Many teens begin drinking on entering third year, study finds

The transition between second year and third year is a tipping point for many second-level students to start drinking alcohol.

The transition between second year and third year is a tipping point for second-level students to start drinking alcohol, while almost 40% of third-years who drink have already done so to the point of being sick, having an accident, or becoming involved in physical violence.

The findings are included in a three-year longitudinal study carried out by Maynooth University (MU) and which also shows that 44% of third-years referred to "tolerant" parental views regarding alcohol, versus 17% who said they had not started drinking because of concerns over their parents’ reaction.

The researchers from MU carried out the independent longitudinal evaluation of Drinkaware’s Junior Cycle Alcohol Education Programme (JC AEP), which is currently open to students in 134 schools around the country.

40% of 13-year-olds have had alcochol

It found that 40% of students prior to delivery of the AEP — and when typically aged 13 — reported that they had, at some stage, taken alcohol, whether as a few sips or as a full drink.

However, the report said this should be interpreted with caution because ‘drinking’ and the ‘age of the first drink’ are often defined in different ways.

The research tracked 350 Junior Cycle students from 19 schools across the country as they moved from first to third year between 2018 and 2020.

According to the study, approximately 60% of students indicated that they had never drunk alcohol through first and second year, but this dropped sharply by 17% as students went from second year to third year.

Negative effects of alcohol

It also found that 57% of third-year students had first consumed alcohol either in their own or someone else’s home, with most saying they did so with little difficulty. Just one in four said they got into trouble with their parents for drinking, and 9% indicated that their parents do not like to see them drinking.

The level of intoxication among third-years who drink was also higher. The study showed that 38% of participating students who drink had already experienced one or more negative effects of alcohol consumption, such as physical fights, arguments, accidents/injury, and/or feeling physically sick or vomiting.