By Walter Finch
More than a fifth of children aged 12 to 13 in Spain have drunk alcohol in the last month, according to a new government report on addiction.
The pilot study on alcohol consumption, tobacco and possible behavioral addictions found that 21.5 percent had drunk alcohol in the last month. In the previous 12 months the number was as high as 30.6 percent.
The study, carried out by the Government Delegation for the National Drug Plan and Estudes (school survey on drug use among secondary school students) on 8,000 students, raises serious concerns about the early onset of drug use in Spain.
It is the first study of potentially addictive consumption habits in this age group and focuses on the two most common legal substances these students use, alcohol and tobacco.
The survey also sheds light on how these young people obtain alcohol. Primarily through local shops (41.6 percent), in other people’s homes (40.8 percent) or in your own home (33.2 percent).
Additionally, there appears to be a connection between parents’ drinking habits and the likelihood that their children will “feed the bottle.”
