Knowledge of drugs and consumption of alcohol among Nottingham 15-year-olds

Abstract

THIS paper reports on a study of 725 school children and is concerned with examining their knowledge of drugs, defined as knowing of people who take drugs and/or being offered drugs, and their alcohol con sumption. The data shows that 297 (or 41%) knew of someone taking drugs, mainly cannabis, and 140 or (19%) had been offered drugs. There was a close con nection between the two — those who knew of some one taking drugs were also likely to have been offered drugs. The average number of units of alcohol consumed was 3.6 for all the 725 children and 6.28 for those drinking alcohol in the last week. These figures are below those for the OPCS national survey. Those 15-year-old children who drank the most alcohol were more likely to know of and be offered drugs. We suggest that the link is explained by the social milieu in which these children move: where alcohol is con sumed in large quantities so are drugs taken.