The Estudes survey reveals a decrease in the consumption of alcohol and cannabis
Two out of ten Murcian students between the ages of 14 and 18 have taken sedative-hypnotics at some time, and 8.1% had used this medication during the month prior to the Estudes survey, in 2021. The results show that adolescents from the Region of Murcia resort to psychoactive drugs more frequently than in other autonomous communities. On average, the percentage of students who have taken sedative-hypnotics on some occasion in Spain is 19.6%.
The Estudes report also collects another striking piece of information: the average age of starting use of sedative-hypnotics in the Region is 14.4 years. Girls take these drugs more regularly than their male peers. 17.2% of the adolescents had used sedative-hypnotics in the last year, compared to 11.7% of the boys.
“We are the first region in the consumption of psychotropic drugs, and with significant percentages,” warns María Fuster, president of the College of Psychologists. In this sense, it is not strange that adolescents copy habitual patterns in adults, she recalls. “We are conveying to them the idea that one way to manage discomfort is through medication,” Fuster emphasizes.
Two out of ten students have tried psychotropic drugs at some time
Not only is there a high consumption, but sometimes it is carried out without control. 10.2% of students who have taken sedative-hypnotics have done so without a prescription.
Binge and drunkenness
Seven out of every Murcian student between the ages of 14 and 18 say they have tried alcohol at some point in their life, and 48.5% had consumed it during the month prior to the survey. These percentages are lower than the national average: in Spain, 53.6% of adolescents drink regularly. In addition, these results reflect a decrease in consumption. In 2016, 67.5% of Murcian students drank alcohol monthly. But, despite this improvement in the figures, the study continues to reflect problematic consumption. Two out of ten 14-year-olds have already been drunk at some time, and one in four 16-year-old boys and girls suffered alcohol poisoning in the month prior to the survey. In addition, almost half of 18-year-old students admit to binge drinking more or less regularly. This practice consists of binge drinking, with at least five drinks in two hours.
Differences by sex
Alcohol consumption among female students is higher than that registered among their peers, contrary to what happens with cannabis. In total, 24.5% of boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 18 have tried this substance at some time, and 10.8% had taken it in the month prior to the survey.
Cannabis use in the Region of Murcia is below the national average, and the latest report reflects a decrease “in all age groups and sex compared to 2018 data,” says the Epidemiology service in the report.
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