Children who still have baby teeth but have been drunk more than once in their lives – this is not uncommon in parts of Europe. In Bulgaria, for example, where almost ten percent of all eleven-year-old boys have experienced intoxication at least twice. Almost 20 percent of Bulgarian boys have smoked at least once. In Lithuania, on the other hand, one in five eleven-year-olds has already had experience with e-cigarettes.
These are some sad highlights from a report released Thursday by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Based on surveys, it shows how much young people on the continent and some selected countries outside Europe drink, smoke, vape and smoke weed. And even if there are enormous differences between countries, one thing can be learned from the data: Eleven to 15-year-olds, who should actually be protected from addictive substances, consume them to a considerable extent across Europe.
This applies most strongly to alcohol. Six percent of all eleven-year-olds said they had had at least one drink in the 30 days before the survey. Among 15-year-olds it was more than a third. 20 percent in this age group have been drunk at least twice. Young Danes drank most often; almost 70 percent had consumed beer, wine or spirits within the past month. The longer-term trend, like the consumption patterns, is inhomogeneous – but all in all not really reassuring. In many countries, alcohol consumption has stagnated or increased.
E-cigarettes are also widespread and more young people in Europe now smoke than tobacco cigarettes. About 20 percent of all 15-year-olds vaped in the month before the survey, the WHO report found. The rate is highest in Lithuania at more than 30 percent.
The report’s authors assess the increasing prevalence of electronic cigarettes as a significant public health problem: “Research shows that young people are very sensitive to substances such as nicotine because their brains are still developing, making them more easily addicted .” They criticize the fact that e-cigarettes are marketed specifically to young people and call for the products to be banned or at least heavily regulated. What the e-cigarette has in common with alcohol is that it is more of a phenomenon among young people from wealthier families.
Germany’s 15-year-olds smoke, vape and use weed slightly more than the European average
Smoking, on the other hand, tended to be somewhat more widespread among less well-off children and young people. 15 percent of 15-year-olds had used a traditional cigarette at least once within 30 days. The highest figure was recorded in Greenland, where more than half of all girls smoked in the past month. Smoking seems to be trending down – but not in all age groups and countries.
Smoking weed was the least common of the addictive substances examined; a total of six percent of 15-year-olds said they had consumed cannabis in the past month.
Germany’s 15-year-olds smoke, vape and use weed slightly more than the European average. However, when you consume alcohol, they stand out clearly. Around 55 percent had drunk beer, wine or something similar in the month before the survey. This puts them in third place in Europe.
Some of the numbers are significantly higher than those of the German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS), which published its addiction yearbook on Wednesday. Explanations for the differences could be different age groups and data collection methods in the surveys. In addition, the information provided by young people does not always have to be reliable.
Nevertheless, the DHS also points to an overall high level of alcohol consumption in Germany. “In hardly any other country is alcohol as easily and readily available as in Germany,” criticizes the DHS and is therefore calling for greater restrictions on sales, increases in prices and restrictions on advertising. “Nothing has been done for decades, and the regulation on the sponsorship of alcohol and tobacco announced in the coalition agreement is still a long time coming,” said managing director Christina Rummel of the SZ.
Carina Ferreira-Borges, who is responsible for alcohol and drugs at WHO Europe, attributes the fact that drug consumption varies so greatly from country to country to, among other things, different levels of prevention measures. However, cultural norms and socio-economic conditions also played a role. Ultimately, consumption is “influenced by a complex interplay of various factors,” she tells the SZ. The measures would therefore have to be adapted to the specific situation in the country.
The report is based on the international “Health Behavior in School-aged Children study,” which is conducted every four years. It is the world’s largest study on child and adolescent health and is particularly suitable for comparisons between countries. For the latest edition, a total of 280,000 young people from 44 countries and regions were surveyed in 2021 and 2022.