Teenage drug use ‘widespread’, survey reveals

GRASS, hash, headshop drugs, ecstasy or pills, and, on a smaller scale, cocaine, are, in order of popularity, the drugs of choice among Irish teens, more of whom profess to drug taking than cigarette smoking, according to a new survey.

Among the youngsters who took part in the UNICEF Ireland research, hash-takers are more likely to suffer from depression, engage in self-harm or feel suicidal.

‘Grass’ or ‘weed’ was the most popular substance among the more than one-third of respondents who reported drug taking (80%). More than two-thirds of those taking drugs first did so at age 16 or younger. Some 12 year-olds reported taking drugs.

Drinking was widespread among those surveyed at 77%, with more females than males partaking (82% compared to 69%).

Of the four provinces, Connaught had the highest proportion of 16-year-olds who reported drinking alcohol.

UNICEF Ireland said the young people who took part in the survey “clearly perceived the consumption of alcohol as a social activity” (89% reported first getting drunk with friends) with only a tiny proportion saying that they first got drunk on their own. Just 1% described their consumption of alcohol as a problem.

UNICEF Ireland said the report “should leave the reader in no doubt as to how widespread drug and alcohol consumption can become among young Irish people, and how central a role these substances can come to play in young peoples’ lives.” It said the “normative relationship” which young people appeared to have with drugs and alcohol needed to be challenged.

A second report by UNICEF Ireland looking at sexual behaviour in adolescents found 20% had lost their virginity before the age of 16, including 3% of 12-year-olds who responded.

A slightly higher proportion of those who lost their virginity before the age of 16 were girls, while regionally the greatest proportion came from Dublin.

Approximately one in three who were sexually active reported that they engaged in sexual activity once or twice a week.

UNICEF Ireland said the findings suggest that adolescent sexuality “can be both a source of great happiness and of significant distress to young people,” with 25% of sexually active girls reporting that they had experienced pressure to have sex for the first time, compared to just 15% of boys.

The most cited topic discussed with parents was reported as ‘taking precautions with condoms’ (57%), followed by ‘not getting pregnant’ (48%). Young people put the risk of getting pregnant ahead of catching a sexually transmitted disease; 15% reported that they wished they had waited until they were older.

The vast majority (81%) said they never spoke to their parents about sex.

The reports, entitled Changing the Future: Experiencing Adolescence in Contemporary Ireland, surveyed more than 500 youngsters aged 16-20 late last year.