A new report shows, German teens choose alcohol-free lifestyle increasingly
A comprehensive health study in Germany has found that use of alcohol and other drugs by young people is at an all-time low. Officials warn, however, that binge alcohol use remains a rampant problem.
A new report shows that youth consumption of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes is lower than it has been in years. The study, carried out by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), showed that the past decade has seen a radical reduction in substance use by Germans aged 12 to 25 years.
Indeed, the levels of alcohol and other drug consumption are the lowest they have been since the BZgA began carrying out these studies in the 1970s. When presenting the report, however, the government’s top drug abuse commissioner Marlene Mortler warned of the continuing danger of binge alcohol use by young people.
The findings for 2015 show:
- 10% of Germans aged 12 to 17 and 33.6% of those aged 18 to 25 admitted to using alcohol regularly.
- It means a decrease from 18.6% and 40.5% in 2005.
- 15.9% of male teenagers and 12.5% of female teenagers admitted to intaking alcohol until they blacked out at least once a month in 2015.
- About 4% of young people admitted to using amphetamines and ecstasy, while 0.6% said they had used crystal meth. Even the numbers for consumption of cannabis are decreasing.
