The problem of alcoholism among young people is now extremely relevant.

The development of addiction in a teenager only increases.

• Environment. When drinking alcohol is common among schoolchildren, it is almost impossible to stay away. In order not to be different from others, young people start drinking alcohol.
• Dysfunctional families. Very often such parents do not pay due attention to their child. A drinking father may be cruel, and a mother may not notice the problems and needs of her son or daughter. Such guys begin to seek solace in street companies, where drinking alcoholic beverages occurs regularly.
• Overprotection. Overly caring parents who do not give their child freedom of action unwittingly push him to unpredictable actions. Such children are trying to escape from excessive care and prove to others that they are already adults and independent. And very often this happens with the help of alcohol.
• Availability of alcoholic beverages. Supermarkets, small convenience stores and stalls are full of brightly colored jars and bottles, attracting the attention of young people. Not every retail outlet adheres to the rules prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. Therefore, even a schoolchild can buy himself a bottle of beer or a can of low-alcohol cocktail. In Russia there is no strict control over such sales.

Teenagers typically gain their first drinking experience with low-alcohol carbonated drinks. They taste good thanks to various additives. But very quickly they lead to addiction and a transition to more serious drinks.

• Heredity.
  If a child’s parents suffer from alcoholism from generation to generation, then the risk of developing addiction in a teenager only increases.
• Environment. When drinking alcohol is common among schoolchildren, it is almost impossible to stay away. In order not to be different from others, young people start drinking alcohol.
• Dysfunctional families. Very often such parents do not pay due attention to their child. A drinking father may be cruel, and a mother may not notice the problems and needs of her son or daughter. Such guys begin to seek solace in street companies, where drinking alcoholic beverages occurs regularly.
• Overprotection. Overly caring parents who do not give their child freedom of action unwittingly push him to unpredictable actions. Such children are trying to escape from excessive care and prove to others that they are already adults and independent. And very often this happens with the help of alcohol.
• Availability of alcoholic beverages. Supermarkets, small convenience stores and stalls are full of brightly colored jars and bottles, attracting the attention of young people. Not every retail outlet adheres to the rules prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. Therefore, even a schoolchild can buy himself a bottle of beer or a can of low-alcohol cocktail. In Russia there is no strict control over such sales.

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Childhood alcoholism in Russia

In 2011, the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted a sociological survey of schoolchildren under the age of 14. His goal was to identify children's addiction to alcohol. The results simply stunned the scientists; 63% of the students surveyed had already tried their first dose of alcohol at their age.

The worst thing is that they tried alcohol together with close relatives or parents. And 2% of students consciously admitted that they drink beer and low-alcohol drinks every day.

Of all children under 14 years of age, only 4.5% of graduates will be able to graduate from school completely healthy. Russia has surpassed the UK in these indicators by 10 times! But it was Great Britain that was considered not the “most sober” in comparison with other civilized countries.

The main reason for children's addiction to alcohol is the indifferent attitude of their own parents towards their children. For some reason, adults do not consider this a problem and do not even try to solve it. Thus, they simply kill their children from childhood and deprive them of a worthy future. Some people, without even thinking about it, mix alcohol into baby formulas from childhood, just so that the child does not disturb the parents. This is a terrible phenomenon.

The problem is very serious. It requires the immediate intervention of social assistance and, of course, the desire of the family itself to help the child grow up healthy and successful . So far, a solution to this problem is not considered possible.

The statistics on childhood alcoholism are staggering. According to them, every 3 children, primary school students, have already tried alcohol .

Children under 11 years of age are already fairly familiar with alcohol. At this age, 42% of boys and 25% of girls already drink alcohol, if not regularly, then definitely once a month.

By the age of 17, 90% already regard alcohol as a normal event. Of these, 40% drink regularly once a month, 20% drink daily. Over the past 4 years, there has been a 2.5-fold increase in the consumption of low-alcohol drinks by children.

The problem of childhood alcoholism is aggravated by the fact that the young body very quickly gets used to this addiction, and only turning to specialists can help you return to healthy functioning.

Prevention

The organization of medical and educational work in educational institutions, including on the prevention of drug addiction, is carried out within the framework of the “Healthy Lifestyle” lessons: “Health Lessons” for grades 1-4; “Fundamentals of a healthy generation” for grades 5-9. Each section is allocated 17 teaching hours per year.

In colleges, students study under the program “Fundamentals of a Healthy Lifestyle and Family.”

All summer children's health camps held asphalt drawing competitions, “fun starts”, over 3 thousand round tables and question and answer evenings, as well as other preventive events.

The Ministry of Health, with the financial support of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), published an educational and methodological manual “Primary prevention of drug addiction among students of secondary schools” in Uzbek and Russian.

The Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education conducted a sociological survey among college students in Fergana, Syrdarya, Andijan and Kashkadarya regions to study the effectiveness of the preventive measures being taken.

The results showed that 95.5% of young people out of more than 1.2 million respondents are aware of the negative consequences of drug use.

The Tashkent city drug dispensary, together with the Department of Narcology of the Tashkent Institute for Advanced Medical Studies (TashIUV), has prepared an 18-hour program for teachers on the prevention and early detection of addiction to psychoactive substances (PAS) in children and adolescents.

The program of seminars for teachers of secondary schools includes familiarization with the signs of the use of certain psychoactive substances, the medical and social consequences of their abuse, and the identification of “risk groups” in educational institutions.

The specific actions of a teacher in cases of detection of the use of psychoactive substances, the basic principles of drug addiction prevention, work on a school drug addiction prevention program, and interactive methods of preventive work with students are described.

The role of school and family in the prevention of addiction to psychoactive substances is covered, the role of work with the parent audience. Role-playing training is conducted (imitation of a meeting with parents).

Also, an 18-hour program of seminars has been developed for primary care doctors on early detection and prevention of alcoholism, drug addiction and substance abuse.

There is a similar 6-hour training program for community activists on prevention and early detection of drug addiction.

The Department of Valueology of Tashkent Institute of Higher Education has prepared a 144-hour training program “Valeological principles and behavioral problems” for valeologists and doctors of all specialties.

The Association of Doctors of Uzbekistan implemented the project “Awareness of college and higher education students about the harmful effects of drug addiction.” At the National University and a number of colleges in Tashkent, trained moderators with the participation of a representative of the Department of Narcology of Tashkent Institute of Higher Education conducted educational events to prevent the spread of drug addiction, which were attended by 1,150 students.

The public youth movement “Kamolot” carried out work within the framework of the project “Expanding the scope, increasing the quality and completeness of HIV prevention services for the most vulnerable groups of the population of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.