Teenagers and alcohol: results of a Scottish national survey

During 1990 a survey was conducted of the self-reported drinking habits and alcohol-related knowledge and beliefs of a national sample of 7009 Scottish teenagers. The study group were age 14-16. Results indicated that only 3% of respondents had never consumed alcohol. The great majority of teenagers reported consuming only moderate quantities of alcohol. Even so 18.9% of males and 10.3% of females reported consuming 11 or more units on their last drinking occasion. The proportion of teenagers classified as 'heavy drinkers' increased markedly between the ages of 14 and 16. This study confirmed earlier findings indicating that Scottish teenagers are more likely than those in England to drink heavily and rather less frequently.