More teenagers stay sober, but binge drinking more common among those who drink
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Finnish teenagers appear to be increasingly divided into two contrasting groups with respect to alcohol consumption. Greater numbers of Finns under the age of 18 are abstaining from alcohol, but binge drinking is increasingly common among those who do indulge.
An operation set up by the Youth Department of the City of Helsinki gave assistance to 292 young people who had consumed too much alcohol during the First of May festivities.
Most of the situations were handled successfully by talking, but 109 needed actual first aid.
Finnish Red Cross worker Riitta Bäckman, who worked at the Töölö sobering-up facility during the holiday, noticed that this time, strong spirits were especially to the liking of young people.
“This year it was also apparent that many young people were very aggressive. It is a phenomenon that appeared during the previous recession as well. Uncertainty and problems are very serious for many young people and their families”, Bäckman said.
Also concerned about heavy drinking among teenagers is Tiina Hörkkö, a project coordinator of the Vantaa Välittää (“Vantaa Cares”) project.
The three-year project, a joint effort by the City of Vantaa and the State Provincial Office of Southern Finland, is aimed at reducing the consumption of intoxicants by youth.
Hörkkö says that kids who do consume alcohol, drink more frequently, and in larger amounts than before.
According to an online survey that is part of the project, 30 per cent of respondents of upper-level comprehensive school-age have consumed alcohol.
Half of those with drinking experiences have had memory lapses as a result, 48 per cent say that they have passed out, 24 per cent admit to having behaved violently, and 58 per cent have said or done something that they have regretted later.
The survey, conducted in March and April this year, brought responses from more than 3,200 Vantaa teenagers.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 4.5.2009 - TODAY |
 More teenagers stay sober, but binge drinking more common among those who drink |
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