Two recent surveys into the behaviour of Australian teenagers told two quite stark, contrasting tales.
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One survey released last week showed that teenagers were rejecting the binge drinking culture in their droves.
According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data, drinking rates among teenagers halved over the past decade – from 56 per cent to just 28 per cent.
This was particularly encouraging. Australia’s boozy culture has been a major societal issue for over a generation.
So to read that our current generation is abandoning this type of risky drinking behaviour is extremely welcome.
The dangers of drinking to excess have been drummed into us for years.
Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of death in this country, as well a leading cause for admission to emergency departments at our hospitals.
According to the Foundation of Alcohol Research and Education, in 2010 there were 155 alcohol-attributable deaths in Tasmania, and 2636 alcohol-attributable hospitalisations.
Between 2006 and 2010, almost a quarter of all serious injuries in road crashes in Tasmania were caused by drink driving, while drug and alcohol misuse are the most common cause of maternal death in Tasmania.
As bad as that reads, there’s another sting in the tail.
While our children are avoiding alcohol, they’re instead taking to abusing pharmaceuticals at a record rate.
According to an analysis of the National Drug Household Survey, and several other health statistics, the number of children aged 14 to 19 who used medicine for non-medical purposes near doubled in 2013 to 4.4 per cent, the ABC reported this week.
Meanwhile, illicit drug use among the same age group halved from 2010-13.
The most concerning point to draw from these figures is that many teenagers seem oblivious to the dangers associated with over-the-counter pharmaceuticals.
The risks and long-term effects of these types of drugs are, unfortunately, not well publicised.
Education appears to be the key to affecting positive change.
We have constantly drummed into our kids the dangers of booze and illicit drugs.
There’s obviously still much work to be done in relation to addressing the concerns.