Home > Changing the future: experiencing adolescence in contemporary Ireland: alcohol and drugs.

UNICEF Ireland. (2011) Changing the future: experiencing adolescence in contemporary Ireland: alcohol and drugs. Dublin: UNICEF Ireland.

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More of the respondents reported that they took drugs than reported that they smoked cigarettes’ finds the first report which addresses the issues of drugs and alcohol. Key findings in the report included:

• While 77% of the total respondents report that they drink alcohol, 15% reported that they got drunk for the first time before they were fourteen years old;
• The great majority (89%) of respondents report that their parents are aware of their drinking;
• 1 in 5 sixteen year old respondents report that they purchase the alcohol they consume themselves;
• More than one third of respondents reported that they had taken drugs;
The reported prevalence of mental health difficulties such as depression, self-harm, eating disorders or feeling suicidal was noticeably higher amongst those respondents who also reported the use of drugs.

The UNICEF Ireland report concludes that ‘What is absolutely clear from the responses to this survey is that drugs and alcohol are both widely available and widely used amongst many young people living in Ireland. It is imperative that we address this prevalence openly and bring it into the crucial discussions that will shape the future experiences of young people in Ireland.’


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