Young people drink and smoke less
A survey of 10,000 young people between the ages of 11 and 15 shows that their use of addictive substances has decreased significantly compared to four years ago.
Addiction prevention seems to be working: Today, young people drink significantly less alcohol and smoke less frequently than four years ago. Only cannabis use has declined less. This is shown by the results of the 2014 student survey, in which around 10,000 students between the ages of 11 and 15 took part.
Addiction Switzerland presented today the concrete Figures of the surveywhich is conducted every four years on behalf of the FOPH: Today, only 10% of 15-year-old boys and 6% of girls of the same age in Switzerland drink alcohol at least once a week - in 2010, the figure was 27% for boys and 13 % for girls.
The numbers are also positive for smoking, with 7% of 15-year-olds smoking daily, compared to 12% in 2010.
Addiction Switzerland calls the decline "gratifying," but the organization also cautions: "It must not be forgotten that adolescents should not consume anything at this age." This is because the growing body is particularly susceptible to damage from substance use.
For Addiction Switzerland, the protection of young people remains a central concern of prevention - but: "Youth protection measures are not enough, especially since young people are oriented towards the adult world. To ensure that young people of today and those of tomorrow continue to exercise restraint in their use of psychoactive substances, addiction prevention must be understood as a task for society as a whole," says the organization.
